HR Search Committee Guide

Colorado College

Search Committee Quick Guide

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INTRODUCTION These guidelines have been developed to guide and assist hiring supervisors and search committees in carrying out their search and hiring responsibilities and to ensure that these processes comply with Colorado policies and Federal and State regulations. For the College’s formal Search policy, please click here. Support for all staff searches is available from the College’s Human Resources Department, Talent Acquisition Manager – Tracey Branch.

Faculty searches are handled by department guided by the Dean’s Office.

All searches must be conducted in a timely and professional manner which respects the rights of candidates to confidentiality. In addition, it is critical that applicants receive a positive impression of Colorado College throughout the hiring and search process. As an institution of higher education, and as part of its responsibility as a leader in education, Colorado College commits itself to play an active role in developing a diverse workforce. It is an important goal of Colorado College to provide to students, faculty, and staff, opportunities to interact with colleagues from the widest possible range of racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Please note that a search firm may be retained to assist in the recruitment for certain senior-level positions. When a hiring supervisor decides to utilize the services of a search firm, he/she should work with Barbara Wilson, Director Human Resources, for assistance in selecting the search firm.

DEFINITIONS Applicant: An applicant is anyone who expresses interest in a specific position by submitting an application, resume or vita.

Candidate: All applicants who are interviewed become candidates.

Finalist: The top candidates (typically 3-5) who are identified and asked to come to campus for extensive interviews are considered finalists.

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Hiring Supervisor: A department head with an opening Search Chair: Understands the policies and rules for campus searches and communicates this information to committee members and leads the committee in developing evaluation criteria.

Search Committee Member: individuals who will review applicants, conduct interviews, and make final hiring recommendations.

SELECTING THE COMMITTEE The hiring supervisor appoints the Chair of the committee, and the Chair will appoint the members of the search committee. The Chair will work closely with the hiring supervisor throughout the recruitment and selection process. The composition of the committee should represent the diversity of the institution and advance the College’s commitment to the principles of equal employment opportunity.

COMMITTEE SIZE AND COMPOSITION Establishing a strong and credible search committee is essential for a successful search process. Because decisions are made most effectively and efficiently by groups no larger than 5-7 people, search committees should be limited in size.

When possible, a majority of the members should have experience participating in successful searches, be open-minded, committed to diversity and fair process, able to negotiate conflict to achieve group results and knowledgeable in the area/field/responsibilities of the advertised position.

A diverse committee is more likely to generate diverse candidate pools and finalist lists. Individuals from outside a hiring department may be invited to serve on a search committee to share insights, challenge assumptions and 3

bring lessons of experience from other perspectives, disciplines and organizations.

THE CHAIR’S ROLE The search committee Chair acts as the committee’s facilitator, official spokesperson, and liaison to the hiring supervisor.

In this role the chair must communicate the committee’s charge, articulate expectations for committee conduct, coordinate outreach efforts, manage communication with the College community, ensure compliance with state and federal laws and CC policy, and facilitate discussion.

SEARCH COMMITTEE CHAIR GUIDELINES 1. The Search Committee Chair receives direction from the hiring supervisor regarding the search, committee make-up, criteria, interview questions, if applicable, and timeline.

2. The Chair: a. Provides leadership to the committee members and manages the search process to ensure it is efficient, effective, and accountable. b. Informs the committee of their role in the search process; i.e., if they will function as an advisory group to the hiring supervisor, screen all applicants and make decisions regarding who is interviewed, recommend the finalist(s), and/or conduct professional reference checks. c. Communicates with the hiring supervisor to keep him/ her informed of the status of the search. d. Collaborates with the College’s Human Resources and Women & Minority Concerns representatives.

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e. Provides the hiring supervisor with the committee’s final report detailing the strengths and weaknesses for each applicant, and identifies those who were interviewed and those recommended as finalists.

3. After the hiring supervisor has identified the final candidate, the Chair will communicate this decision to: a. The Committee b. Human Resources with salary recommendations and HR will review and share back either consensus or a request for further clarification before the verbal offer is extended.

4. After the offer is extended and accepted by the finalist, the chair will update the status of each applicant on the online job posting site to indicate who was interviewed, who was not hired, and the reason

SEARCH COMMITTEE ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The most effective search committee members: • Protect confidentiality of applicants and the decisionmaking process; • Draw upon connections to support recruitment efforts; • Participate fully and consistently; • Challenge conventional assumptions; • Treat all applicants in a thoughtful and respectful manner; • Set aside biases and preconceptions in order to fully consider all those who may be qualified to assume College roles; • Give fair consideration to all applicants; • Act promptly to ensure that top candidates are not lost to organizations that move quickly to hire top talent.

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ROLE OF HUMAN RESOURCEES Talent Acquisition Manager within Human Resources is available to provide guidance throughout the search process. They collaborate with the Chair in order to serve as liaison for external advertising. Once finalists are identified, HR should be notified in order to conduct pre-employment screening, i.e. background reporting. HR will also work closely with the hiring supervisor regarding the starting salary and the final offer of employment.

SCREENING RESUMES Using the approved advertisement, the search committee/ firm will assess each applicant’s qualifications against the approved job description and qualifications to assure that all applicants are evaluated using the same criteria.

The initial screening of applicants should eliminate from further consideration those individuals who clearly do not meet the minimum required qualifications set forth in the job description. Phone interviews may be conducted to assist in screening applicants. If using a search firm, the search consultant will screen all applicants against the hiring supervisor’s and committee’s criteria and present only those applicants who meet the stated qualifications.

INTERVIEWS It is vital that all Committee members are knowledgeable regarding fair hiring practices. Human Resources provides guidelines and sample interview questions that can be selected and tailored to the specific position and requirements. Sample interview questions, developed in concert with Colorado College’s core, management, and leadership competencies, may be found on the HR web site or click here. Upon completion of interviews, the committee should provide a list of strengths and weaknesses on each candidate interviewed to the hiring 6

supervisor. Note: It is not the responsibility of the search committee to develop selection criteria. This must be done by the Hiring supervisor and aligned with the position description as approved by Human Resources.

CONFIDENTIALITY Confidentiality is the foundation of a credible search committee and trustworthy search process. A breach of confidentiality threatens a successful outcome in two ways. First, it may result in the immediate termination of the search, a serious loss of time and money and potentially viable candidates. Second, it may cause the most qualified candidates to withdraw from the search, fearing that a premature disclosure of their candidacy will jeopardize their current positions. In short, confidentiality is an absolute requirement to be understood and honored by everyone on the search team, from the first meeting until the conclusion of the search.

COMMUNICATION In general, it is best to designate one individual (usually the Chair) to communicate with Human Resources, applicants, constituents, and others who may inquire about a search process.

The search committee final report template required for all staff searches (exempt & non-exempt). Because written documents may be subject to public records requests, judicious use of written and email communication is recommended to protect applicant confidentiality and the integrity of the search process.

RESOURCES For assistance with any staff search, contact Tracey Branch, Talent Acquisition Manager ext. 6236, Human Resources Spencer Center Rm. 301.

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