Academic search committees: Be best!

#Academic #job season inevitably sparks an inexhaustible stream of advice for job seekers. While I get why this is, I think we should also admit that responsibility for the terribleness of the process lies with committees. So here are 9 things #search committees should do to make the system less awful.

(1) Meet before launching a search to establish processes and criteria. Come up with a shared understanding before writing a single sentence of a job #ad or discussing a single specific candidate. Then stick to the agreed processes and criteria throughout.

(2) Write an #inclusive and transparent job ad. Leave out superlatives like "world class" and "outstanding." State job duties and #salary. Say what you want from candidates, e.g. "submit a 2 - 3 pg #teaching statement highlighting curricular breadth and active #learning approaches." Here's an example I wrote, and there's another example in this recent piece.

(3) Remind committee members about criteria before reading application files. Make sure every application file is read and evaluated by at least two (and three or more is better) people. I can see you rolling your eyes. "If we get 600 applications, that's a minimum of 1200 reads, and with 6 people on our committee, that's 200 reads per person. I don't have time for that." Then don't be on a search committee. Or make the time because you want to be better human.

(4) Have several rounds of cuts during application review. Err on the side of passing people to the next round. Insist that discussions about candidates stick to their ability to meet professional criteria and perform job duties as previously agreed on by committee.

(5) When a round of cuts is made, send speedy and humane #rejections to those who didn't make the cut. If you feel you want to hold on to candidates "just in case," then it means you are NOT rejecting them. Be ethical, then, and officially pass them on to the next round.

(6) Tell final round candidates what to expect during campus visits. Give them a schedule well in advance. Tell them what audience to imagine when preparing their research talk and/or teaching demo.

(7) Instruct anyone who will meet with the candidates on legal and ethical behavior during interviews. Do it in person, in a required meeting. Make clear what questions are illegal. Make clear the level of professionalism that should be shown to candidates.

(8) Provide resources to candidates for topics that are potentially sensitive. Hand them a list of trusted, confidential people who are barred from participating in the search who can answer questions. For instance, give names/emails of people willing to discuss #childcare or local #school systems or racial #diversity and #inclusion or #LGBTQ issues or anything that might be of concern but that a candidate would not want to discuss with a search committee. Hand the candidate the list, explain the confidentiality, and leave it at that.

(9) Fight for the best for the candidate you want to hire. Get them a better #salary than you had. Get them more startup than you had. Provide them with more scheduling flexibility than you had. Create an experience that moves towards breaking a cycle of abuse rather than reinforcing one.

The list above is certainly not exhaustive, but maybe it gets us started. What are your own ideas/suggestions? Do you have any success stories to share?