Hiring Procedures

Policy Statement/ Equal Employment Opportunity:

Southern Illinois University Carbondale (“SIU Carbondale”) is committed to affirmative action, equal opportunity, and the diversity of its workforce. This commitment is reflected in the University’s mission, vision, and value statements. As an equal opportunity employer, SIU Carbondale does not discriminate against any person or group of persons based on race, color, national origin, ancestry, religion, sex, sexual orientation including gender identity, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, military status, unfavorable discharge from military service, or veteran's status. SIU Carbondale’s goal is to provide a welcoming campus where all of our students, faculty, and staff can study and work in a respectful, inclusive environment free from racism and intimidation.

SIU Carbondale complies with all federal and state non-discrimination, equal opportunity, and affirmative action laws, orders, and regulations. This policy applies to all employment practices, including but not limited to, recruitment, selection, promotion, transfer, merit increases, salary, training and development, demotion, and separation.

To implement these commitments and to ensure that the most qualified individual is hired for each position, SIU Carbondale adopts this set of procedures for all administrative/professional and faculty searches. To achieve the spirit and intent of the university’s equal opportunity policies and goals, SIU Carbondale is committed to assertive recruitment and timely development of a representative pool of applicants for each position. If there is any conflict between this Policy and any unit-level operating paper, then this Policy shall control the hiring process.

Approval to Fill Position:

Before any search is initiated, all requests to advertise positions must be approved by the appropriate administrator (typically a Vice Chancellor, Chancellor, or their designees), with final approval by the University Affirmative Action Office.

In addition, the following steps must be taken:

For all Administrative/Professional (A/P) positions, including faculty-administrators, a copy of the current position description approved by Human Resources must be submitted with the advertising request and will be required prior to approval to advertise a position.

Position descriptions must include a statement of the minimum qualifications, including but not limited to, educational requirements needed to perform the position's duties and responsibilities. Preferred qualifications are permissible, but shall be considered separately from the minimum qualifications.
Following the position description approval, a request to advertise for a position must include:
- the necessary details for a position announcement. The qualifications listed in the announcement must correspond with the qualifications in the approved A/P position description;
- job advertisement recruitment sources, such as in print or digital publications, on websites and through list servs or professional organizations;
- strategic hire recruitment efforts, including but not limited to, proactive outreach initiatives to encourage diversity in applications; and
- the composition of a search committee. It is preferred to request search committee approval at the point of the request to advertise, but upon request and approval by the University Affirmative Action Office, a position announcement may be approved and published prior to search committee approval with the understanding that review of applications may not begin until the search committee has been approved.

Position announcements shall include, at minimum, the following information:

1. rank / title of position;
2. appointment type, such as tenured / tenure-track, non-tenure track, or A/P status of position;
3. minimum qualifications for applicants, including educational requirements, and, as appropriate, teaching, research, professional and/or administrative experience necessary to qualify;
4. a general statement of duties and responsibilities for the position;
5. deadline for application;
6. effective date of appointment, if applicable;
7. required application documents or information, such as a cover letter, resume/CV, list of references and transcripts;
8. name and address of unit’s contact person for the position;
9. in the case of security-sensitive positions, the following statement: "This is a security-sensitive position. Before any offer of employment is made, the university will conduct a pre-employment background investigation, which includes a criminal background check."
10. reflecting the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion mission, a line stating that: “SIU Carbondale, member of the SIU System, is an anti-racist community that opposes racism, discrimination and inequity in any form, and embraces diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice for all people”. This statement is automatically generated within the University’s electronic hiring platform.
11. a line stating that "SIU Carbondale is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity employer that strives to enhance its ability to develop a diverse faculty and staff and to increase its potential to serve a diverse student population. All applications are welcomed and encouraged and will receive consideration.” This statement is automatically generated within the University’s electronic hiring platform.

