The faculty recruitment process is ongoing and starts before a department has permission to fill a specific faculty line. The University of Iowa faculty recruitment model shown above represents the various stages of a search process, beginning before the search with the college/department leadership setting the tone about the criticality of faculty who foster community and inclusion in achieving excellence. The model envisions several stages once a search is approved. At each stage, there are decision points and action steps. For example, during the Launch Search stage, the DEO will appoint a search committee and ensure that the members are properly prepared for their role, and the DEO will assist with articulating the evaluation criteria. 

Research demonstrates that implicit bias has the potential to affect decisions at each stage. This manual provides strategies and practical tools that can reduce the impact of bias by standardizing processes, fully considering each candidate’s qualifications, and encouraging open communication among the committee members. This manual is organized according to the various search stages, with strategies and tools provided for each stage. The strategies are summarized in the search flow diagram below. Please review the relevant section for more detailed information and resources about particular strategies.

A recent review of search processes for faculty identified the following best practices:

1. Training. All faculty search committees should have training at the outset of the search process, covering the following topics:
   1. implicit bias and how it can affect the faculty recruitment process 
   2. tools and strategies to reduce the impact of bias, including those developed during the Path to Distinction project
   3. tools and methods for attracting a diverse applicant pool, including those developed during the Path to Distinction project
   4. EEO compliance topics
2. Committee kick-off. Even if some search committee members have had similar training in the past, all search committee members should be expected to attend a search process overview/kick-off meeting at the beginning of the search process. This meeting can help to facilitate a shared understanding of the importance of inclusion and the specific efforts the committee will take to improve the process and outcomes.
3. HR partner. A local Human Resources professional should partner with each faculty search committee to coordinate and track completion of training, and to coach the committee in implementing tools and best practices throughout the search process, including but not limited to tools from the Path to Distinction program, appropriate interview practices, and inclusive principles. The HR partner should not be a voting member of the committee; however, they should be an active partner to support and advise the committee throughout the search process including during committee deliberations. 
   1. The HR partner should participate in the search committee training outlined above.
   2. The HR partner should also receive training about the faculty search process, Path to Distinction tools and resources, and strategies for working with faculty search committees.
4. Diversity. When possible, faculty search committees should include members from diverse backgrounds using a broad definition, including various social identities such as gender, race/ethnicity, age, etc. as well as other factors such as academic rank, discipline or sub-discipline. Departments should be mindful of the burden placed on underrepresented faculty members who may be asked to provide a disproportionate share of service to the department and/or college. Committees may need to consider members from outside the hiring department and/or college to facilitate greater diversity among the committee, if there is also a connection to the search based on the individual’s academic/research expertise. Alternatively, faculty candidates should be interviewed by a broad representation of current faculty including individuals with diverse backgrounds. 
5. Feedback. Search committees should solicit feedback from those who participate in candidate interviews, using a standardized feedback instrument such as the tool available from the Path to Distinction project.
6. Deans should articulate their full support for the importance of inclusion and procedures to enhance equitable treatment of candidates during the faculty search process. Deans are in the best position to set expectations related to faculty search procedures in their colleges and hold search committees accountable to those expectations.

This toolkit and the guidance document provide the basis for many of the recommendations noted above to enhance the faculty search process. 

To build the pool beyond the “post and pray” method, search committees are encouraged to actively build a diverse pool of potential applicants by engaging in the following strategies:

For more information or additional copies of this resource, please contact the Office of the Provost, faculty@uiowa.edu.

Search committees may use the following scripts to reach out to colleagues for candidate referrals, and to reach out directly to potential candidates to invite them to apply.

Calls to faculty contacts to request referrals

Hello, this is [name, title, department]. We met at [professional conference, meeting, etc.] and I’ve been impressed by the quality of your program. My department is planning to recruit for a tenure-track faculty line that will start in [date]. We’re considering candidates in all areas that are represented in our department: [list major areas]. 

I’m calling to ask if you could recommend any promising PhD candidates or postdoctoral scholars from your program. I’d like to ask you to be sure to include any underrepresented minority [and female] scholars in that list of referrals.

The UI, our department, and the Iowa City area have a lot to offer including [excellent research facilities, strong collaboration with the health sciences, outstanding reputation in the field, etc. – tailor to the strengths of your department], so we will provide a great opportunity for a new faculty member.

Are there any individuals who come to mind that you could recommend?  And again, I’d ask you to include any underrepresented minority [and female] scholars in your list.

Thank you so much for your time. If I can ever return the favor, please contact me.

Calls to prospective candidates

Hello, this is [name, title, department]. [I heard you speak at the [conference]/I’ve read your paper on [topic]] and I’m very impressed by your work. It’s innovative and will have significant impact in the field. I’m particularly impressed with … [and I’d like to invite you to speak at a graduate seminar to share your work with our students and faculty].

