1. Assess
the Need For and Establish the Purpose of the Position
The institution's
goals and mission statement should be clearly defined and understood prior
to conducting a search for qualified individuals. It should also emphasize
the people oriented nature of the organization.
2. Perform
a Position Analysis
Every student
affairs division should identify the characteristics and requirements of
the vacant position and the personality traits that would most benefit the
individual who assumes the position. It is important to create a profile
that best fits the position in the context of the institution's culture.
(See Raetz (2001) for a model specific
to student affairs for conducting position analyses and creating position
descriptions.
Whether the
position is new or recently vacated, there must be a careful determination
of why the position is needed, precisely how it will assist the division
and the institution in achieving its goals and mission, how it relates to
other positions in the division, and what skills and other abilities are
necessary to carry out its responsibilities.
Finally, the
position analysis should include
a judgment as to whether other positions in the division should be reconfigured
in light of the vacancy.
3.
Prepare the Position Description
The division
should first establish a hiring profile, consistent with the idea of choosing
the person who would best fit the position. It is imperative that a position
description clearly defines the institution's goals, including the definition
of student services, and that employees are selected based on personality
and chemistry that fit the defined services and goals.
The division
should offer leadership that embraces the concept and reality of the defined
goals and practice them everyday. It should also simplify operations so
the "people element" shines forth and stamps the institution.
The job description
should indicate the need for the position in light of the institution's
goals. It also should make clear to other members of the unit in which the
work is to be performed, what is expected of the new member.
The position
description should take heed of ethical consideration in regards to ethnic,
gender, and minority bias. It should be written so that it does not systematically
eliminate members of underrepresented groups such as women and minorities.
For example, because women's career paths are more often marked by absences
related to maternal and family responsibilities, the expectation that an
applicant's record show a steady progression of positions with increasing
responsibilities is more likely to attract men than women. Please see Creamer,
2000 for a full report on the issue of quality, equality, and equity
in individual performance measure.
In writing a
job description, one should avoid "must statements" such as "the
candidate must possess a Ph.D.". Use of such statements create unnecessary
limitations in the event the most successful candidate does not meet the
qualifications that have been described as a "must."
At a minimum
a position description should include:
- Position
title
- Credentials
or position specifications
- Administrative
location of the position
- Physical and
working conditions
- Goals for
the position
- Work activities
- Procedures
and conditions of employment
- Institutional
and divisional performance expectations
4. Appoint
and Empower the Search Committee
The integrated
staffing model suggests the use of a search committee to recruit and select
staff. Search committees are most frequently the mechanism used to carry
out recruitment and selection processes. Winston
et al. (2001) in their study found that 82% of the chief student affairs
administrators reported using search committees for filling entry- and middle-level
positions. Composition of committees varies depending on the functional
area and level of the position. Persons frequently included in search committees
were:
- Student affairs
staff outside the department with the vacancy
- Staff from
non-student affairs areas of the institution
- Students
- Faculty members
- Professional
staff in the area/department with vacancy
- Support staff
in the area/department with vacancy
According to
Winston and Creamer (1997), as the
level of responsibilities of the vacant position increases, the search committee
members should be more widely representative of the entire campus and outside
community. Search committee
membership may be comprised of many different constituents. Care, however,
should be exercised to keep the committee small enough that it can communicate
and function effectively. large committees have difficulty in just scheduling
meetings, such less providing opportunities for everyone's active participation.
Large committees may impede timely reviews of applications, which may result
in having highly qualified candidates withdraw because they have received
offers from competing institutions.
As search committees
tend to be ad hoc committees, members may not know precisely what is expected
of them. The committee's duties and the role of the hiring authority should
be clearly stated in writing. Because search committees are sometimes comprised
of students and individuals outside of the division and others who may not
be familiar with the credentials and experience required for professional
work in the field of student affairs, it is vital that all members of the
committee are well trained regarding the necessary qualifications. The members
of the search committee should be educated as to the general progression
of a career in student affairs and what level of responsibilities are required
for involvement at the particular level of employment where the vacancy
exists.
The empowering
official shall clarify the following responsibilities with the search committee
members:
- Select a search
committee chairperson
- Prepare the
position description (this responsibility is sometimes fulfilled prior
to appointment of the search committee)
- Determine
the timeline of the search process
- Prepare the
position announcement
- Advertise
the position
- Manage the
overall search process
- Determine
the finalists
- Make arrangements
for interviews
- Make or recommend
the final decision
5. Prepare
the Position Announcement
This crucial
step informs all who are interested in the position precisely what the search
committee is looking for in clear and unambiguous language. The announcement
should include such information as:
- Title
- Location and
demographics of the institution
- Supervisor
- Mission of
institution and division
- Contributions
expected by the staff member toward the accomplishment of these missions
- Goals and
work requirements of the position
- Minimum education
- Experience
and knowledge requirements
- Conditions
of employment
- Date for beginning
of review process
- Individual
and office to contact for further information
If stated clearly,
the position announcement can unencumbered the overall search process by
encouraging self-elimination of candidates who clearly do not fit the announced
requirements.
