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Phase 3 - Recruiting Process & Pool Development
In order to gain the best candidates, a quality pool is essential. Beyond casting a “wide net,” consider casting a “focused net” to attract candidates who have the breadth of expertise and skills we desire.
University Sponsored Places to Post
These are the places the university posts all job vacancies:
Search the OUDI database of HBCU/HSIs
Search our database of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) to find institutions to target your ad placement and candidate recruitment efforts.
One strategy might be to develop a stronger relationship with leaders in your field at HBCUs and HSIs for future hiring, academic partnerships, and other collaborations. To begin this process, a personal email is a better communication than a blanket post of a position. See below for suggested email language, but consider other efforts to build this relationship as a longer term goal.
Suggested email language:
Dear Dr. [name of chair],
I hope this email finds you well! I am currently chairing a search committee for an Assistant Professor tenure-track hire in the Department of [your dept], and am reaching out to universities across the country who have programs that produce doctoral graduates who would be excellent candidates for our position. {If part of Cluster: This position would be one of 7 positions in a cluster hire focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are looking to increase our curricular coverage in these areas across the college.} I’m hoping that you might be able to share the attached ad with any students who will on the job market for next year.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me – I appreciate your help in spreading the word about our position.
Sincerely,
[your name and title]
[attach the ad]
If you are having trouble logging into this database, please try the following steps:
- Use Chrome as your browser (issues occur more frequently with Safari, Firefox, etc.)
- You must be logged into the Cal Poly Portal for sign in to be successful
- Refresh the page once logged in to your Cal Poly Portal to properly view the database.
DEI-focused Recruiting Tips
Search for professional organizations or publications within your field that target historically marginalized and under-represented groups.
Example Publications:
Post on job sites focused on DEI networks and expertise
Other Ideas:
- Check with colleagues about personal networks, listservs and conference memberships for broader outreach. Even a simple Google search may alert you to new organizations and conferences that could be helpful
- Interdisciplinary and cross disciplinary work is increasingly common among faculty, so consider search options that expand beyond specific discipline focus into a wider community. (Chronicle Article discussing interdisciplinary collaboration at a variety of schools)
- Check PageUp* for the demographic breakdown for your pool and compare to national demographics on the NSF/NCES Survey of Earned Doctorates Dashboard to see if your pool is representative of the area for which you are hiring and to see if additional or targeted advertisement is needed.
*Permission to view these demographic data is allowed at the college level; it is likely your Associate Dean for Diversity or other administrator in your college already has or can obtain access.
Development of Recruitment Plan
Once the above sources and strategies are identified, the Recruitment Plan must be developed. This required document must include (at a minimum) the following:
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The name of the advertising sites, publications, and other digital platforms planned to assist in the recruitment of a robust and diverse group of applicants to your position
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Additional outreach details discussing the way personal and professional networks will be utilized to disseminate the vacancy announcement
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A description of how the search committee has been created and trained to support an equitable and accessible experience for all applicants
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At least one applicant screening question (in the initial phone/zoom interviews) focused on the candidate’s ability to address DEI in their teaching, scholarship, and/or service roles. (Please see Phase 5 for a substantial list of questions suggested by OUDI)
- Consider costs of advertisements up-front to ensure you’ll be able to complete your recruitment plan (some colleges have distinct budgets for DEI recruitment tools – check with your Dean)
- Check for any additional requirements in your college recruitment process or steps in the approval chain prior to documents being sent to OUDI