My department is planning to recruit for a tenure-track faculty line that will start in [date], and I’m calling to invite you to apply. Your work would complement very nicely the work of other faculty in our department in the areas of [focus areas], and there are also great opportunities to collaborate with faculty in other departments and colleges such as [colleges]. Our department is best known for [describe areas of strength, recognition, awards, etc.] and we plan to expand in the area of [describe areas of potential growth] and you could be an integral part of that future expansion.

Is there any information that I could provide you about our department or institution?  [answer questions and offer to provide additional information in a follow-up email]

The University of Iowa and our department have a lot to offer including [excellent research facilities, strong collaboration with the health sciences, outstanding reputation in the field, etc – tailor to the strengths of your department], so we will provide a great opportunity for a new faculty member. The university is also committed to fostering a welcoming and inclusive environment as part of the Iowa experience, as outlined in the UI Strategic Plan. The Iowa City community is an outstanding place to live, with the benefits of a large research campus in a relatively small suburban setting; relaxed, friendly, collaborative environment. I can send you a few links to more information about the campus and the Iowa City community if you’d like to explore it in more detail as you consider applying. Let me make sure I have your correct email address. [confirm email or ask for email]

We plan to post our ad in [date]. Would it be OK if I contact you again to let you know when it’s posted?

Great!  Thanks for considering us. I look forward to speaking with you again soon.

**NOTE: The general principle is to connect with the prospective candidate about their work; do not focus on their identity.

Follow-up email to prospective candidate

Dear Dr./Ms./Mr. [name] (or use first and last name),

Thank you for speaking with me today about our faculty opening in [dept]. As I said, I’m very impressed with your work in the area of [area] and would like to invite you to apply for the position. The University of Iowa is a Research I university set in a vibrant and diverse community, with a strong commitment to fostering a welcoming and inclusive campus. As promised, I’m sending you some links to additional information about our department, the University of Iowa, and the Iowa City community. Please explore the information at your convenience and let me know if you’d like to discuss the position more detail. I would welcome that opportunity. In addition, if you’d like to speak with a current faculty member about a career at the University of Iowa and living in the Iowa City area, please let me know and I can connect you with someone here.

I will contact you again when the position is posted.

[link to department website] 
[link to relevant research center websites]
University of Iowa Jobs website 
Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Work/Life Resources: worklife.uiowa.edu
Iowa City Community Information:  thinkiowacity.com

Sincerely,
[name, title]

Search committee members may consider the following individual strategies to reduce their own internalized biases.

Devote Intention, Attention, and Time

“[I]mplicit bias is like a habit that can be broken through a combination of awareness of implicit bias, concern about the effects of that bias, and the application of strategies to reduce bias” (4). Intention, attention, and time are needed to learn new responses well enough to “compete with the formerly automatically activated responses” (34).

Increase Your Awareness about the Prevalence of Implicit Bias, including Your Own Biases

Increased exposure to the research, patterns of biased behaviors, and behavioral-based interventions, allows for the activation of ‘executive control’ strategies to inoculate against and/or interrupt biased behaviors. Take an Implicit Association Test on the Project Implicit® website (implicit.harvard.edu/implicit), read an article or study about implicit bias, attend a workshop, pay attention to whether the patterns identified in numerous studies are occurring in your environment.

Employ Debiasing Techniques, including:

• Imagery Reprogramming: Surround yourself with mental, visual reprogramming images, such as: posters, pamphlets, photographs that provoke counter-typical associations, and Debiasing Agents, which are “individuals whose traits contrast with the stereotypes typically associated with that particular category”, such as male nurses, elder athletes, and female scientists.
• Stereotype Negation Training: Literally responding “no” when presented with a stereotypic trait that matched a category representation and “yes” when viewing non-stereotypic.
• Individuation of members of stereotyped groups such as strengthening one’s ability to differentiate between faces, unique characteristics decreases implicit bias.

Decrease Stereotype Inducing Stimuli

Pay attention to the information you surround yourself with. For example, given the study which shows exposure to network news increases racial stereotypes, find alternative news outlets led by and/or for people of color.

Practice Perspective Taking

Interrupt your personal assumptions and take the perspective of someone different from yourself.

Increase Intergroup Contact

Create authentic relationships with people different than yourself. Within the workplace and in your professional networks, seek out opportunities for intentional interaction with peers (e.g., not patients, clients, students), in a context of sharing common goals, interacting in a cooperative versus competitive setting.

Reviewing Applicants: Research on Bias and Assumptions, Women in Science & Engineering Leadership Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison (wiseli.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/662/2018/10/BiasBrochure_3rdEd.pdf).

Search committees may consider using a specific structure to request references, prompting reference writers to focus on specific elements being evaluated and possibly reducing the likelihood of generalized or biased comments.

Developing a Structure & Reading to Avoid Bias

Creating a structure for those who are writing letters of recommendation can ensure a more uniform comparison of qualifications. Letters are often heavily weighted in the search process, but they can be systematically different depending on the gender of the candidate. This can keep a diverse pool from becoming a diverse faculty. Letters lacking specific information are called “letters of minimal assurance” (Trix & Psenka, 2003) rather than “letters of recommendation.” Remember, you are often judging the skill of the letter writer rather than the candidate.

SAMPLE REFERENCE LETTER PROMPT

Dear Dr. [referee name]:

Dr. [candidate name] is being considered for a [tenure-track] faculty appointment in the Department of [dept name] in the University of Iowa College of [college name]. We are writing to request a letter of reference for Dr. [candidate name]. Please address the following elements in your letter, as applicable:

• Clearly state your relationship to the applicant and how long you have known and worked with the applicant
• Academic accomplishments
• Communication skills
• Maturity/emotional intelligence 
• Honesty/integrity
• Leadership roles held 
• Research scope and impact 
• Teaching/mentoring competence
• Awards
• Contributions to an inclusive academic environment
• Other important achievements
• Please refrain from commenting about the candidate’s personal life and/or relationships

The search committee appreciates your time in writing this letter of reference. 

Sincerely,

[search committee chair name]
Search Committee Chair
Department of [dept name]

It is also helpful to remember the following kinds of phrases that can unintentionally influence a reader.

• Doubt raisers or negative language: “Although her publications are not numerous” or “While not the best student I have had, he….”
• Potentially negative language: “They require only minimal supervision” or “They are totally intolerant of shoddy research.”
• Faint praise: “They worked hard on projects that they accepted” or “They are void of mood swings and temper tantrums.”
• Hedges: “Their health and personal life is stable” or “They respond well to feedback.”
• Irrelevancy: “They are very active in church” or “She is quite close to my wife.”
• Using gender terms for women and titles for men: “A lovely woman, she was an asset to our department.” vs. “Dr. John Smith was an asset to our department.”
• Gendered adjectives: “Dr. Sarah Gray is a caring, compassionate physician” vs. “Dr. Joel Gray has been very successful with his patients.”
• Grindstone adjectives: Implying women succeed through effort, men succeed through abilities (e.g., hardworking, conscientious, dependable, meticulous, thorough, diligent, dedicated, careful).

Departments are encouraged to incorporate time into the finalists’ interview schedule for the candidates to explore campus and/or community resources of interest to them. This practice communicates the department’s commitment to ensuring that the candidate can envision building a career and building a life in the Iowa City area. It is critical that an HR partner or other individual who is not a voting member of the search committee facilitate this portion of the interview schedule, so that candidates’ personal interests will not influence the committee’s deliberations.

Email template from department to candidate to introduce HR

Hello Dr. [NAME], 

I’d like to introduce you to [HR rep name] from the College of [college] human resources team. During your campus visit we will be spending time evaluating you as a candidate, but we also want to allow time for you to evaluate us and the Iowa City area. We’d like to help you explore opportunities to both build a career and build a life in our community. In that vein, [HR rep name] will continue some discussions with you outside of our departmental meetings. On [date] there is time in your schedule set aside to explore your interests and what is important to you. [HR rep name] will coordinate this time with you directly. Please expect to hear from [her/him] soon. 

Kind regards,
[name of department admin]
[signature block]

Hello Dr. [NAME],

It’s a pleasure to “meet” you and I look forward to meeting you in person during your upcoming visit to the College of [college]. The University of Iowa actively seeks to help our faculty and staff build a career and build a life in the Iowa City community.  To help introduce you to our campus and broader community, I welcome you to explore the information and resources outlined on the Build A Career | Build A Life webpage.  You’ll find information about dual career services, community and inclusion, housing, and entertainment, among other topics. Our new Jobs@Uiowa site also contains great information about working and living in this area, as does the Iowa City Area Welcome website.

We have reserved up to 2 hours during your visit for you to explore campus or community resources of your choosing. I will coordinate this portion of your visit with you so that your personal interests/needs are not part of the search committee’s process. Please let me know how you would like to spend that time and I will make any necessary arrangements. For example, if you are interested in meeting with a representative from one of the campus affinity groups (found in the Diversity & Inclusion section of the Build A Career | Build A Life webpage) I can arrange for that meeting during that time. If you would like to tour the Campus Recreation and Wellness Center, I can set that up for you. If you’d rather have the time to explore downtown Iowa City on your own, that’s fine too. It’s completely up to you. In addition, you will meet with me for 30 minutes so that you have time to ask any questions that you might have in a confidential setting.

I look forward to hearing from you. 

Warm regards,
[name of HR rep]
[signature block]

The Iowa City Area welcomes you!

This tool offers a method for faculty search committees to evaluate faculty applicants. It is meant to be a template that committees can modify as necessary for their own needs. The questions are designed for junior faculty candidates; however, alternate language could be used for senior faculty candidates. The Office of the Provost also has a Qualtrics template for this tool. Departments who would like to use the Qualtrics templates should email a request to faculty@uiowa.edu. 

Candidate’s name: ______________________________________________________________________

Please indicate which of the following application materials you have read (check all that apply):

• CV
• Statements (re: research, teaching, etc.)
• Scholarship (indicate what: ______________________________________)

Does this candidate meet required qualifications?             Yes ________            No ________

What are the candidate’s strengths?

Please rate the candidate on each of the following elements.

What are the candidate’s weaknesses?

For more information or additional copies of this resource, please contact the Office of the Provost, faculty@uiowa.edu.

1. Introduction. The University recognizes that social media and internet searches may be useful tools in the process of recruiting for staff and faculty positions. However, social media and internet searches also present some risks and limitations. Not every search process will utilize these tools. When the department and/or search chair decides, in consultation with their recruiter or HR representative, that social media and/or internet searches may be an appropriate tool to use, these guidelines will help to ensure that the search process remains fair, that all applicants have equal opportunity to be considered based on their experience and qualifications, and that the university continues to meet its affirmative action obligations.
2. Definition. For purposes of these Guidelines, social media includes but is not limited to social media platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, etc. and searches of internet content.
3. Advertising. Social media sites must not be the sole source for advertising open positions, as doing so may adversely impact the diversity of the applicant pool. Social media sites may be used to post and share university position announcements as part of the overall advertising strategy. As with all advertising methods, the hiring department should retain a copy of the job posting for record-keeping purposes.
4. Sourcing. Social media sites may be one method for identifying potential applicants and may be particularly useful for hard-to-fill positions. However, social media must not be the sole method for sourcing candidates as this may adversely impact the diversity of the applicant pool. If a hiring department decides, in consultation with their recruiter or HR representative, that sourcing via social media may be useful, the recruiter will be the individual responsible for searching for candidates. Sourcing activities that utilize social media sites and/or internal or external resume databases must be documented as described in the accompanying Practice and Recordkeeping Requirements document. Before initiating any such sourcing activities, the recruiter should consult with Talent Acquisition about appropriate procedures for doing so.
5. Candidate screening. Social media content review will not be appropriate for most searches but in some situations, where there is a nexus to the position, the search chair may decide it would be useful to do so. The following steps outline the parameters for utilizing social media during the candidate review process: 
   1. The search chair and Senior HR Leader or designee will decide at the outset of the search process whether social media content will be reviewed. Considerations in making that decision include but are not limited to:
      1. Is social media related to the job responsibilities?
      2. Does the role represent the UI in a high-profile public setting (e.g., coaches)?
      3. Does the role set policy for the institution (e.g., leadership)?
   2. Applicants must be notified that applicants’ social media and/or internet content may be reviewed during the screening process. If social media/internet content will be reviewed, the following notification should be displayed prominently in the job posting. This gives applicants an opportunity to remove content if they desire to do so.
      Review of Applicant’s Internet Presence. As a part of the University of Iowa’s review of your application and consistent with its policies and practices, the university may access and/or view information about you that is job-related and publicly available on the internet, including but not limited to information on social media sites. The access, viewing and/or use of such information is governed by the UI Policy on Human Rights, as well as state and federal law.
   3. The search chair will review these guidelines with search committee members when the search is initiated so that committee members understand the roles and parameters of this process.
   4. The review will be limited to professional and business-related sites and internet content that is job-related. For example, purely personal social media sites (such as personal Facebook or Instagram pages) are not job-related, but a Facebook page for a business could be job-related; LinkedIn and other professional sites are typically considered to be job-related.
   5. Social media/internet content must be job-related to impact the evaluation of an applicant.
   6. The recruiter or HR representative will conduct the review. These individuals will receive guidance and/or expectations about the types of content that are relevant and what information may be shared with the search chair. For example, identifying information about an applicant’s race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other protected characteristics is not job- related and will not be shared with decision-makers.
   7. The social media review will be conducted after finalist interviews have been completed, for all applicants who remain under consideration following the interview. An exception may be made on a case-by-case basis in consultation with a Senior HR Leader and the Office of General Counsel to allow review of social media prior to interviews based on a strong nexus between social media usage and the position.
   8. Social media/internet content that is more than 7 years old should not be considered. Content that was posted before the individual was 18 years of age will not be considered.
   9. When the recruiter/HR representative discovers content that may impact the evaluation of the applicant, the content will be shared with the Senior HR Leader for the college/org, who may consult other campus offices as needed, to evaluate the nexus to the position responsibilities.
   10. When content that may impact the evaluation of an applicant is found and is determined to be job-related, that information must be shared with the applicant and the applicant must be given an opportunity to respond to the information prior to a decision being made about their candidacy.
   11. The content that may impact the evaluation of an applicant must be retained in the recruitment file, along with the applicant’s response.
   12. Lack of social media accounts, or having social media privacy settings that do not allow public access, will not be considered negatively in the evaluation process.
   13. Applicants will not be asked to provide their login and password information to their social media accounts.
6. Reference checks and background checks. Reviewing social media is not a substitute for reference checks or background checks. Reference checks and background checks must be completed as required by university policies.

Practice and Recordkeeping Requirements When Sourcing Job Candidates Using External or Internal Resume Databases or Other Social Media Sites

If recruiters desire to proactively source for job candidates using external or internal resources, such as external job boards/databases, external social media sites, or internal databases of current employees or furloughed UI staff, there are specific federal and university requirements for documentation of the sourcing activity that they will need to follow. The following list highlights the required practices for sourcing from such resume databases/websites and notes where there are differences between sourcing from external and internal sources.

Required Documentation:

• A record of the position for which each search of the database was made (i.e., Req. # if applicable, copy of the job listing or position description);
• The substantive search criteria used for each search;
• The date each search was made;
• The name of the individual conducting the database search;
• A listing which identifies the job seekers who were contacted regarding their interest in the position; and
• The resumes (for external database searches) or the list of names (for internal database searches) of any job seekers who 1) met the basic qualifications for the position and 2) were considered by the employing unit. For example:
  A recruiter performs an external database search that returns 500 resumes. Next, the recruiter uses neutral search terms based on the position’s basic qualifications to further reduce the pool to 50 resumes. The recruiter then reviews the 50 resumes individually to further limit the pool and must retain all 50 of those resumes for the retention period.

Required Record Retention Period

• Retain the required documentation for 5 years following closure of the search or the search of the database, whichever is later.

Definitions:

Basic Qualifications:  Qualifications (e.g., skills, experience, attributes) a job applicant must possess. The basic qualifications for the position or job must be in writing, objective, noncomparative, and job-related. The university department or unit must include the basic qualifications in the job listing or advertisement, if they exist. Not all jobs will have qualifications that meet the definition of basic qualifications, such as jobs that have entirely subjective required qualifications.

Considered: The university department or unit “considers” an applicant for a job or position by reviewing the application, resume, or profile for substantive information, and assessing that information in light of the qualifications associated with the position.

External Databases: Online resume databases maintained by external companies or organizations such as CareerBuilder, Indeed, Monster, Dice, LinkedIn, Recruit Military, abilityJobs, and ZipRecruiter.

Internal Databases: A database maintained by the university containing resumes or profiles of current or furloughed UI employees who are interested in being considered for other internal job opportunities. The resumes/profiles are not tied to a specific job requisition at the time they’re added to the internal database.

Social Media: Websites and applications that enable users to create and share content or to participate in social networking.

Sources:

1. UI Records Management, Recruitment Records, Retrieved 5-27-2020 at https://fmb.fo.uiowa.edu/recruitment-records.
2. Code of Federal Regulations, 41-CFR, 60-1.12 Record Retention, OFFICE OF FEDERAL CONTRACT COMPLIANCE PROGRAMS, EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY, DEPARTMENTOF LABOR. Retrieved 6-23-2020 at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CFR-2011-title41-vol1/pdf/CFR-2011-title41-vol1-sec60-1-12.pdf.

Revised July 10, 2020
Office of Institutional Equity

Research

• How has your past research experience positioned you to secure future funding?
• Which specific funding agencies would you target for your research program over the next 5 years?
• Assuming you are hired for this position, what is the first proposal you anticipate submitting, and when and where would you submit it?
• As you know, the description of this position includes a focus on [SPECIFIC ELEMENT]. Can you tell us how you see your research aligning with this focus area? What kinds of collaborations at Iowa would you establish to support your research?
• How do you see yourself contributing value to the research community in [FIELD SPECIFIC TO UI]? What will students be able to uniquely learn from you?
• How do you balance your teaching responsibilities with your research program?
• How have you been able to advance research, discovery, and innovation at your institution? What do you think is needed for our department to enhance its research trajectory? 
• What are some of the current trends and challenges you see in [undergraduate/graduate] [FIELD(S)]? In your capacity as [POSITION] how would you address these? 
• What do you see as a public [COLLEGE/DEPARTMENT]’s role in addressing [CHALLENGES, ETC]? 
• Please tell us more about your three most recent presentations. I have your CV in front of me if you would like to reference it/please reference your CV if needed.
• What support will you need to be successful in scholarship?

