Frequently Asked Questions on Faculty and Other Academic Personnel Requisitions (last updated 11/15/05)

1. Is there a minimum period for which a job must be posted?
2. Is posting a position on UChicago Jobs sufficient to meet search requirements?
3. I've created requisitions before. Do I need to use a template to create a new one?
4. What title should I put in the "Departmental Job Title" field?
5. Do I have to fill in the field "Remove from posting on or before"?
6. The department's position has an application deadline. Is there a way to automatically remove the posting from the website after the deadline?
7. What should I put in the "General Summary" field?
8. Is there a way to indicate that the position will be at a non-campus location?
9. Can we accept applications through the UChicago Jobs website?
10. We want to accept applications both via mail and through UChicago Jobs. Can we do so?
11. We are accepting online applications for our Other Academic Personnel position. How do we request documents?
12. What documents can be attached to an online application?
13. We will ask all candidates for our OAP position to apply online. Is there any way UChicago Jobs can help us qualify and rank candidates?
14. If we are accepting all our applications online, do we need to send qualified applicants the Applicant Email Request?
15. What is the "Quick Link"?
16. How can I post an open rank position?
17. How can I make changes to a requisition once I've sent it to "Provost Office Review"?
18. How do I know if my job has been posted on UChicago Jobs?
19. If my job is filled, do I need to do anything to remove it from posting on UChicago Jobs?
20. Can I fill more than one position with one requisition?
21. We are accepting applications only via mail. Do I need to review the active applicant list generated by UChicago Jobs?
22. We are accepting applications only through UChicago Jobs. Do we need to make any changes on the “Active Applicants” page?
23. Can I require previous University of Chicago experience in my job description?
24. What are ways to increase diversity in the applicant pool?
25. I have other questions about faculty and Other Academic Personnel posting on UChicago Jobs. Who should I contact?

1. Is there a minimum period for which a job must be posted?
Positions must be posted for one month from the first appearance of the specific position advertisement, whether that first appearance is in a publication or on the UChicago Jobs website.

2. Is posting a position on UChicago Jobs sufficient to meet search requirements?
Generally, you will need to advertise specific positions in appropriate scholarly outlets. If your unit places generic ads in national publications that direct interested individuals to UChicago Jobs to review currently open positions, then the UChicago Jobs posting is sufficient. (This method is frequently used for Research Associate positions.)

3. I've created requisitions before. Do I need to use a template to create a new one?
Yes. There are a number of default fields in the Faculty & Other Academic template that ensure that the job posts correctly.

4. What title should I put in the "Departmental Job Title" field?
You should fill in that field with the title of the position as it appears in the advertisement. For example: "Faculty position in biophysics," "BE/BC Anesthesiologists," "Research Position in Computational Astrophysics," or "Art Historian - Contemporary Art." Do not change the text in the field immediately below, "Title/Rank." This field is not seen by applicants, but allows you, the HR administrator, to verify the exact rank of the requisition.

5. Do I have to fill in the field "Remove from posting on or before"?
Yes. If your search has an application deadline, we recommend that you fill in a date one month later than the closing date. This ensures that any applicants who received the Applicant Email Request near the deadline have time to respond.

If your search has no application deadline, put in a date two years from the date of posting for faculty searches, one year from the date of posting for OAP searches.

6. The department's position has an application deadline. Is there a way to automatically remove the posting from the website after the deadline?
Yes. Fill in the field "Remove from posting on or before" with a date that allows enough time after your deadline for you to review all applications, send Applicant Email Requests, and receive applicant responses on UChicago Jobs to those requests. This is typically about a month.

7. What should I put in the "General Summary" field?
The "General Summary" field should contain the job description exactly as it appears in advertisements. It is important that the description explain where applications are to be sent, whether via U.S. mail, fax, and/or email ("Application materials should be sent to . . .") or through the UChicago Jobs website ("Candidates should apply online. The following materials must be attached . . .").

8. Is there a way to indicate that the position will be at a non-campus location?
Yes, select the appropriate site from the "Work Location" drop down box.

9. Can we accept applications through the UChicago Jobs website?
Yes, for Other Academic Personnel positions only. Applications for faculty positions, including Clinical Educators, must be sent via U.S. mail, fax, or email. Because of reporting requirements, you may not accept applications both online and through the traditional paper process. If you elect to accept all applications online, be sure to state in the "General Description" what documents should be attached and to select those attachments in the field "Documents which can be associated with this posting" (cover letter and curriculum vita, for instance).

10. We want to accept applications both via mail and through UChicago Jobs. Can we do so?
No. A single log of applicants must be maintained. If applications are accepted at the UChicago Jobs website, the log can be generated from the system. If applications are to be sent to the unit, then the Applicant Log form should be completed. Whichever application method you are using, be certain that the log submitted with the recommendation includes only the names of those determined to be qualified applicants.

11. We are accepting online applications for our Other Academic Personnel position. How do we request documents?
When writing the advertisement for jobs for which applications will only be accepted online, say: " Individuals should apply online at https://jobopportunities.uchicago.edu. Candidates must submit [name the materials you wish to receive]. " This same language should be used in the "General Summary" field in UChicago Jobs. Be sure to check the appropriate radio boxes in "Documents which can be associated with this posting."