Types of Searches:

A position may be filled by an internal search, external search or a search waiver. The appropriate method of filling a position will be approved by the University Affirmative Action Office and will be based on many factors.

External Search: An external search, either locally or nationally focused, is the most common method to fill a position. External searches should be advertised in a manner that allows a broad population of potentially interested individuals to become aware of the vacancy and informed about how to apply. Advertisements may be local or national depending on the position, potential applicant pool available locally, and needs of the hiring unit. Normally, a period of at least fifteen (15) calendar days from the date of posting to the application deadline should be permitted for a national search and a period of at least ten (10) calendar days should be permitted for a local search. However, a lesser period may be appropriate, with approval of the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources or designee, if an expedited search is necessary.

Internal Search: Under appropriate circumstances, a hiring administrator may request to fill an approved position by advertising and seeking applications from internal to SIU Carbondale applicants (e.g., School Director / Department Chair, A/P positions where prior knowledge/expertise specific to SIU Carbondale is required). An internal search will typically not be used for the hiring of most A/P positions and shall not be used for faculty positions. The hiring administrator should consider whether a sufficient pool of qualified applicants can be developed from individuals already employed by SIU Carbondale, or within a particular academic unit at SIU Carbondale. Internal searches should be advertised in a manner that allows appropriate interested applicants at SIU Carbondale to be notified of the vacancy and permitted to apply. Normally, a period of at least ten (10) calendar days from the date of posting to the application deadline should be permitted. However, a lesser period may be appropriate and approved by the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources or designee, if an expedited search is necessary.

Search Waiver: Under certain circumstances, a search may be inappropriate, unfeasible, or unnecessary and a waiver from the formal search process may be provided. If an appropriate search waiver exemption exists, a hire may be made without a formal search process so long as the approval of the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources or designee is granted. Please refer to the section in this policy / procedures on search waivers for additional information on this process.

Recruitment and Advertising Procedures:

Recruitment and advertising procedures should support development of a broad and diverse pool of qualified applicants. Recruitment methods which proactively seek and promote a diverse pool of applicants must be used. Advertisements in a variety of locations may assist in developing such a pool. Examples of venues to advertise a position include but are not limited to The Chronicle of Higher Education, appropriate popular or scholarly journals, and/or caucuses and/or professional organizations and associations that represent and support individuals who are members of underrepresented groups. Additionally, proactive announcement of positions at appropriate national or regional scholarly meetings and/or outreach to universities or colleges with faculty members in similar programs and with degree programs likely to graduate people with appropriate qualifications may assist in developing a strong and diverse applicant pool.

When submitting the request to advertise the position, hiring units must include the recruitment procedures to be used, using the process approved by Human Resources, including but not limited to, the locations of advertisements for the position and a general listing of other intended postings or recruitment activities.

In addition to advertisements posted by the hiring unit, Human Resources shall list faculty and administrative/professional staff, and position openings on the University’s job-posting website, which also functions as the online application portal.

As part of the online application process, each applicant is given an opportunity to voluntarily provide demographic information. Such information, if provided by the applicant, is retained and accessed by the University Affirmative Action Office solely for reporting purposes. The responses of the applicant shall not be provided to the hiring unit or to the search committee, or used as part of the assessment of the applicant’s qualifications.

Search Committees

Creation of a Search Committee

A search committee is a group of at least three individuals selected to serve in an advisory role to the hiring official by recruiting and screening applicants for a position. Depending on the position, a larger search committee may be required to adequately perform the functions of the committee. An appropriate search committee will strengthen the University’s ability to develop a highly qualified and diverse pool of candidates. Members should understand and be committed to the implementation and enforcement of the University’s policies including, but not limited to, those related to affirmative action and equal opportunity. Search committee members may also assist in seeking out, soliciting, and recruiting qualified, diverse applicants. The hiring administrator is traditionally not a member of the search committee. Search committee members must not have a conflict of interest with respect to their service on the committee and must complete Search Committee Relationship Disclosure & Conflict of Interest Certification and submit for review to the Search Committee Chair before participating in any selection activity. If a conflict of interest is discovered during the process of a search (e.g., a family member of a search committee member applies for the position; the search committee member is a referee for an applicant for the position), the search committee chair or hiring manager shall consult with the University Affirmative Action Office and appropriate Vice Chancellor or equivalent to address the potential conflict of interest.