Scholarly Impact

• We are interested in people who can build and strengthen our partnerships within the university and beyond. How have you utilized past or current partnerships to support your scholarship?
• Collaboration can be challenging considering everyone’s unique schedules and differing goals, among other complications. How would you address those challenges and build successful partnerships? 
• How would you imagine collaborating with faculty in the program, college, or university over the next 5 years?
• How do you cultivate engagement with the broader (inter)national professional [FIELD] community? What types of engagement do you personally prioritize, and what do you promote for students?
• What types of service could you provide to the department, college, or university that would have the greatest impact, and why?
• How can you help to make the UI the leading [SPECIFIC] program in the state/nation?
• What do you see as the most pressing opportunities and challenges facing [FIELD(S)], and what actions and resources do you feel are required to take advantage of the opportunities and address the challenges? 

Evidence of strong background in [relevant fields]

• How does your theoretical approach to the field of [FIELD(s)] influence how you investigate [FOCUS]?
• Thinking about what motivates your work, how do you leverage different methods to understand the complexities of [SPECIFIC PHENOMENA/CHALLENGE]?
• How would your background and experiences strengthen this academic department?
• What are the big questions you are addressing in your research and teaching, and how does your work impact the broader community/society? 

Teaching and Mentorship

• How have your past instructional experiences prepared you to support students in navigating the challenges in the field of the [DISCIPLINE(s)]?
• What instructional strategies do you use in your teaching given what you know about how people learn (in our field and beyond it)?
• How do you feel your teaching style and philosophy can serve our student population?
• Please describe an instructional experience that informs how you would teach [GRADUATE/UNDERGRADUATE] students to meet [SPECIFIC LEARNING GOAL]. If applicable, please differentiate between undergraduate and graduate students.
• You may have had a chance to look at our core curriculum. It includes classes in [EXAMPLES]. In which areas are you confident teaching? What is your past experience with [EXAMPLES]?
• Please describe a time when you contributed to the creation of a new course or a new teaching method within an existing course. How did the new course or method impact your students and/or program?
• What is one new undergraduate-level and one new graduate-level course you envision developing?
• From your perspective, what is required of an instructor when teaching graduate level courses? How do those qualities show up in your current teaching methods, or the methods you plan to use when teaching graduate level courses?
• From your perspective, what is a faculty member’s role as a graduate student advisor? What role does the graduate student play in your advising relationship?
• What is the role of the graduate student in your research program?
• How do you assist students who do not want to pursue research careers (e.g., MAs and EdDs) to acquire competence in and value scholarly inquiry and empirical analysis?
• How do you engage students, particularly in a course for non-majors?
• Tell us briefly about a meaningful experience you’ve had as an instructor and how that has shaped your teaching philosophy.

Service

• What service activities are you involved in at the state or national level?

Ability to contribute to Culture and Inclusivity at UI

• The University of Iowa understands the link between a positive culture and excellence in education. Please provide examples of ways you have advanced culture and inclusivity in your career, including what you most appreciated about those experiences and the challenges you faced.
• How do you create and maintain an inclusive learning environment for your students?
• Tell us briefly about a meaningful experience with colleagues or circumstances that presented a different perspective from your own, and how that has shaped your interactions in the workplace or classroom. 
• How have you been able to promote inclusive environments in the programs you have led and what have been the results of your efforts? 

Administration

• A public R1 university has many specific policies to follow and many structures in place to comply with requirements of the state and federal government. For example, there is a process and a specific office for applying for and managing grants. Graduate student compensation is determined in a collective bargaining contract. How would you go about learning these policies and adhering to them as you grow your research program?
• Have you ever had a great idea but been told that you could not implement it? How did you react? What did you do?
• As a large university and healthcare enterprise, we employ many staff who support the university mission and operations. For example, a department administrator who supports an academic department, a research coordinator who manages faculty grants, or a professional undergraduate advisor. Drawing on your professional experience thus far, or your experience in your graduate program, what is the role of staff in your work as a faculty member?
• The university has policies that require ethical and respectful behavior toward faculty and staff colleagues. What does respect in the workplace mean to you? How do you demonstrate respect toward both faculty and staff colleagues?
• How would you describe the faculty advisor and graduate student relationship? What are the primary responsibilities of the faculty advisor?
• Imagine that you work with a professional staff member who manages your grants – reconciles budgets, tracks adherence to policies, creates reports, and projects future expenses. You directed the staff member to charge something to your grant, possibly a piece of equipment or some travel expense, but the staff member tells you that it’s not an allowable expense for your grant. You believe the staff member may be wrong in their interpretation. How would you approach the situation?
• Thinking about any or all aspects of working at a large R1 university, what does collaboration mean to you? Who do you envision as your collaborators? How do you build and maintain positive collaborative relationships?

Associate & Full Professor 

• Please talk about your process for obtaining grant funding. This includes your process to identify funding all the way to the first steps you take after receiving funding. 

