Hiring Continuing, Contingent, or Limited Term Academic Staff
Key Considerations for the Recruitment & Selection of Academic Staff
Summary of key information and additional resources to help guide your practices on how to best manage people and information during the recruitment and selection process.
Overview of the Academic Hiring Process
Step One | Vacancy Identified
Step Two | Position Posting & Advertising
Step Three | Selection Committee & Criteria
Step Four | Candidate Review and Selection
Step Five | Interviews and Campus Visits
Step Six | Hiring Decisions and Negotiations
Step One – Vacancy Identified
The hiring process begins by seeking approvals to hire, and understanding what kind of role you need to fill. Upfront conversations to discuss budget should be held with the budget owner, senior leaders and Finance Partner and/or Research Support. Information on the budget available and the proper accounting will be required to complete the Job Opening Request form (Step Two).
Submit a Job Opening Request Form
The purpose of the Job Opening Request (JOR) is to collect the information required to post the job and formally obtain the necessary financial approvals. Once approved, the job is posted by the Recruitment, Hiring and Onboarding team, and the recruitment process begins.
Step Two | Position Posting & Advertising
Before recommending a candidate for a Continuing academic appointment the position must be advertised to both the campus community and nationally for a minimum of 30 days. Advertisements should be placed on online job boards and professional journals with wide circulation to members of the appropriate discipline.
Qualifications should be broadly enough defined to elicit a wide response from qualified applicants. Establish clear selection criteria, keeping the university's commitment to diversity and excellence in mind. Ensure that the skills and knowledge requirements are not made more specialized than necessary, and that the experience required is not inflated beyond what is necessary
External competition for academic positions (Administrative and Professional) is not normally required where the promotion of a subordinate represents a normal career path, however internal advertising of the opportunity is required.
For more detailed information refer to Part C section 2 of the GFC Academic Staff Criteria & Processes Handbook.
Prior to drafting the job advertisement, please carefully review the Guidelines for Position Posting. The guidelines provide details on how the job posting should be laid out, and what information should be included within it. It is important to pay special attention to requirements for immigration purposes. Guidelines for Position Postings are found here.
Please ensure the Guidelines for Position Posting have been reviewed prior to the Job Opening Request (JOR) step. When initiating a JOR, the initiator will be required to confirm the appropriate guidelines were reviewed and considered when the position posting was drafted.
Human Resources will post the role to University Affairs (UA) and the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) to meet the advertising requirements for potentially hiring a foreign national.
Any additional advertising deemed important to attract a diverse applicant pool can be place directly by the department. Human Resources can provide a version of the job posting that to be used when submitting additional ads. View the External Advertising Guidelines for information on posting jobs externally and a list of some of the commonly used sites.
Step Three – Selection Committee & Criteria
The Selection Committee
A formal academic selection committee must be formed as defined in GFC Academic Staff Criteria and Processes Handbook (Part C section 3.1) and Faculty Guidelines. Selection committees should be composed of individuals from diverse backgrounds in order to provide a variety perspectives. Someone who will ensure equity is considered in all aspects of the committee’s work must be included, in many cases the Chair will assume this role.
Equitable and Inclusive Hiring for Academic Selection Information Sessions
Members of academic selection committees are invited to attend a workshop, providing committees with an overview of equitable and inclusive hiring, how to apply an EDI lens through the recruitment and selection process, implicit bias, and tools to mitigate bias. Workshop is co-facilitated by the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Human Resources. For more information and to register, please click here
Selection Criteria and Assessment Grids
Prior to reviewing applicant files, it is important to establish selection criteria to allow for a consistent and fair evaluation process. Criteria should be established from the primary qualifications, skills, abilities and experience in the job advertisement. All candidates should be reviewed and assessed using the same criteria. Defining and documenting selection criteria allows for a common understanding amongst committee members, eliminates shifting standards and helps to reduce bias.
For sample selection criteria templates, contact the Recruitment, Hiring and Onboarding team at hrhire@ucalgary.ca.
Step Four – Candidate Review and Selection
Candidate Review
All applicant files should be reviewed and evaluated against the established selection criteria. A shortlist of candidates can be determined based on the criteria. For candidates who are not shortlisted, it is important for committee members to carefully document why unsuccessful candidates were not considered. It is important to note that justification must relate to the qualifications, skills, abilities and experience as documented in the job advertisement and criteria. Be mindful that career interruptions and personal circumstances may legitimately affect a candidates’ record of research achievement.