Search Committees must also meet the following criteria:

Represent a range of diverse perspectives, including a balance of skill, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, including representation of underrepresented groups when possible;
Be led by a committee chair who understands the role and requirements of the position being advertised;
Have sufficient ability or technical expertise to make qualitative comparisons between the applicants; and
Have committee members who (i) are available to participate fully in the search process, (ii) have sufficient time to devote to the duties, (iii) are not interested in applying for the open position, and (iv) agree to keep the search process and information confidential.

Hiring administrators should also consider the following in appointing a search committee:

Whether representation from outside the department, college, division, or university such as peers or constituents of the position would be beneficial to increasing the applicant pool or assessing and considering candidates;
Whether someone who has performed the job in the past is available to serve on the committee and whether that individual would be beneficial to increasing the breadth and diversity of the applicant pool or assessing and considering candidates; and
Whether students, alumni, and community members are available to serve on the committee and would be beneficial to increasing the applicant pool or assessing and considering candidates.

Role of Search Committee

Search committee members serve in an advisory capacity to the hiring administrator for the identification and evaluation of candidates. However, the ultimate hiring responsibility rests with the administrator. Search committee members shall review the approved job description, advertisement, and other materials pertinent to the position. Committee members are responsible for following all laws and university policies regarding the search and selection process. They are required to maintain confidentiality of the search process, including but not limited to, applicant information and deliberations.

The chair of the search committee serves as the official spokesperson for the committee and will handle external and internal requests, including media questions, for comment regarding the status of the search. Further, the chair is responsible for maintaining communication with the hiring administrator regarding the status of the search process and related matters.

The hiring administrator or designee shall charge the committee regarding its role in the search process. Once the hiring administrator provides the charge to the committee, the chair of the committee shall call a meeting to establish a timeline for the process, and develop committee procedures. The committee shall discuss and agree to procedures the committee will follow, including but not limited to, how the committee will screen and evaluate applicants, how the committee will vote, how committee decisions will be documented. The procedures shall allow for a full and fair assessment of all applicants. Any screening criteria shall be based on the published position description qualifications. The committee members shall not discuss any application materials until after these procedures have been established. After these procedures have been established, the committee shall review the application materials expeditiously and in the manner the committee decides will best allow for full and fair assessment of the applicants.

The search committee should meet to consider qualifications of all applicants and to evaluate them in terms of the advertised requirements for the position. Initially, the search/screening committee should assess each application to determine whether the applicant meets the minimum qualifications for the position. If an applicant does not meet the minimum qualifications, then the application should be excluded from further consideration for the position. The committee should determine whether to conduct screenings with a subset of applicants and develop a list of proposed finalists to recommend for a final interview (or other relevant selection step).

Prior to scheduling final interviews, the appropriate Vice Chancellor / equivalent (or designee) and the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Human Resources or designee shall review and approve the individuals selected for the final interview. The review shall be based on an assessment that finalist meet minimum qualifications and the search committee utilized fair and neutral procedures to determine the most qualified applicants. The Assistant Vice Chancellor of Human Resources or designee shall not substitute his/her judgment regarding qualification for that of the search committee but may request an explanation or documentation from the search committee regarding its assessment of the qualifications of the applicants.

