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Phase 4 - Candidate Evaluation & Screening Process
First impressions are important, but hard to break. Be sure to use care in starting the screening process as to avoid implicit and unintentional bias.
Candidate DEI Evaluation Plan
Decisions for the Search Committee to resolve prior to evaluation:
- How will the DEI statement be evaluated and weighted in the process?
- How will DEI competencies more broadly be prioritized in the decision-making process?
Best practice involves looking at Diversity Statements early in the screening. (Inside Higher Ed Opinion Article – Advice for Reading and Assessing Diversity Statements When Hiring.) Consider sending developed rubric, candidate assessment templates, or other evaluative tools to the Dean for feedback prior to evaluating candidate files.
DEI-Related Candidate Evaluation Tools:
Consider using these Rubrics
Diversity Statement Rubric
DEI-Centered Overall Candidate Rubric
Tips to Avoid Implicit Bias
The #1 way to avoid implicit bias is with effective training.
- Committees with faculty who completed a diversity training are more likely to hire an underrepresented candidate. (Davey et al., 2021; Railey, 2016; Sekaquaptewa et al., 2019)
- Committees that engage in an open dialogue about biases are able to more effectively mitigate their impact (Davey et al., 2021; Hakkola & Dyer, 2022).
Suggested Articles:
- "IMPLICIT" Approach to Mitigate Biases
- Harvard Business Review: 7 practical ways to reduce bias
- How Companies Committed to Diverse Hiring Still Fails
