GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING FACULTY SEARCHES
June 2007

The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity (AA/EEO) Employer.

As an Affirmative Action employer, we make a conscious effort to take specific action to ensure that people who may be basically qualified, including members of minority groups and women, learn of openings. As an Equal Employment Opportunity employer, the University has policies to ensure that when there is a job opening, people who believe that they are basically qualified have an opportunity to apply. We also evaluate the responses to our advertisements and searches to determine whether our applicant pools are representative of the broader pool of basically qualified people.

All position advertisements must include the following language: "The University of Chicago is an Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Employer."

• Defining an Applicant
• Reaching the Broadest Applicant Pool
• Tracking Applicant Flow
• Documenting the Search Process

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Defining an Applicant

An applicant:

• is a person who requests to be considered for a specific advertised position;
• submits application materials by any stated deadline date; and
• meets basic qualifications listed as required in the position advertisement.

The qualifications stated in the advertisement will put constraints on the applicant pool. If you state that a qualification is required, then ONLY persons with that qualification may become applicants. If you list specific subfields of interest as required qualifications, all applicants must specialize in one of those subfields. If they do not, they are unqualified for the job and may not be part of the applicant pool for the position. However, if you do not state that a subfield is a required qualification but state instead that it is preferred, this will not limit the applicant pool only to those in one of the subfields you mention.

Your search normally will begin with placing an advertisement. The language of the advertisement will determine not just who will apply, but whom (from all who respond to your advertisement) you may consider for the position. Write your advertisement carefully.

TIP: Be precise in the use of “required” or “must have” in advertisement text. You may not legally consider anyone lacking required credentials, even if the candidate appears very promising. For example, if you might consider hiring a candidate without a completed Ph.D., the language of your advertisement must anticipate that eventuality, with a statement such as “Ph.D. or ABD with dissertation nearing completion.”

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Reaching the Broadest Applicant Pool

All units are encouraged to disseminate information about open faculty positions as widely as possible. In addition to advertisements in journals and other publications, posting on electronic bulletin boards and contacting colleagues at other institutions can be effective means of reaching the broadest applicant pool. We expect units to make extra efforts to recruit qualified women and minorities into the applicant pool and to give serious consideration to these candidates. (See "What are ways to increase diversity in the applicant pool?" in the Frequently Asked Questions section.)

We do not wish to set down rules for selecting the most qualified candidate. In general, though, we strongly recommend that an appropriate number of applicants be interviewed as part of that process. Such interviews may be conducted by telephone, via email, or face-to-face, as the situation warrants.

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Tracking Applicant Flow

As an Affirmative Action Employer, the University is required to a) request that applicants complete an equal employment survey, b) report the data from the survey, and, c) analyze applicant pool data for every hire. We use the UChicago Jobs website for these purposes.

• Create the faculty position opening and generate a unique search requisition number at https://jobopportunities.uchicago.edu/hr. See “How to Create a Faculty or OAP Requisition and Track Applicants.”

• Whether the advertisement describes a search for a specific rank or for open rank, you need only create a single requisition from the template “ Instructor-Professor (UN, TT, CS) .”
• Professional schools and in some cases departments search for faculty in more than one academic discipline. If you are searching to fill positions in several fields by means of a single advertisement, you must create a separate requisition for each field. If you are searching to fill one position with a person who must specialize in one field among several in which you are interested, you still must create a separate requisition for each field. 
• Create a separate Applicant Log for each requisition. The name of every qualified applicant (see above) and the actions taken with respect to each should be noted on the Log.
• As complete applications are received and reviewed, candidates who meet the minimum qualifications according to the definition of applicant should be sent an Applicant Email Request asking that they fill out an online Academic Profile. As you email these requests, be sure to record the date each is sent on the Applicant Log. Information from applicants who complete the “Academic Profile” allows us to gather data on our applicant pools.
• The website explains that the University’s request for sex and race/ethnicity data complies with a federal regulation. No candidate may be required to furnish the data requested.
• If you are searching to fill several positions in the same field by means of a single advertisement, you may continue to use the same requisition for the length of the posting period. After an initial hire, the names of additional qualified applicants will be added to the Applicant Log as the search continues. The updated Log will accompany each subsequent recommendation for hire

In order to keep the pool of applicants “fresh,” open faculty positions should normally be re-advertised annually. Faculty searches may not remain open longer than two (2) years. You may accept no new applications on the current requisition after that time. You may, however, continue to mine that applicant pool for qualified candidates for the advertised position. Thus, for instance, should the first person to whom you offer a position decline, you are free to extend offers to others on the short list developed from the original search. If the position is unfilled and no offer is actively under consideration at the end of two years, then the present search should be closed in UChicago Jobs, a new requisition created, and a new search advertised.

There are certain specific faculty hiring situations for which the procedures described in this document may not apply. Contact the Provost’s Office for further information.

Documenting the Search Process

Every recommendation for appointment that comes to the Provost’s Office must contain a separate search documentation packet that includes:

• A brief discussion of the search process. What efforts, if any, were made to recruit qualified candidates beyond the published advertisement? These might include personal contacts, notices sent to other top departments, etc. What affirmative actions were taken to reach women and minority candidates?
• A brief discussion of the selection process. What criteria were used in narrowing the pool and selecting the recommended candidate? Why is the candidate proposed for appointment the best qualified applicant?
• The completed Applicant Log(s). Before submitting the Log, the unit should use it to correct the list of applicants in UChicago Jobs. Move out of the record of “Active Applicants” the names of any persons who appear on the website, yet who are not in your Applicant Log because they 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."
• Sample advertisements (locations and dates of all placements noted).

Equal employment survey data is accessed directly from UChicago Jobs by the Provost’s Office. Do not use the old “Summary Sheet.” In addition, the “Citizenship and/or Immigration Category of Proposed Appointee” form should no longer be used.

Records of all searches (whether the position is filled or not) must be kept for three (3) years from the date of the last action taken. Such records include copies of all advertisements, the Applicant Log, all materials sent to and received from individuals who qualify as applicants as well as FROM all job seekers who request to be considered for the position; any reference letters received, and all documentation of the deliberations of the search committee, including interview notes of committee members.

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For questions on faculty hiring procedures, contact:

Stephen Gabel
773-702-0790
sgabel@uchicago.edu

UHRM® The University of Chicago® University Human Resources Management
970 East 58th St., Room 320, Chicago, IL 60637 773-702-8900