Modern Faculty Recruitment

“Faculty searches are among the most important tasks at an institution of higher education, because the decisions made will impact both an institution’s near- and far-term future.”

Why is effective faculty recruitment so essential?

Faculty are at the center of higher education and critical to institutional effectiveness. With the shared governance model, faculty are in charge of hiring their peers, which could be a more than $3 million, 30-year decision when hiring a tenure-track professor. Yet faculty are not professional recruiters, and faculty recruitment becomes one additional demand on their already limited time, on top of teaching, research, and service obligations.

How can institutions ensure a faculty recruitment process that is not only fair and equitable to all candidates but also attracts diverse, talented candidates? This white paper outlines the five main steps to follow when hiring a new faculty member for your college or university. 

Best practices discussed here include:
  • Creating and following a search plan, including determining your outreach strategy
  • Forming and preparing a search committee
  • Developing an effective job announcement
  • Monitoring and reviewing candidate applications
  • Deciding and landing a final hire

And you’ll learn ways to stay on track with your diversity goals throughout the hiring process.

The recommendations in this white paper arise from ongoing conversations with real institutions that accomplish recruitment through Interfolio. For example, Brown University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County share their advice on how to run fair searches that attract “the broadest pool of candidates.” 

With more than twenty years’ of experience assisting applicants and committees in higher education and currently helping more than three hundred institutions navigate faculty data and workflows, Interfolio has a unique view into modern academic hiring practices. 

This guide showcases how to craft a faculty recruitment process that is disciplined, structured, and focused so that you can meet your departmental and institutional goals for recruiting a qualified scholar who will become part of the institution for years to come.

Download the free white paper: