Train Participants in the Process
Responsible party: Established by Hiring Manager & Search Chair, executed by search committee and stakeholders who will interact with candidates throughout the process
- Share with all search committee members who will be conducting interviews.
- Starting with the first meeting, set expectations for the committee:
- Review job must-haves and evaluation criteria to keep the group focused
- State expectations about confidentiality and integrity
- Set ground rules for meetings (e.g.: no interrupting).
- Discuss common but unfair practices in hiring, such as requiring credentials when experience would suffice, requiring identical work experience when skills are transferable, expecting candidates to talk and act “like us,” and letting irrelevant factors sway decision-making (e.g., personal email style for a job where writing is not an essential skill)
- At subsequent meetings, prime the group to be thoughtful and thorough by reading and reflecting on guiding principles about your personal and group commitment to fairness.