Key Considerations for the Recruitment & Selection of Academic Staff

The Alberta Human Rights Commission outlines what constitutes discrimination in the area of job applications, advertisements and employment practices.

“8 (1) No person shall use or circulate any form of application for employment or publish any advertisement in connection with employment or prospective employment or make any written oral inquiry of an applicant:

a) that expresses either directly or indirectly any limitation, specification or preference indicating discrimination on the basis of race, religious beliefs, color, gender, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income, family status or sexual orientation of that person or any other person, or

b) that requires an applicant to furnish any information concerning race, religious beliefs, color, gender, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income, family status or sexual orientation”.

For detailed information on the Act visit Alberta Human Rights Commission

Conflicts of interest must be avoided. It is the responsibility of the selection committee chairs and members to disclose all possible conflicts of interest, real or perceived immediately. If the selection committee chair or committee member believes that they may have a conflict of interest concerning the vacancy, an applicant, or for any other reason, this member is expected to disclose this to the Department Head (or equivalent) and/or Dean prior to the review of an application. Upon request, the Department Head (or equivalent) and/or Dean will review and determine if it constitutes a conflict of interest and what measures, such as recusal are required.

If it is deemed the committee member has a real conflict of interest, a replacement committee member will then be appointed by the Department Head (or equivalent) and/or Dean, as per the GFC Academic Staff Criteria and Processes Handbook for committee membership.

Procedures for handling conflict of interest are found in the following documents:

• GFC Handbook
• Procedure for Managing the Employment of Related Persons

The University of Calgary is committed to achieving and maintaining a equitable and inclusive work force. In particular, under the Employment Equity policy, the university wishes to increase the representation of those designated groups historically under-represented in the workforce (Indigenous peoples, women, people with disabilities, and visible minorities) in those occupations where they are under-represented.

Each Faculty has its own Guidelines which provides a set of procedures that may elaborate upon specific procedures and principals relating to recruitment and selection as found in the GFC Academic Staff Criteria & Processes Handbook.

The FOIP Act sets the standard for the collection, use and disclosure of records. It guides how employers create, organize and manage the records that are generated during the recruitment and selection process. In simple terms, the FOIP Act provides individuals with the right to access information about themselves and restricts disclosure of personal information to third parties.

For the academic selection process this means:

• The applications cannot be made available to the whole department. The Academic Selection Committee vets the applications and decides on a short list.
• The members of a departmental meeting may acknowledge the short list, but technically cannot vote on it, as they cannot view the complete files of the entire slate of applicants for a given search.
• The short-list candidates must give written permission for their CVs and/or ancillary documents to be circulated to the continuing, limited term, and contingent term members of the department, if the CV is not already a public document.
• The letters of recommendation of short-listed candidates cannot be circulated to the continuing, limited and contingent term members of the department.

Records Retention
It is important that the Academic Selection Committee completely and accurately documents all stages of the recruitment and selection process, for both the purpose of FOIP and the CRCP requirements. The following should be recorded during each search:

• the job description
• description of how the position was advertised locally, nationally and internationally, copies of all advertisements and publications used to announce the position (including the dates of the postings)
• membership details of the hiring committee
• the active recruitment methods employed
• candidates’ CVs and letters of reference, including a list of all applicants who were interviewed or brought to campus, along with supporting documentation
• Description of the shortlisting and interview process and employment equity considerations, including notes from the committee deliberations, including interview questions, evaluation criteria or ranking lists and feedback forms
• the equity, diversity and inclusion training complete by individuals participating in the selection process
• the strategy to identify and actively recruit members of the four designated groups (FDGs) to obtain a diverse applicant pool representative of available talent for the given discipline
• how the search committee was made aware of any representation gap among the institution’s chairholders.

Under FOIP, notes made during the recruiting and selection process should be retained for one year to support reasons for the selection. This includes CV, interview and public presentations notes. Further information regarding the FOIP process can be found in the Policy Guide – Recruitment and Selection

The GFC Academic Staff Criteria & Processes Handbook contains university-wide procedures which pertain to the appointment of academic staff. The current agreement includes:

Part B: Criteria for Appointment, Renewal, Transfer, Tenure, Promotion, and Merit Assessment
Part C: Academic Appointments Selection Procedures, Position Posting, Expedited Procedures for Spousal and Strategic Hiring, Equitable and Inclusive Hiring Initiatives

All decisions are shaped by a lifetime of experiences and a person’s specific context. Implicit bias refers to the attitude or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions in an unconscious manner. Regardless of our desire to be neutral or objective, “unconscious” or “implicit bias” informs our cognition and behaviour.