Clinical-Track

• How do you incorporate research into your practice?
• We value the application of research in clinical practice. On what areas do you want to focus as your career grows/as your experience broadens?
• Share about the role that professional practice currently takes in your career.
• How have you involved the local community in your work? 
• How has your leadership role(s) in professional organizations influenced your daily work and/or your success in the field?
• What has been your experience with growing the scope, quality and reputation of clinical programs? 

Instructional Track

• Please provide information about your training and experience relevant to teaching a [SPECIFIC CLASS TYPE].
• What challenges have you personally encountered when teaching students in a [SPECIFIC CLASS TYPE], and how have you addressed these challenges? 
• A key aspect of this position is managing a course of approximately [X-NUMBER] students with a [LECTURE/LAB/DISCUSSION], including supervising [X NUMBER] TAs. How might you approach this kind of organizational challenge? 
• Do you have experience developing the curriculum of a [SPECIFIC COURSE TYPE]? On what strategies and resources did you rely in the design process? 
• Please walk us through the main steps in your course design process. 
• How do you stay current with instructional and curriculum trends and developments? 
• I see that you wrote a textbook/chapter on [SUBJECT]. How does your research/scholarship impact your teaching?
• Do you teach introductory level classes differently than higher-level classes? How so?
• How do you provide feedback to students at all levels?
• (If applicable) This position requires teaching classes in person, hybrid, and 100% online, depending on the course being offered. Do you have experience teaching hybrid or fully online courses? How do you approach the curriculum/modify your teaching style/interact with students when teaching in the different modes? Is there a mode of teaching that you prefer? 
• Have you taken any courses on teaching pedagogy/how to teach? 
• What interactive teaching strategies do you incorporate into your teaching (face to face/online)?
• With your current teaching experience, how do students describe or evaluate your teaching?
• What would be your favorite courses to teach?
• What type of support can the college provide to help you be successful in teaching?

Acknowledgement

Many thanks to Sarah Lobb, Faculty Affairs Manager, UI College of Education, for her assistance with compiling this list of interview questions.

Inclusive-Related Interview Questions

Search committees are encouraged to evaluate candidates’ contributions to an inclusive culture during the interview process. Sample interview questions are provided below.

• The University of Iowa understands the link between an inclusive culture and excellence in education. Please provide examples of ways you have advanced an inclusive culture in your career, including what you most appreciated about those experiences and the challenges you faced.
• Teaching: Describe strategies (that you have used or considered) for creating an inclusive learning environment for your students? Provide us with examples of how you managed an inclusive culture in your classroom setting. 

Further Guidance

OIE offers further guidance Assessing Applicant’s Diversity Skills in accordance with the University of Iowa’s Diversity in Employment Guidelines for faculty appointments with significant administrative responsibilities and all positions at pay level 6 or higher in the non-organized professional and scientific classification system.

Additional Resources

• Rochester Institute of Technology. (n.d.). Examples of diversity interview questions.
• Roehling, M., & Russell, P. G. (2012). Faculty search toolkit: A resource for search committees and administrators at Michigan State University (NSF ADVANCE Grant #0811205).
• University of Iowa Office of Institutional Equity. (n.d.). Assessing diversity leadership skills in the interview. Section 1 in “Screening Applicants/Completing the Pre-Interview Report”.

Available online: Legal and Illegal Interview Inquiries

This tool offers a method for department faculty to evaluate faculty candidates following campus interviews. It is meant to be a template that committees can modify as necessary for their own needs. The questions are designed for junior faculty candidates; however, alternate language could be utilized for senior faculty candidates. The Office of the Provost also has a Qualtrics template for this tool. Departments who would like to use the Qualtrics templates should email a request to faculty@uiowa.edu.

Candidate’s name: ______________________________________________________________________

Please indicate which of the following application/interview components you have read and/or participated in (check all that apply):

• CV
• Statements (re: research, teaching, etc.)
• Scholarship (indicate what you have reviewed: ______________________________________)
• Individual or group interview
• Teaching presentation
• Job talk 

What are the candidate’s strengths?

Please rate the candidate on each of the following elements.

What are the candidate’s weaknesses?

For more information or additional copies of this resource, please contact the Office of the Provost, faculty@uiowa.edu.

This tool is intended to guide search committees in their discussion of candidates after on-campus interviews take place, when determining their final evaluation and rankings of the candidates. A structured conversation facilitates a comprehensive evaluation across all criteria before the final decision or recommendation.

1. Collect feedback from all who participated in the candidate interviews. (Interview Evaluation Tool template available)
2. Search chair should compile aggregate feedback and provide data to search committee members.

