Conducting Outreach
Conducting Outreach and Announcing the Position
Once the Dean has approved the Search Plan, the department staff and the search committee can execute the planned outreach and advertising efforts.
Department staff submits the job notice to all advertisement sources listed in the Search Plan.
- Review journals, websites, etc. immediately to confirm that the job notice has been properly posted.
- Retain proof of all advertisement efforts in the form of tear sheets and emails that explicitly announce the position with the run-dates of the ad. Examples of tear sheets with this information include:
- Photo copies of ads posted in journals (showing the name and date of the journal)
- Copies of ads posted on Web sites (showing the Web address).
- Ensure that search committees document outreach efforts such as:
Copies of e-mails sent to colleagues, committees, associations, listservs, etc.
- Records of correspondences and/or phone calls to colleagues
- Scan and upload evidences in which the job was advertised. Instructions are located in the Recruit Help Tab under Recruitments.
Active Applicant Management
Active Applicant Management
The Recruit platform aids the university in compliance by:
- Collects applications
- Maintains reordering
- Houses applicant information that UCSD is required to track
- Helps the university to identify an applicant
- Tracks selection and outreach effectiveness
Until the all the hires for the recruitment are made, departments should be actively managing their recruitments. OARS recommend a minimum of one review date per quarter.
Example of the full search process active management:
Example of abbreviated search process active management:
Interviewing Candidates
Interviewing Candidates
While some questions may seem innocent, how they are phrased could present legal issues. The best practice is to confine the questions to essential job functions and ability to perform the job. EEOC defines discriminatory practices to include:
- Employment decisions based on stereotypes or assumptions about the abilities, traits, or performance of a certain sex, race, religion, or ethnic group, or individuals with disabilities, or based on myths or assumptions about an individual’s genetic information.
- Denying employment opportunities to a person because of marriage to, association with, an individual’s race, religion, national origin, or an individual with a disability. Title VII also prohibits discrimination because of participation in schools or places of worship association with particular racial, ethnic, or religious group.
For a complete list of prohibited questions that can be asked during an interview, please read the Guide to Pre-Employment Inquiries.
Types of Interviews
There are several types of interviews departments can use. OARS recommend more than one interview process for tenured-track and tenured positions with the campus visit being a final interview. All candidates must have the same kind of interview, even if it has to be conducted in different formats (zoom vs in person).
Types of interviews:
- Phone Screen – Intended to screen out any unqualified applicants and to send those who are qualified further in the interview process.
- Zoom – Interview over zoom. Can be done with one interviewer or multiple.
- One-on-One Interviews – Interview with just one other person in some capacity (phone, zoom, face-to-face).
- Lunch Interviews – Interviews conducted to a candidate over lunch.
- Panel Interviews – Interviews with more than one interviewer at the same time.
- Serial Interviews – A series of interviews on the same day.
- Competency Interview – An interview where you see if the candidate has the skills to do the job (Example: a teaching demonstration).
Prepare Interview Questions
All questions must be related to the position and the selection criteria established at the Search Plan.
Some basic rules for questions are:
- Ask for examples
- Don’t ask leading questions
- Get candidates to elaborate on accomplishments
- Ask open-ended questions
Other types of questions are:
- Behavioral
- Competency – Based Questions
- Situational Approach
- Follow Up Questions
Behavioral Questions – Interview questions about past performances is the best indicator of a candidate’s future behavior. The panel can obtain an accurate picture of what a candidate has achieved up to this point.
Behavioral questions can:
- Review candidate’s experience, personal attributes, and job-related skills
- Ask how a candidate handled a particular situation in the past
- Be pointed, probing, and specific
- Have follow up questions
Example: Describe a situation in which you were able to convince someone to see things your way.
Example: Give an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to achieve it.
Competency – Based Questions – Aim to discover how a candidate performed in a particular situation. Like the behavioral questions, they can predict the future by looking at what the candidate did in the past.
Competency-based questions can:
- Focus on skills needed for a position
- Be pointed, probing, and specific
- Give interviewers a sense of an applicant’s job performance and attitude toward work
Example: Tell me about a time when you had to encourage others to contribute thoughts and ideas on an issue. How did you get everyone to contribute? What was the end result?
Situational Approach – Gives a candidate a hypothetical situation so the interviewer can see how the candidate would respond. The situation should be relevant to the job, but not necessarily one the candidate has done in the past. This will reveal the thought process of the candidate.
Example: Your department has a disagreement on a process. How would you handle this disagreement? How would you define success to this situation?
Follow Up Questions – Many candidates will come to the interview with prepared responses to the more obvious questions that will be asked. A follow up question will show the depth of the understanding the candidate really knows, thus making the follow up question the most important question in the interview.
If a candidate answers in generalities to follow up questions, they most likely are embellishing their achievements.
Example: Why did you choose that strategy?
Example: What made you believe that XXX was the right answer?
Example: What steps did you take to make xxx more efficient?
Candidate Experience – During the Interview
During the interview process, the candidate is evaluating the university as well as being evaluated. Lasting impressions are formed on both sides.
By putting a candidate at ease, it gives a panel better opportunity to assess a candidate’s skills.
