Getting Started

The Department Chair and/or Division Chief (or area leader) selects an appropriate Chair of the Search Committee. Search Committee Chairs hold the leadership role for overseeing the search process in following university guidelines.

Chair of Search Committee Roles & Responsibilities   Resources & Support  Best Practices
1. Select Search Committee Members and develop faculty position description in consultation with Department Chair and Diversity Search Advisor (DSA)

General Resource
  • Work with the Faculty Coordinator and Diversity Search Advisor (DSA) to ensure diverse membership of the Search Committee
  • Design faculty position description in consultation with Diversity Search Advisor, Department Chair, and Faculty Coordinator
2. Oversee Search Process
  • DSA
  • Faculty Coordinator

General Resource
  • Invite DSA to initial search committee meeting
  • Review Position Description with search committee members
  • Ensure your understanding of the position, and the relevant track requirements: consult with DSA, Faculty Coordinator, and Department COAP Chair for clarification on track and rank issues
  • In consultation with the DSA, the Search Committee Chair ensures that the search committee members are familiar with university and PSOM policies for faculty searches, Affirmative Action Guidelines, unconscious bias, and appropriate interview process
3. Actively expand the applicant pool
  • Search actively by advertising in journals/publications that reach diverse audiences, networking with diverse colleagues for recommendations, and reaching out to the DSA and the Office of Inclusion, Diversity, & Equity (OIDE) to seek potential candidate names
  • Consider additional strategies. What are the best ways to put the word out in your field? Twitter? Meetings? Sending emails and making calls? 
4. Applicant Reviews
  • Ensure fair, unbiased, and equitable review of all applicants
  • Convene communication to review all applicants and select candidates for interviews
  • Conduct ongoing discussions with the search committee to identify preferred candidates, and conduct a final candidate review or short list for selection
  • Search Chair should stay in touch with other candidates throughout the search process
5. Manage special considerations
  • Reach out to the Office of Academic Affairs (FAPD) for consultations about specific cases and complex circumstances

Search committee members play a vital role in the faculty search process to conduct outreach, review applicants, select candidates for interviews, and to identify preferred candidate.

Search Committee Member Roles & Responsibilities Resources & Support Best Practices
1. Actively engage in search process with Search Chair guidance

General Resources
  • DSA attends initial search committee meeting
  • Search committee members should review Position Description
  • Search committee members should become familiar with university and PSOM policies for faculty searches, Affirmative Action Guidelines, unconscious bias, and appropriate interview processes
2. Actively expand and diversity the applicant pool
  • Actively search by advertising in journals/publications that reach diverse audiences, networking with diverse colleagues for recommendations, and reaching out to the DSA and Office of Inclusion, Diversity & Equity (OIDE) to seek potential candidate names.
  • Consider additional strategies: what are the best ways to put the word out in your field?
3. Applicant Reviews
  • Before interviews are initiated, fairly and equitably review all applicants
  • Provide feedback to Search Chair for selecting applicants for interviews
  • Complete Candidate Evaluation Form for Faculty Searches to provide input and assessment of each interviewed candidate
  • The Search Committee Chair and/or department Faculty Coordinator will indicate when recommendations for interviews are due, and will collect evaluations 
  • Engage with Search Chair to identify preferred candidates, and conduct a final candidate review or short list for selection.
  • Note: DSA may be present at the final evaluation meeting.

Resources

Interfolio Faculty Search – Faculty Positions

  • Login to my.med
  • Select ‘Interfolio’ under ‘Faculty Administration’
  • Select ‘Positions’ under ‘Faculty Search’ to view Faculty Positions

Video Conferencing

Unconscious Bias 

Relocation 

Special Considerations

For additional information about special considerations, please contact our office.

Key for Recruiting: The Dual Career Program: The Vice Provost for Faculty will work with Deans and Departments seeking to support the placement of a faculty recruit partner /spouse. Contact OAA for details.