Implicit bias shapes the decisions made during a selection process. We all like to believe we are objective thinkers who judge people based entirely on their experience and achievements, but research indicates that each one of us brings a lifetime of experience and cultural history that shapes the selection process.

Implicit bias is a positive or negative mental attitude towards a person, thing, or group held at an unconscious level. In contrast, an explicit bias is an attitude that somebody is consciously aware of having.

Resources and Training

Unconscious Bias Training Module, Canada Research Chairs

Before the Search

Familiarize yourself with implicit bias awareness training and resource material. Be aware of implicit bias and how it shapes perception and decision making in a selection process. A significant body of recent research has shed light on the impact of unconscious assumptions or implicit biases on equitable hiring. Identifying the implicit biases that each person has will provide an opportunity to reflect on how they may influence individual assessments during the search process. Being able to recognize when bias has been triggered allows those involved in the hiring process to evaluate whether that bias is relevant or discriminatory.

The Job Posting/Search for Applicants

• Use plain language and separate essential and non-essential qualifications in the job description.
• Use inclusive, unbiased, ungendered language. Be inclusive of all genders by using “all genders” rather than stipulating “women and men” and use the pronouns “them/they” instead of “him/her.”
• Take a proactive approach to identify a diverse cohort of qualified applicants that is reflective of the available talent pool for the given discipline. Special steps should be taken to identify and attract those from the four designated groups (women, visible minorities, indigenous people and persons with disabilities).
• Efforts to diversify the pool of candidates should occur through non-traditional and active recruiting methods. Go beyond the “usual” range of recruitment efforts. Advertise widely and include professional societies and associations for designated groups, and relevant industry and research organizations.
• Make use of the growing professional networks of designated group members. Ask professional organizations to promote applications or to recommend individuals that could be invited to apply.
• Review the diversity of the applicant pool regularly before the closing date. Are your advertising strategies succeeding? Are additional efforts needed?

Applicant Review

• Establish selection criteria through in-depth discussions about a full range of criteria and their relative weights before reviewing applications.
• Be mindful of non-traditional career paths and interruptions.
• When reviewing applicant files, focus on the content rather than the style of the resume.
• Focus on the qualities or knowledge required to perform the work effectively, not on specific credentials such as degrees, diplomas, certificates or licenses.
• Do not rule out candidates without sufficient evidence. It is important for committee members to carefully document why unsuccessful candidates were not selected for the shortlist.
• If members of employment equity groups do not make it to the shortlist, review again to ensure the list does not reflect bias.
• Stay focused and consistently apply the established criteria from which to evaluate the candidate.
• Allow adequate time to ensure decisions are carefully considered, and not rushed.

The Interview/Candidate Selection

• Increase interview validity with a structured interview.
• Establish an interview team to reduce individual bias.
• Develop behavioural-based interview questions designed to elicit responses that will allow you to measure the candidate’s ability and experience against the established criteria.
• Embed equity and diversity in interview questions e.g. “Can you provide examples regarding how you’ve demonstrated commitment and/or experience promoting a diverse workforce?”
• Use a structured process so the pattern for interviews are the same for all candidates — ask all candidates the same questions and evaluate on the same criteria.
• Develop a final ranking process for interviewed candidates that is based on the established relevant criteria and that identifies each candidate’s suitability for the position.
• Instead of ranking finalists, write up a summary of each finalist’s strengths and weaknesses or even appoint an advocate for each candidate.
• Avoid the “solo situation,” which is to have only one member of a negatively stereotyped group among the finalists.
• Disrupt the natural tendency to hire based on similarities to the committee.
• Careful use of vocabulary is recommended — avoid words that could have different meanings in other cultures or languages.
• Check assumptions regarding body language and other non-verbal communication. Be aware of culturally influenced behaviours and communication patterns that may impact how a candidate is perceived.

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