6. Advertise
the Position
The student
affairs division should evaluate all possible avenues for advertising a
position vacancy. Limited budgets may determine the means by which a position
vacancy is advertised. Therefore, it is important to consider carefully
which advertising medium is most likely to target the audience most important
to reach. Possibilities to consider are
- Campus resources
such as publications, offices, employee referrals, web-sites, or electronic
bulletin boards
- Local newspapers
- Word-of-mouth
- Employment
agencies
- Mass media
advertising (radio, television, etc.)
- Professional
listservs
- Professional
journals and web-sites such as American
College Personnel Association (ACPA) , National
Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) and Association
of College and University Housing Officers - International (ACUHO-I)
- Professional
placement conferences and exchanges such as ACPA,
NASPA, ACUHO-I,
and Oshkosh Placement
Exchange
- The
Chronicle of Higher Education - The Chronicle of Higher Education
is generally thought to be the most helpful medium in higher education
though it may not be read at all institutions. The Chronicle is distributed
in both paper and electronic form.
Extra care should
be taken to ensure that the announcement reaches potential minority candidates.
Good sources for this are
Black Issues in Higher Education, the American
Association of University Women, and other publications that target
minority educators.
7. Conduct
the Search
The individual
and office listed in the position announcement should receive all applications
from candidates. Acknowledgment of the application should be sent to both
the applicant and the search committee. All correspondence and activity
should be recorded in a log
to ensure careful tracking of the candidates' materials and status.
Applicants that
the division would normally judge unacceptable suddenly seem desirable when
the need to hire a body, "any body", becomes severe. The division
will face a natural temptation to short-circuit the standard screening process
and hire a replacement immediately.
One way to avoid
such crisis hiring is to encourage qualified individuals to submit employment
applications even when the division has no current job openings. The applications
may be kept on file for future consideration. Another way to maintain possible
candidates on file is to ask exemplary staff members to refer their friends
who might be looking for work, even offering the staff members rewards for
referrals.
8. Screen
the Applicants
Screening of
applications should be conducted from the beginning of the search process,
and reviews should begin immediately following the announcement. The division
should test to ensure that each applicant fits the profile and hire a person
who fits the profile remembering that good selection reduces turnover, training
and recruitment costs, and thereby produces stability, consistency, low
operating costs and an ability to increasingly reward desired behavior.
Selection methods
that focus both on crucial requirements and organizational culture include:
- Interviews
- Biographical
data
- Work samples
- Self-assessment
- Personality
tests
- Cognitive
abilities
- Physical abilities
(See Daddona (2001) for a discussion
of hiring student affairs professionals with disabilities)
- Use of an
assessment center
A thorough literature review
concerning the screening of resumes is available by Dennis.
The Rehabilitation
Act of 1973 requires affirmative action in the employment of individuals
with disabilities (Daddona, 2001; Winston
& Creamer, 1997).
The Americans
with Disabilities Act of 1990 prohibits discriminating against individuals
with disabilities (Daddona, 2001; Winston
& Creamer, 1997).
A comprehensive
employment application is the cornerstone of every successful pre-employment
screening program. It will identify many undesirable applicants early in
the selection process. The completion of an application form is important
for Equal Employment Opportunity reasons, for record keeping, and for gathering
information from which to make a good employment decision.
Some institutions
require that all applicants complete an employment application. Taking a
critical look at the institution's employment application, the recruitment
staff may see ways in which it can be improved. The one page, stationery-store
variety is too brief if it fails to elicit vital information that can be
legally requested.
The nitty-gritty
of the employment application is the work history section. Recent jobs are
the best predictors of future job performance and permanency. An application
should provide enough space to allow the applicant to list every job he/she
has held for at least five years. Their personal saga of success or failure
often is displayed clearly in their unabridged employment record. Beginning
and ending dates of each job, month as well as year, are also necessary.
Precise dates of employment expose gaps between jobs.
Instructions
should direct job seekers to list every job, including part-time, second
jobs, and volunteer jobs. The search committee should always carefully study
each applicant's employment history.
9. Arrange the Candidate Interviews
Once the applicant
pool has been screened and individuals to be considered are identified,
interviews should be arranged with those candidates. Often, the size of
the departmental recruitment budget will determine both the type and the
number of interviews that will be conducted. Many times, schools with limited
budgets will begin the interview process by conducting telephone interviews.
Telephone interviews can be held with either an individual or a group of
people as the interviewer. If a group of people interviews the candidate,
arrangements should be made to conduct a conference telephone call with
the candidate.
If an institution
is fortunate to have a healthy recruitment budget, the search committee
may wish to invite one or more candidates to visit the campus and participate
in the interview process in person. Or, an institution might wish to conduct
campus interviews after conducting phone interviews has narrowed the pool
of candidates. Regardless of what method of interviewing is used, certain
arrangements are necessary prior to the interview:
- arrange and
confirm dates and times with candidate
- develop the
interview schedule and confirm with all individuals who will be involved
in the interview process (provide a final copy of the schedule to the
candidate, the interviewers, and the search committee members)
- arrange for
escorts to and from all interviews
- arrange overnight
accommodations if necessary
- arrange for
transportation if necessary
- arrange for
a campus host (and pick up from airport, train station, etc. if necessary)
- arrange for
any meals provided outside of the interview schedule if necessary
- develop an
evaluation tool
for all interviewers to use upon completion of the
interview
The candidate
should be reimbursed for all travel related expenses incurred in order to
attend the interview unless other arrangements have been made.