Selection Criteria

Selection criteria provide an objective way to measure each applicant’s level and quality of education, experience, knowledge, and skills as they related to the advertised requirements and the specific duties of the position. Similar to initial screening criteria, utilizing these objective measures to review applications demonstrates a commitment to equitable search and selection processes. These criteria are used to determine who will be selected for an interview(s) and ultimately offered the position. The search committee shall develop criteria, which may overlap with initial screening criteria, based on the position description, before beginning the review of the applicant submissions. The criteria should focus on the core elements for successful job performance and should be based on the minimum requirements stated in the position description. Selection criteria should be measurable, objective, and free of bias. Any rating or assessment scales to be used in the screening process must be established as part of the selection criteria.

Candidate Interviews

Except in instances that can be reasonably justified and approved by the University Affirmative Action Office, an interview pool should consist of at least three applicants. Typically, and at the hiring administrator’s discretion, the search committee will interview candidates. The hiring administrator may request that additional individuals or groups interview the candidates and provide feedback to the hiring administrator.

Interview schedules are crafted with the approval of the hiring administrator and may be made in consultation with the chair of the committee. Once the candidate has been provided an interview schedule, substantial deviations from the interview schedule require approval from the hiring administrator or their designee.

For continuing appointments at the rank of Assistant Professor, the candidate must be interviewed, at minimum, by:

the search committee;
the chair/director of the department/school; and
the dean of the college/school, or designee.

For continuing appointments at the rank of Associate Professor or Professor, the candidate must be interviewed, at minimum, by:

the search committee;
the chair/director of the department/school;
the dean of the college/school; and
the Provost and Vice Chancellor or designee.

Candidates for appointment to administrative positions, such as chair, director, associate dean, and dean must be interviewed by:

the search committee;
the appropriate Vice Chancellor(s) and/or designee; and
the Chancellor or designee for direct reports and for academic deans.

Relevant application materials for the candidate should be made available to appropriate personnel prior to the scheduled interview. All evaluations by interviewers should be considered in making a recommendation for appointment. For interviews that include public forum presentations, attendees shall be given an opportunity to provide written feedback to the hiring administrator for consideration.

Final Selection Process

Once interviews are completed, the hiring administrator, on behalf of the hiring unit, must obtain approval from the appropriate Vice Chancellor / equivalent and the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Human Resources or designee to make an offer to the final candidate.

The request to hire must be accompanied by a summary of the basis for the final candidate’s selection. The department/hiring unit must effectively demonstrate the relationship between the selected candidate's qualifications and the advertised position requirements. The decision documentation should identify the unique characteristics and/or qualifications of the selected candidate that distinguishes them from the unsuccessful candidates. The appropriate Vice Chancellor / equivalent, or designee, or the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Human Resources or designee may request any additional documentation necessary for their review of the hiring recommendation.

University Guidelines require for the SIU System President’s approval for any administrative professional hire within two reporting lines of the Chancellor. Such approvals are to be coordinated through the Office of the Chancellor. If the final candidate accepts an offer and is hired, all other applicants must be notified in a timely fashion that the position has been filled and that they are no longer being considered for the position. If the final candidate does not accept the job, the hiring administrator may request to hire the next most qualified candidate through the same process or may close the search. If a candidate is hired, the hiring unit shall complete all necessary and appropriate hiring paperwork as determined by Human Resources. If a search is closed unsuccessfully, all final candidates who have not been communicated with should be informed the search has closed without a hire being made.

The University Affirmative Action Office is the office of record for documents pertaining to faculty and A/P searches. Relevant forms and applicant files shall be retained in the University’s electronic hiring platform for at least two years.

Relationship Disclosure/Conflict of Interest

To ensure that the search process is neutral and fair, all individuals who participate in the process (including but not limited to the hiring administrators, interviewers, or anyone providing input into the decision) shall disclose any actual or potential relationships with candidates. Prior to participating in the search process or as soon as reasonably possible, these individuals shall complete (or update if needed) the relationship disclosure form and submit the form to the Search Committee Chair. Should one of these individuals disclose any conflicts, the Chair will determine (in collaboration with Affirmative Action) if the person should be partially or fully excluded from the selection process. An individual may be excluded from participating in the hiring process if that individual has a current or prior relationship with a candidate that may inappropriately impact the decision. Employees or others involved in the search process should disqualify themselves if they have a family member or other individual seeking employment if the committee member’s neutrality may be impacted by their relationship with the candidate.

