Search Committee

Search Committee

• Forming the Search Committee

  • Committee members should be individuals who understand the requirements of the position and who are committed to the goals of the Department, School, College, and University.
  • Ideally, the search committee should be composed of individuals from diverse backgrounds in order to provide a variety of perspectives.

• Search Committee Roles

  Chair

  • Communicate timeline and expectations with all committee members.
  • Lead committee discussions and coordinate efforts.
  • Serve as liaison between the committee and the department chair or school director.
  • Recruit, identify, and contact potential applicants.
  • Develop hiring matrix tool according to job-related criteria with committee members.
  • Maintain confidentiality of applicants, search proceedings, and committee deliberations.
  • Conduct reference checks, when appropriate.
  • Change the Applicants Statuses in PeopleAdmin for administrative review.
  • Assist administrative support staff with arranging travel and accommodations for the candidates selected for on-campus interviews.
  • Provide rankings, strengths and weaknesses, determination of acceptable and unacceptable candidates, to the department chair or school director.
  • Maintain all records associated with the search process based on the University's Record Retention Schedule.
  • Performs other duties as assigned by department chair or school director.

  Committee Member

  • Help recruit, identify, and contact potential applicants.
  • Review all candidates fairly and equally.
  • Maintain confidentiality of applicants, search proceedings, and committee deliberations.
  • Participate in the interview process.
  • Conduct reference checks, when appropriate.
  • Provide professional feedback.
  • Other duties as assigned by search committee chair.

• Search Committee Responsibilities

  • Commit to time and effort requirements.
  • Develop a clear understanding of the positions requirements.
  • Ensure equal employment opportunity for all candidates.
  • Maintain confidentiality throughout and after the recruitment process.
  • Maintain the highest standards of professional conduct.
  • Verify the faculty qualifications of each candidate selected for interview, including academic credentials and, if applicable, the required state, federal, or university license, certification, or other credential (LCC).

• Conflicts of Interest

  All parties involved in the search process are expected to exercise good judgment in situations where a conflict of interest may be perceived to exist because of close professional relationships such as having served as an applicants graduate advisor, having co-authored articles or proposals with an applicant, or having previously hired and/or supervised an applicant. In most cases, if a committee member knows an applicant well or has had more than casual dealings with an applicant, the committee member should either resign from the committee or recuse himself or herself from reviewing that applicants materials.

• General Information

  • Veterans Preference in Employment
  • Employment Preference for Former Foster Youth
  • Reasonable Accommodations for applicants | Consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) it is the policy of Texas State University to provide reasonable accommodation when requested by a qualified applicant or employee with a disability, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship. The policy regarding requests for reasonable accommodation applies to all aspects of employment, including the application or interview process. 
    • During the Faculty Application Process: If you experience accessibility issues or require alternative formatting during the application process due to a disability or underlying condition, we request that you contact Talent Acquisition.

• Confidentiality

  AA/PPS No. 04.01.01 (7.02) FACULTY HIRING  01.04 Confidentiality is an important factor for ensuring the integrity of the recruiting and hiring process. Search committee members, along with faculty, staff, and administrators with an official role in the process, are expected to maintain boundaries of confidentiality and privacy before, during, and after the hiring process is complete. The dean, chair or director, and search committee chair are responsible for setting and communicating these expectations.

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  All information about the candidates, including their identities, and the search process must be kept strictly confidential by all search committee members both during and after the completion of the search.

  Often during the search, the committee may be approached by colleagues requesting information about the search.

  • No quantifiable or descriptive information can be shared. For example, you may not reveal the number of applicants.
  • Acceptable responses include "The search process is progressing nicely, or "All information about the search is confidential and kept within the committee.

• Communications

  All questions/inquiries regarding the search should be directed to the search committee chair to ensure consist responses.

• Applicant Screening

  • Use the hiring matrix tool to rank and score applicants. The selection criteria and scoring process must be established before reviewing any applicant materials.
  • Match criteria to the required and preferred qualifications within the job description.
  • Applicants must meet all advertised minimum requirements to considered for the position.

• Consistency

  • Screening and evaluation criteria must be applied consistently for all candidates.
  • Each interview experience should include the same opportunities for all candidates.
  • If a Skype interview is offered to a candidate in lieu of a telephone interview, it must be offered to all candidates.
  • Ask each candidate the same, full set of interview questions in the same manner.
  • Lodging/transportation/food/campus or community tours: If offered to one candidate, it is best practice to offer to all candidates at that stage of the interview process. You may extend the same courtesy to local candidates, although it is not required.
  • The type and amount of contact with search committee members, the hiring authority, and constituency groups must be consistent for all candidates at each round.

• Moving Applicants Status in PeopleAdmin

  • The search committee chair is responsible for moving applicants to the appropriate status in PeopleAdmin (i.e., Not Hired, Interviewed-Not Selected, Recommend for Hire, etc.).

• Campus Interview Procedures

  • The committee may interview in one of two ways (AA/PPS 04.01.01, Paragraph 7.03)
    1. interview the top two, three, or more candidates; or
    2. interview one candidate at a time, reaching a decision about whether to recommend appointment after each interview. If this method is chosen, applicants must be ranked. A disposition code must be marked describing the reason why an unaccepted candidate is not selected or advanced to the next stage.

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  • Campus interviews, either conducted virtually or face-to-face, should involve the department or school personnel committee, the chair or director, the search committee, and other faculty and staff  The dean, or designee, will interview all candidates. All scheduled interviews must be structured identically to ensure equitable treatment of all candidates.  In planning the interview, departments and schools may ask candidates about interest in meeting with additional campus groups and resources, such as International Affairs, affinity groups, employee benefits, Division of Research, and others, that enrich the candidate's experience on campus. 
  • Each candidate's itinerary, vita or resume, and application materials, excluding references, transcripts, and documents containing sensitive information, should be made available for review by all participants in the interview process.  All information should be treated as confidential and not shared with individuals outside of the interview process before, during, and after the hiring process concludes. 

• Interview Procedures (Final Interview)

  • Final interviews, either conducted virtually or face-to-face, should involve the department or school personnel committee, the chair or director, the search committee, and other faculty as appropriate.  The dean, or designee, will interview all candidates. All scheduled interviews must be structured identically to ensure equitable treatment of all candidates.  In planning the interview, departments and schools may consider campus resources, such as international affairs, affinity groups, employee benefits, and others, that enrich the candidate's time on campus. 
  • Each candidate's itinerary, vita or resume, and application should be made available for review by all individuals involved in the interview process (once the interview is accepted).