10. Interview
the Finalists
Interviewing
an applicant from a resume can lead the search committee to overvalue assets
and never see liabilities. The purpose of the applicant's resume is to highlight
assets and hide shortcomings. Most applicants do not overtly lie on their
resumes; they just omit negative information. Unsuccessful short-term jobs,
reasons for leaving and dates of employment are the items most frequently
omitted from resumes.
As a result,
interviews must be conducted from completed employment
applications. The search committee should never grant an interview to
an applicant who has not fully completed an application form. Interviews
are most effective when they include questions based on a careful analysis
of job functions. Interviews should be consistent from candidate to candidate
and should evaluate a candidate's interpersonal and communication skills.
Interviews should
involve multiple interviewers. It is always instructive to see how different
interviewers give different points of view on the same applicant, which
leads to a better overall hiring choice. Additionally, it is easy for search
committee members to forget some of the material that was covered in the
interview. It is useful to document every interview session and to have
one interviewer from each interview team provide brief notes regarding the
gist of the interview.
11. Conduct
Reference Checks
One of the most
crucial but often neglected steps in the hiring process is reference checking.
Reference checking is often forfeited when a student affairs division is
pressured to hire in a hurry. Additionally, reference checking can be a
frustrating exercise that yields little useful information about a candidate.
Nevertheless, the desire to save time and avoid legal ramifications should
not prevent any recruitment staff from conducting thorough reference checks
on all prospective new hires.
Reference checks
round out the profile of a job applicant by providing third-party support
for first impressions. Reference checks should be made only for those candidates
who have advanced to the finalist stage and who are under serious consideration
for the job.
When calling
a reference, be friendly and courteous. Ask if it is a good time to talk
then put the person at ease by mentioning something or someone you both
have in common. For instance, maybe both are members of the NASPA. After
developing rapport, begin with basic questions about the applicant. This
will yield essential information while breaking the ice. Ask for confirmation
of employment dates, title, job duties, salary and the name of the previous
employer. Next, segue into a brief description of the experience and skills
you have been looking for and ask the reference to comment on the applicant's
ability to handle some of the typical responsibilities associated with the
position.
Some ways to
improve reference checking are:
- Inform the
candidates that, if they advance as a finalist for the position, the hiring
supervisor will conduct a reference check. This information should encourage
candidates to be frank and honest in their responses to questions.
- To increase
the chances of contacting candid references, ask each applicant for at
least five names, including immediate supervisors. Additionally, request
a fact about each contact, such as membership in professional associations,
which can be used as an icebreaker when calling.
- The position
supervisor should call all references personally. That person knows best
which skills and personality traits will be optimal for the position.
- Ask open-ended
questions in order to elicit broad information. Some people may be fortunate
and contact a reference that is willing to frankly discuss the candidate's
qualifications. But it is just as likely that the reference will be reluctant
and offer minimal information.
- Avoid inquiring
about the candidate's marital status, age, disabilities, religion, ethnicity,
gender, or other personal issues. Such information may not be used in
making a hiring decision.
12. Make the
Offer
After the search
committee has completed all of the interviews and has evaluated the candidacy
of the finalists, the committee will submit a recommendation to the hiring
authority. The committee may submit one of the following types of recommendations,
depending upon the charge that was originally given to the search committee:
- the name
of one candidate
- the names
of two or more candidates in order of hiring preference
- the names
of two or more candidates in no particular order
Once a qualified
candidate or candidates has been recommended to the hiring supervisor, the
supervisor should strongly consider the recommendation that has been presented.
The supervisor may accept a hiring recommendation or charge the search committee
to continue the search.
Should a hiring
recommendation be accepted, the supervisor should contact the preferred
candidate and make the job offer. Some important issues that should be addressed
in the job offer are:
- starting
salary
- starting date
- length of
contract
- employee benefits
- moving expenses
(if applicable)
- living accommodations
(if applicable)
- any other
points of negotiation
The candidate
should be given sufficient time to either accept of reject the offer. However,
the hiring authority should not compromise the availability of other candidates
if the candidate of choice declines the offer by allowing too much time
to pass between the offer and the decision.
If the candidate
accepts the position, the offer
and conditions of hiring should be sent to the candidate in writing
as soon as possible. If the candidate declines the position, the hiring
supervisor should make the offer to the next candidate of choice or should
reconvene the search committee to make other arrangements.
Once an individual
has been secured for the position, all
other candidates should be notified immediately. They should be informed
of the closure to the search and thanked for their interest in the position.
It is proper etiquette to notify those candidates who were interviewed,
either by telephone or in person, personally.
Finally, the
search committee should be dissolved with acknowledgments of their time
and service. Appropriate announcements should be made regarding the outcome
of the search process.