12. What documents can be attached to an online application?
Only the items listed under "Documents which can be associated with this posting" can be attached to an application. These are: cover letter, resume, writing sample, curriculum vita, reference contact info, research statement, and other. If you are requesting additional items, such as reference letters or publications, you will need to provide information in the "General Summary" on where these should be sent.

13. We will ask all candidates for our OAP position to apply on line. Is there any way UChicago Jobs can help us qualify and rank candidates?
Yes. You can use the section "Posting Specific Questions" to eliminate unqualified candidates and to rank applicants according to their qualifications. For further information on this using this feature, contact the Provost's Office or University Human Resources.

14. If we are accepting all our applications online, do we need to send qualified applicants the Applicant Email Request?
No. Candidates who have applied online have already been asked to provide race/ethnicity and sex information.

15. What is the "Quick Link"?
The Quick Link is the URL you will use in the Applicant Email Request you send to all qualified applicants who have applied through the traditional written application process. This link allows applicants to quickly complete an Applicant Profile that includes their name and race/ethnicity and sex data. Completion of the Profile is voluntary. If you have asked candidates to apply through UChicago Jobs for a position, they will have had the opportunity in the application process to complete the Applicant Profile, so you do not need to send the Applicant Email Request.

16. How can I post an open rank position?
If you are searching with open rank generally you need create only one requisition.

In the BSD, if eligible applicants may be hired in the Other Academic Personnel CE track as well as in faculty UN, TT, or CS tracks, you should create a separate requisition for the CE track. In other words, candidates will see one ad, but our system of multiple requisitions will allow us to maintain applicants in different pools. As qualified applicants are identified, a judgment must be made as to what track is appropriate and applicant information entered on that Applicant Log (CE or UN/TT/CS). The Applicant Email Request should include the "Quick Link" URL for the appropriate requisition.

17. How can I make changes to a requisition once I've sent it to "Provost Office Review"?
Contact the Provost's Office and we will change the posting status to "HR Admin Review" so that you can edit the requisition and re-send it to "Provost Office Review."

18. How do I know if my job has been posted on UChicago Jobs?
There are several ways to check online. Easiest is to "Check All" under "Posting Status" on the Job Postings search form and to review the Posting Status column of the various requisitions you have created.

19. If my job is filled, do I need to do anything to remove it from posting on UChicago Jobs?
Yes. If the "Remove from posting on or before" date has not yet been reached, when a recommendation for hire has been approved by the Provost’s Office and the applicant has accepted the position you must "Close" the requisition. If you do not, the position will remain open and posted on UChicago Jobs. Make certain that you have allowed sufficient time for applicants to respond to the Applicant Email Request before closing the job.

20. Can I fill more than one position with one requisition?
Yes. Many departments place a single ad with the intention of hiring several individuals. The position posting may stay open up to one year for OAP postings, two years for faculty postings. As individuals are selected for hire, each recommendation should be sent forward with an Applicant Log complete to that point. You can continue to add additional applicant names to the same Applicant Log as the search continues and that longer Applicant Log should accompany subsequent recommendations.

21. We are accepting applications only via mail. Do I need to review the active applicant list generated by UChicago Jobs?
Absolutely. Units must reconcile the Applicant Log with the Active Applicant list in UChicago Jobs. On the website, move out of the record of “Active Applicants” the names of any persons who appear there, but who are not in your Applicant Log because they did not submit their materials according to directions or were considered not to have the minimum qualifications for your position. You move persons out of the active applicant pool by changing their record in the “Status” column to “Did not meet min quals."

22. We are accepting applications only through UChicago Jobs. Do we need to make any changes on the “Active Applicants” page?
Yes. Verify the status of individuals whose names are listed on the page. Those who do not qualify as applicants should be moved to an inactive status such as “Did not meet min quals,” “Withdrawn,” or “Incomplete documents.”

23. Can I require previous University of Chicago experience in my job description?
No. Previous University of Chicago experience may be preferred, but not required.

24. What are ways to increase diversity in the applicant pool?
We recommend that one member of the search committee be specifically charged with undertaking efforts to reach women and minority candidates. Several departments on campus have collaborated effectively with faculty in the University’s Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture to identify candidates of color. As search committee members contact their networks of colleagues to ask about promising candidates, they also may inquire specifically about potential women and minority candidates. The more open the search is with respect to field of specialization, the more likely that qualified minority and women candidates will be brought into the pool.

In addition to position listings in the appropriate professional association newsletters or journals, we encourage you to send advertisements to any affiliated organizations for women or minorities in the field and to such national publications as Black Issues in Higher Education and The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education.

Outstanding women and minority candidates are in high demand. For junior hires, beginning the cultivation process early in their Other Academic Personnel careers, even before they are actively on the job market, can be an effective measure for ultimate recruitment.

25. I have other questions about faculty and Other Academic Personnel posting on UChicago Jobs. Who should I contact?
First review “How to Create a Faculty or OAP Requisition and Track Applicants.” If your questions concern search procedures, be in touch with the Provost’s Office. If your questions concern the operation of UChicago Jobs, contact University Human Resources.

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