Resources and Training
Step Five – Interviews and Campus Visits
Interview and Campus Visits
After determining the shortlist, the next step is to invite the prospective candidates for an interview on campus. Interviews and visits to campus should be carefully planned in advance. The pattern for interviews and visits should be the same for all candidates. The Academic Selection Committee is responsible for ensuring all candidates are given an equal opportunity to demonstrate their potential. Interviews should be scheduled at a time convenient for any faculty or students attending. All members of the selection committee should be present. Remember that during the interview process the candidate is also evaluating the search committee and the university, as well as being evaluated.
Preparing for the Interview/Site Visit
Normally the top three candidates recommended by the Academic Selection Committee, and accepted by the dean, are invited to an on-campus interview.
The on-campus interview normally consists of:
- a public research presentation
- a teaching lecture or mock class to assess teaching effectiveness
- an interview with the Academic Selection Committee
- meetings with faculty and students – GFC Academic Staff Criteria and Processes Handbook stipulates that there needs to be mechanisms to take informed student and faculty opinion into consideration
- meeting with a representative of the Dean’s Office (dean/vice dean).
Preparing Interview Questions
In preparation for the on-campus interview, a core set of job-related interview questions should be developed, on which each candidate's evaluation will be based. These questions should be asked of all candidates to ensure consistency and to allow comparative judgments to be made.
The University of Calgary encourages Academic Selection Committees to include behaviour-based questions, relying on past experience is an excellent indicator of future behaviour. Hypothetical or situational scenarios can be used sparingly to test ethics or theoretical knowledge. This allows the committee to assess the candidate in relation to the established requirements for the position and in relation to other candidates.
For sample interview questions and templates, contact the Recruitment, Hiring and Onboarding team at hrhrire@ucalgary.ca.
The Interview
The pattern for interviews and visits should be the same for all candidates. The Academic Selection Committee is responsible for ensuring all candidates are given an equal opportunity to demonstrate their potential. Interviews should be scheduled at a time convenient for any faculty or students attending. All members of the selection committee should be present. Remember that during the interview process the candidate is also evaluating the search committee and the university, as well as being evaluated.
Step Six – Hiring Decisions and Negotiations
Recommendation to the Dean
The Academic Selection Committee makes its recommendation to the Dean. If possible, the recommendation should include the top 3 candidates ranked in order of preference, with the Committee's vote duly recorded.
Faculties are reminded to contact the Immigration Consultant in Human Resources as soon as possible when recommending a 'foreign national' (that is, an individual that is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident), in order to begin the Labour Market Opinion process.
Refer to Hiring Foreign Nationals for information on this process. Contact Immigration Services at hrimmigration@ucalgary.ca for more details.
Negotiating the Offer
The Head and/or Dean will negotiate a preliminary offer with the successful candidate. All agreements regarding equipment or laboratory facilities, research support programs, additional moving expenses, or other non-monetary items, such as teaching release during the first year, etc., should be clearly defined in writing.
Any specific expectations of the candidates – requirements to obtain or maintain professional licensure, to undertake or complete a graduate program prior to tenure, to establish a professional practice, etc. – should be clearly communicated and agreed to by the candidate.
Written pre-approval from the Provost is required to offer any remuneration which differs from the preliminary request to fill the position (i.e. offering a market supplement).
Revised commencement dates and/or leaves to be taken within the first 66 work days of the appointment must also be approved in writing by the Provost and Vice-President (Academic).
Spousal Hiring
For many potential staff members, the issue of spouse/partner employment is a critical one. The successful relocation of a spouse is often an essential factor in the retention of newly hired faculty members. The University of Calgary has implemented a process for placement of partners with academic qualifications, and Human Resources is investigating other hiring assistance outside the university, including possible partnerships with the City of Calgary and industry.
See section 7 of the GFC Handbook for a more detailed breakdown of the requirements for this process.
Hiring Foreign Academics
Faculties are reminded to contact Immigration Services in Human Resources as soon as possible when recommending a 'foreign national' (that is, an individual that is not a Canadian citizen or permanent resident), in order to begin the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) process.
Immigration Services can provide assistance with recruiting and hiring foreign workers, immigration issues, etc. Contact hrimmigration@ucalgary.ca or refer to the Hiring Foreign Academics section of the HR website.
Completing the Offer Package
To request an offer package, please return the Request for Offer Letter, three letters of reference and the Academic Staff Personal Information form to hracadem@ucalgary.ca.