1. Review established evaluation criteria, as determined at the outset of the search.
2. Discuss each individual candidate.
   1. Candidate strengths
      1. as reported in the evaluation feedback
      2. as observed/evaluated by the committee members
      3. Identify specific reasons why this candidate should be hired.
   2. Candidate weaknesses
      1. As reported in the evaluation feedback
      2. As observed/evaluated by the committee members
      3. Identify specific reasons why this candidate should not be hired.
   3. Is the candidate acceptable or unacceptable?
      **If your committee charge is to summarize strengths and weaknesses of candidates, document the candidate summaries as discussed above including whether each candidate is acceptable or unacceptable.
3. If your committee charge includes ranking the candidates, proceed as follows:
   1. By secret ballot each committee member will rank order the candidates, indicating if any are unacceptable.
   2. Chair will report the outcome.
   3. Discussion
      1. Comments in favor of, and then against, the ranking of the most highly ranked candidate
      2. Comments in favor of, and then against, the ranking of the second most highly ranked, and so on
   4. The committee may decide to take another secret ballot to rank order the candidates to see if the relative rankings shift after the discussion.
   5. Determine by final secret ballot the final ranking of candidates to be recommended to the department faculty/DEO. 

Departments are asked to gather feedback from the search committee to evaluate the search process and use that learning to inform future searches. The Office of the Provost has a post-search Qualtrics survey to distribute to the search committee, search chair, and DEO. Please use the link or QR code below or email a request to faculty@uiowa.edu.

https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bJzVvUCJImRiQke

Office of the General Counsel, University of Iowa

1. Public Records
   The term “public record” broadly encompasses documents, tapes, and electronic information created or received by University employees in the scope of employment.  Every person has a right to examine and copy public records.  However, certain records can be kept confidential.
   1. Materials That Do Not Identify Individual Applicants.
      Job descriptions, advertisements for University positions, and notes or records relating solely to the function and procedure of the search committee are public records.
   2. Identities/Application Materials From “Internal” Applicants.
      Applicants that are presently employed by the University of Iowa, the Board of Regents, or another agency of the State of Iowa are considered “internal” applicants.  The identities of internal candidates, and their resumes and applications, are public records.  All other materials or records relating to internal candidates may be kept confidential under Section (1)(d) below.
   3. Identities/Application Materials From “External” Applicants.
      If committee members “reasonably believe” that outside applicants would be discouraged from seeking the position advertised if their identities or application materials were made available to the general public, the committee may withhold such materials from disclosure.  There is no inherent time limit on how long this information can be retained as confidential.  A committee intending to maintain the confidentiality of application materials from outside candidates pursuant to this provision should ideally do the following: (a) place an explicit question about the outside candidate’s desire for confidentiality in the application materials, and (b) should make a formal “finding” that outside applicants would be discouraged from seeking the position without privacy guarantees. 
   4. Confidentiality of Other Materials Relating to an Appointment or Hiring.
      A search committee may retain materials about applicants, such as the notes of committee members, drafts of interview or hiring justifications prepared for OIE, or letters of reference written for applicants, as confidential until the position is filled. 
      After “final action” is taken by the committee, only materials and communications received by the committee from outside government (i.e. from outside applicants, from references, etc.) may continue to be maintained as confidential.  In order to do so, the committee must “reasonably believe” such communications would have been discouraged if made public.  Again, any committee intending to maintain the confidentiality of materials under this provision should ideally do the following: (a) place an explicit question about the outside candidate’s desire for confidentiality in the application materials, and (b) should make a formal “finding” that outside applicants would be discouraged from seeking the position without privacy guarantees. 
2. Record Retention
   1. Official Records.
      The job description, advertisements, and information regarding where and when an advertisement for a specific position was posted are all “official records” belonging to the State of Iowa.  Such records should be maintained by the University for five (5) years following the closure of a search per the University records retention policy.
      Similarly, the list of candidates to be interviewed and the hiring justification prepared for the Office of Institutional Equity are also “official records”.  Those official documents are retained by the University in the official search file and must be kept for five (5) years following the closure of a search per the University records retention policy.
      Finally, CVs, letters of recommendation, and transcripts of candidates who applied for the position being filled are “official records” which must be retained for five (5) years following the closure of a search per the University records retention policy.
   2. Convenience Records.
      Photocopies or extra copies of any search materials are considered “convenience records” in the University Operations Manual.  Convenience records may be maintained or destroyed at the discretion of the user.
   3. Non-Records.
      Post-it notes, fax cover pages, route slips, and other miscellaneous papers or correspondence without official significance are considered “non-records” in the University’s Operations Manual.
      Committee notes, drafts of interview lists, or drafts of hiring justifications that were used to develop a final official product are considered “non-records” in the University’s Operations Manual. 
      The committee may compile background information or materials on nominees, with or without the knowledge or involvement of the nominee.  Materials that relate to nominees who do not ultimately apply and become candidates for the position are draft documents generated to develop a final, official hiring list.  Accordingly, such materials are “non-records”.
      Non-records may be maintained or destroyed at the discretion of the user.