The search chair conducts the initial screening review, carefully comparing the application packets (the materials that applicants were asked to submit in the position description) against the required criteria in the position description to determine who is qualified and who is not qualified.

The search chair conducts the initial screening review, comparing the cover letter and curriculum vita against the required criteria in the position description to determine who is qualified and who is not qualified, but makes inappropriate assumptions in arriving at the determination (e.g., a candidate is judged as unqualified because they have no formal teaching experience when the ad reads “ability to teach college/ university students”).

The search chair conducts the initial screening review, comparing the cover letter and curriculum vita against some of the criteria in the position description (e.g., candidates are deemed qualified or not qualified based on whether they have the terminal degree even though the position description lists several other required qualifications) or using preferred qualifications to exclude applicants.

At the time of the initial screening, the search chair makes note of any incomplete application packets, asking applicants to submit the missing materials by a specific deadline (usually allowing applicants two weeks to submit missing materials). The search chair does not screen incomplete applications until the application packets are complete.

While the search chair follows-up with applicants to request missing application materials, he or she does not give the candidate a specific deadline for submitting those materials and attempts to evaluate the incomplete applications as either qualified or unqualified.

The search chair makes no effort to follow-up with applicants to request missing application materials, merely excluding them from the qualified applicant pool.

Following the initial screening, the search chair meets with the full search committee to review the position description and reach consensus on how each criterion will be evaluated (e.g., what does a “demonstrated commitment to excellence in teaching” mean for this discipline? What evidence will be used to evaluate this criterion? How will the search committee know when an applicant has met this qualification?).

The search committee discusses how each criterion will be evaluated, but does not consider how they will know when an applicant has successfully demonstrated the criterion (e.g., the committee agrees to use teaching evaluations to evaluate “excellence in teaching,” but does not consider what score on the teaching evaluations determines “excellence”).

The search committee does not discuss how they will evaluate each qualification, leaving it up to each member to decide what the criterion means to him or her (e.g., one member of the search committee interprets any grammatical errors in the application materials as not meeting the criterion of “command of written English;” while another member believes that as long as the message is communicated, the applicant has “command of written English” regardless of errors in the application materials).

The search committee evaluates the qualified applications in iterative stages, evaluating credentials based upon the agreed upon standard (as determined in the first full meeting of the search committee).

The search committee evaluates the qualified applications in iterative stages, gradually narrowing down the pool, but does not adhere to the previously agreed standards for evaluating position qualifications.

The search committee reads through the qualified applications once and presents a list of semi-finalists with no discussion or consideration for how the position qualifications were evaluated.

After determining the semi-finalists, the search committee develops a common set of questions for use in the candidate telephone interviews. The common set of questions helps to guide all the interviews so that comparable data pertinent to this search is collected on each candidate.

The search committee “borrows” a common set of candidate telephone interview questions used in a prior search for that department with no consideration of this particular position’s requirements and what information may be needed from applicants to complete the intensive screening stage.

The search committee does not use a common set of questions to interview candidates, asking whatever occurs to them during the conversation with the candidate.

At least two members of the search committee conduct each candidate telephone interview, providing a factual report of the conversation to the full search committee.

One member of the search committee calls all of the semi-finalists and provides a factual report to the full committee.

One member of the search committee calls all of the semi-finalists and then that committee member conveys to the full search committee their opinions of each candidate (e.g., we don’t want X, he sounded too nervous).

At least two members of the search committee conduct each reference telephone interview, providing a factual report of the conversation to the full search committee.

One member of the search committee calls all of the references and provides a factual report to the full committee.

The search committee does not contact references by phone, relying instead only on letters of reference.

After the search committee has thoroughly evaluated the semi-finalists, they discuss which applicants best meet the position qualifications and why, and reach consensus on which candidates to bring to campus for interviews; the search chair completes the request for campus interview.

After the search committee has evaluated the semi-finalists, they reach consensus on which candidates to bring to campus for interviews without articulating why those candidates are deemed the strongest based upon the position qualifications. The search chair completes the request for campus interview.

In the interest of saving time, the search chair completes the request for campus interviews without having had the search committee complete the intensive screening process (e.g., a discussion of which candidates best meet the position qualifications and why did not occur).

Return to Search Procedures.