It is important to show appreciation for the value diverse faculty bring to your team as early as the recruitment process. If you set out to recruit diverse candidates as valued colleagues, they are more likely to stay on with the University than those who do not feel valued.
Recruiting for diverse faculty requires that search committees actively recruit—and not merely screen—applicants. Several approaches can generate a diverse pool of candidates:
- Specify job qualifications;
- Revise the recruitment ad;
- Select a diverse search committee;
- Participate in training to recognize and mitigate implicit bias;
- Expand the candidates in the pool;
- Ignore status-quo benchmarks;
- Evaluate each candidate individually, and rank order before meeting as a group; and
- Think beyond the position.
Each of these approaches is explained in Phase 1: Preparing for the Search (below) and Phase 2: Implementing the Search.
Phase 1: Preparing for the Search
Search Committee
Having a diverse search committee is critical for success in building a diverse candidate pool. People tend to select candidates who look like themselves, so a diverse committee can help create a diverse pool of candidates.
Attracting the most diverse and qualified pool of candidates is essential to your search—and to the continued excellence of Pitt. To assist you, the Office of the Provost has compiled the guide Recruiting an Excellent and Diverse Faculty: Resources for Search Committees, which you should review prior to starting your search.
The Office of Diversity & Inclusion offers customized Briefing Sessions on searching for excellence and diversity. Please contact the Office of Diversity & Inclusion at diversity@pitt.edu or 412-648-7860 to schedule a session.
Training to Recognize and Mitigate Implicit Bias
All of us have biases of which we are unaware, regardless of our background. This training can make you cognizant of those biases so you can overcome them.
Try taking the Implicit Association Tests to identify your own biases related to race, gender, sexual orientation, and other matters.
At the University of Pittsburgh, the Office of the Provost and various schools frequently offer workshops on implicit bias. We advertise these workshops broadly to all faculty. When possible, we record and post them on the Office of the Provost website.
Search committees can also request training from the Office for Diversity & Inclusion.
Job Qualifications
Before the ad is written or applications solicited, carefully consider broad qualifications for the position so that you can cast a wide net. This facilitates consistently applying these criteria to all applicants in a systematic way and avoids retrofitting qualifications based on individual applicants.
- Consider broad criteria to attain a more diverse and larger number of candidates.
- Identify those qualifications that are required or preferred.
- Establish a priori structured, job-related criteria to obtain evaluations that are more accurate.
- Establish weights for the criteria a priori.
Recruitment Ad
Stating that the University of Pittsburgh is an Equal Opportunity Employer will not generate a diverse pool. Rather, consider stating the importance of diversity at Pitt and the hiring unit’s commitment to diversity. In many searches, you can ask the candidate to submit a statement about diversity
Each academic unit has a Diversity Committee that can be consulted for appropriate language. Questions about the advertisement can be directed to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. If you have questions about about how to actively recruit, contact the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
It is not about screening candidates, it is about actively recruiting.
At the University of Pittsburgh, we require that the following be placed in the ad:
- A brief statement of duties.
- Minimum required qualifications (i.e., degrees and experience).
- Preferred qualifications (optional).
- Rank and/or title. Positions cannot be advertised as "open rank," but you can advertise for specific, multiple ranks. For example, you can advertise for an Assistant or Associate Professor. You must specify what the minimum required qualifications are for each rank that is advertised.
- Tenured/tenure-stream/appointment stream; full-/part-time.
- Proposed starting date.
- Closing date for receipt of applications (or the statement “In order to ensure full consideration, applications must be received by [date].”).
- Contact information if there are questions regarding the position.
- Where to submit an application for the position.
- The Office of Diversity and Inclusion will add a required tag line to every job ad posted in Talent Center; ads posted outside of Talent Center will need to add in the required tag line.
Sample Job Advertisements
Candidates who would be considered applicants for faculty positions must meet the minimum requirements of the positions. The minimum requirements will vary based on rank and/or responsibility. Below are examples of minimum and preferred requirements in sample job advertisements.
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EXAMPLE 1: "State University" is recruiting a tenure stream Assistant or Associate Professor in Information Systems for the upcoming academic year. Specialization in analytics, healthcare, and cyber security preferred. Minimum Qualifications
In addition, applicants for an associate level position are required to show:
Applicants are encouraged to submit their materials no later than October 1 if they wish to be considered for an interview at the conferences in Seattle, Washington in October. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled, or December 1, whichever comes first. Please contact "John Doe" with any questions. The University of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer and values equality of opportunity, human dignity and diversity, EOE, including disability/vets. |
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EXAMPLE 2: "State University" invites applications for a full-time appointment stream position in Linguistics to teach classes in the American Sign Language program. The normal teaching load for this program is 27 credits per year. This appointment stream (outside the tenure stream) position will begin in the upcoming academic year and is outside the tenure stream. In terms of minimum qualifications, candidates should have earned their master’s degree in American Sign Language, Deaf Studies, Linguistics, or a related field by the start of the appointment. Moreover, preferred qualifications include the following: three years or more of experience teaching ASL at a college level; ability to teach courses on Deaf Culture, ASL Structure, and/or other topics related to the Deaf experience; experience with the Pittsburgh area Deaf community; and involvement with the ASL Teachers Associations (national or state level). For full consideration, applications must be received by February 1. Please contact "John Doe" with any questions. The University of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer and values equality of opportunity, human dignity and diversity, EOE, including disability/vets. |
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EXAMPLE 3: "State University" is recruiting a tenure stream Assistant or Associate Professor in Infectious Diseases for the upcoming academic year. Minimum Qualifications
In addition, applicants for an associate level position are required to show:
For full consideration, applications must be received by February 1. Please contact "John Doe" with any questions. The University of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer and values equality of opportunity, human dignity and diversity, EOE, including disability/vets. |
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EXAMPLE 4: "State University" invites applications for a full-time appointment stream (outside the tenure stream) position in Electrical Engineering to teach classes in the Electrical Engineering program. The normal teaching load for this program is 27 credits per year. This appointment stream position will begin in the upcoming academic year and is outside the tenure stream. In terms of minimum qualifications, candidates should have earned their PhD in electrical engineering by the start of the appointment. Additionally, candidates should have at least two years of teaching experience at the college level. Moreover, preferred qualifications are that candidates should be capable of teaching a variety of undergraduate electrical engineering courses, ranging from sophomore courses to senior courses. Possible courses include: Electric Machinery, Digital Electronics, Linear Circuits Transfer Lab, and Electronic Circuit Design Lab. For full consideration, applications must be received by February 1. Please contact "John Doe" with any questions. The University of Pittsburgh is an Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer and values equality of opportunity, human dignity and diversity, EOE, including disability/vets. |
Questions regarding job advertisements and on criteria on minimum required qualifications should be directed to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
Refer to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion website for information on job postings and other administrative recruitment materials. On the Office of Diversity and Inclusion website, you will also find FAQs related to the faculty hiring processes.