When you are in the candidate’s presence – whether in a formal one-on-one interview situation or in a casual social gathering – you are in “interview status” with the candidate. An appropriate, professional manner should be maintained.
The following are ideas for a good candidate experience during the interview:
- Introduce everyone in the interview panel
- Make good eye contact
- Start with easy questions to get the candidate settled
- Allow silences – give candidate’s a chance to form an answer
- Treat candidates like consultants
- Use good listening skills
- Treat all applicants the same
- Thank them for their time
- Close on a positive note
- Provide information to all candidates about the recruitment process, the schedule for filling the position, and when the candidate can expect the next communication from the department
After the Interview
Evaluate candidates equally and fairly against the selection criteria. The evaluation process for interviews and other means of finding candidates is a heavily scrutinized process. To avoid risks and ensure the most qualified candidate is selected, follow the following best practices:
- Ensure hiring decisions are based on relevant credentials
- Be objective in assessment
- Be consistent in assessment
- Assess based on evidence and not emotion
From this evaluation, determine if the candidate will be moving forward or not. Create a deselecting/selection statement.
Types of Interviews
There are several types of interviews departments can use. OARS recommend more than one interview process for tenured-track and tenured positions with the campus visit being a final interview. All candidates must have the same kind of interview, even if it has to be conducted in different formats (zoom vs in person).
Types of interviews:
- Phone Screen – Intended to screen out any unqualified applicants and to send those who are qualified further in the interview process.
- Zoom – Interview over zoom. Can be done with one interviewer or multiple.
- One-on-One Interviews – Interview with just one other person in some capacity (phone, zoom, face-to-face).
- Lunch Interviews – Interviews conducted to a candidate over lunch.
- Panel Interviews – Interviews with more than one interviewer at the same time.
- Serial Interviews – A series of interviews on the same day.
- Competency Interview – An interview where you see if the candidate has the skills to do the job (Example: a teaching demonstration).
Prepare Interview Questions
All questions must be related to the position and the selection criteria established at the Search Plan.
Some basic rules for questions are:
- Ask for examples
- Don’t ask leading questions
- Get candidates to elaborate on accomplishments
- Ask open-ended questions
Other types of questions are:
- Behavioral
- Competency – Based Questions
- Situational Approach
- Follow Up Questions
Behavioral Questions – Interview questions about past performances is the best indicator of a candidate’s future behavior. The panel can obtain an accurate picture of what a candidate has achieved up to this point.
Behavioral questions can:
- Review candidate’s experience, personal attributes, and job-related skills
- Ask how a candidate handled a particular situation in the past
- Be pointed, probing, and specific
- Have follow up questions
Example: Describe a situation in which you were able to convince someone to see things your way.
Example: Give an example of a time when you set a goal and were able to achieve it.
Competency – Based Questions – Aim to discover how a candidate performed in a particular situation. Like the behavioral questions, they can predict the future by looking at what the candidate did in the past.
Competency-based questions can:
- Focus on skills needed for a position
- Be pointed, probing, and specific
- Give interviewers a sense of an applicant’s job performance and attitude toward work
Example: Tell me about a time when you had to encourage others to contribute thoughts and ideas on an issue. How did you get everyone to contribute? What was the end result?
Situational Approach – Gives a candidate a hypothetical situation so the interviewer can see how the candidate would respond. The situation should be relevant to the job, but not necessarily one the candidate has done in the past. This will reveal the thought process of the candidate.
Example: Your department has a disagreement on a process. How would you handle this disagreement? How would you define success to this situation?
Follow Up Questions – Many candidates will come to the interview with prepared responses to the more obvious questions that will be asked. A follow up question will show the depth of the understanding the candidate really knows, thus making the follow up question the most important question in the interview.
If a candidate answers in generalities to follow up questions, they most likely are embellishing their achievements.
Example: Why did you choose that strategy?
Example: What made you believe that XXX was the right answer?
Example: What steps did you take to make xxx more efficient?
Candidate Experience – During the Interview
During the interview process, the candidate is evaluating the university as well as being evaluated. Lasting impressions are formed on both sides.
By putting a candidate at ease, it gives a panel better opportunity to assess a candidate’s skills.
When you are in the candidate’s presence – whether in a formal one-on-one interview situation or in a casual social gathering – you are in “interview status” with the candidate. An appropriate, professional manner should be maintained.
The following are ideas for a good candidate experience during the interview:
- Introduce everyone in the interview panel
- Make good eye contact
- Start with easy questions to get the candidate settled
- Allow silences – give candidate’s a chance to form an answer
- Treat candidates like consultants
- Use good listening skills
- Treat all applicants the same
- Thank them for their time
- Close on a positive note
- Provide information to all candidates about the recruitment process, the schedule for filling the position, and when the candidate can expect the next communication from the department
After the Interview
Evaluate candidates equally and fairly against the selection criteria. The evaluation process for interviews and other means of finding candidates is a heavily scrutinized process. To avoid risks and ensure the most qualified candidate is selected, follow the following best practices:
- Ensure hiring decisions are based on relevant credentials
- Be objective in assessment
- Be consistent in assessment
- Assess based on evidence and not emotion
From this evaluation, determine if the candidate will be moving forward or not. Create a deselecting/selection statement.