Search Waiver Procedures

The search procedures outlined above have been developed to ensure an open and competitive process to fill vacant positions. Filling vacancies through the search process assures that the University maintains compliance with federal and state affirmative action legislation in addition to offering assurance that units are hiring the most qualified candidates through approved University procedures and within accordance of Board of Trustee policies.

In some limited circumstances, an appointment or promotion may be made without going through the search procedures provided herein. Any exemption from the standard process requires approval by the appropriate Vice Chancellor or Chancellor (for units not reporting to a Vice Chancellor) and the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Human Resources or designee. Additionally, University Guidelines provide for the SIU System President’s approval for any administrative professional appointment within two reporting lines of the Chancellor, including those made via the Search Waiver process on a permanent or interim basis. Such approvals are to be coordinated through the Office of the Chancellor. When appropriate and possible, candidates hired through the search waiver process should still be selected from a group (i.e. more than one) of qualified individuals. The group may include individuals internal and external to the University. If an existing group of qualified applicants does not already exist, a hiring unit may develop an appropriate group through consultation with appropriate internal and external stakeholders, word-of-mouth, email, or other means to identify appropriate potential candidates. This process may be expedited to accommodate time-sensitive hires.

To make a request for a search waiver, the hiring unit should make a request for the position and waiver via the University’s electronic hiring platform. The request must include appropriate justification and documentation to support the request. All requests must include:

For A/P positions, a copy of the position description approved by Human Resources for the position to be filled;
For faculty positions, a summary of the required duties of the position;
The resume or curriculum vitae of the individual the unit seeks to hire or promote;
A statement of the individual’s qualification for the position based on the position description;
An explanation of the reasons why a search to fill the position is not feasible; and
An explanation of how the unit identified the individual it is seeking to hire, including any efforts made to identify individuals from underrepresented groups who would be qualified for the position and a list of the individuals considered for the position.

A unit may not extend a formal or informal offer (written or verbal) until a search waiver request is approved by the appropriate Vice Chancellor or Chancellor (for units not reporting to a Vice Chancellor) and the University Affirmative Action Office.

Examples of when a search waiver request may be appropriate are:

in situations where the needs, health, safety, or welfare of students require an immediate hire. Examples of such needs include but are not limited to departmental/unit teaching needs or coaching positions in intercollegiate athletics that cannot be addressed through the normal search process (e.g., sickness, death, sudden resignation, etc.);
in situations where a department wishes to secure a time-limited / visiting faculty person with substantial professional distinction;
in situations where a grant, contract, or other agreement specifies the employee to be hired;
in situations where a person may be appointed temporarily to fill a position while a search is being conducted;
when promoting qualified, internal staff (departments/hiring units must consider all qualified internal candidates for a promotional opportunity);
pursuant to the University policy on spousal hiring.

Except for promotional purposes, spousal hires, coaches, or situations where a grant, contract or other agreement specifies the employee to be hired, search waiver appointments will be granted for a maximum of one year. The Assistant Vice Chancellor of Human Resources or designee may renew a search waiver under exceptional circumstances. Under certain circumstances, a unit may identify a candidate whose special qualifications may enhance the unit in such a way that a search waiver for a multi-year or continuing appointment may be granted. In such cases, the hiring unit must submit a request to hire the individual on a multi-year or continuing appointment and provide sufficient written rationale for granting such a waiver, including but not limited to, why a search is unlikely to result in the identification of a better or more qualified candidate for the position. The Vice Chancellor or Chancellor (for units not reporting to a Vice Chancellor) and the University Affirmative Action Office must approve such request prior to an offer of employment.