Step-by-Step Process for Faculty

All initial paperwork should be submitted to the dean for their approval.

• Complete required portions of the HRM-1 Form (Position Authorization Request).

• Complete the Affirmative Action Recruitment Plan (AARP). To complete this step, you must establish a search committee. 

  • For advertisement suggestions, refer to the Diversity Recruitment Resources.

• Complete Announcement of Faculty vacancy (UP-5) and advertisement text for any anticipated outside advertisement. (Download Sample Announcement of Faculty Vacancy (UP-5). Visit the HR website for guidance on advertising and promoting the position. Qualifications shall be directly related to the job's responsibilities and, at a minimum, shall include formal education, previous professional or employment experience, and, where applicable, professional accomplishments and demonstrated competencies. Include the following phrases in all advertisements and in the vacancy announcement:

  • Degrees must be from a university accredited by the U.S. Department of Education or an internationally recognized accrediting organization.

  • Applicants must address their ability to work with and instruct a culturally diverse population, and their willingness to teach remotely or online in their application materials.

  • The closing date for accepting applications should be included (30 days minimum from the publication date of advertising for a national, regional, or state search). For searches that elect to remain open until filled, include the following, “Review of applications will begin (date) and continue until the position is filled.” This means all applications will be reviewed and assessed until a recommendation to the hiring authority is made.

  • The items that constitute a completed application must be listed and can be incorporated in the Special Notes area. For example, a letter of application, resume, contact information for references, and any other materials required by the Search Committee can be included here. Any additional information, action, or activity required at the later stages of the search (for example, a writing sample), must be described in the Announcement of Vacancy (UP5).

The dean must approve your initial paperwork before you may proceed with your search.

The search committee should consist of five to nine members diverse both in gender identity and race.

One member of the committee must be identified as the ODI representative. That individual cannot also serve as the search committee chair. (Learn more about search roles.) These roles are also covered in the Inclusive Search Workshop, as described in Step 2.

The direct supervisor, department chair, and/or final decision-maker should not serve on the committee or take part in the initial applicant review, as this could potentially be seen as having an undue influence on the search committee.

Once approved by the Dean, the search committee members should be listed on the Affirmative Action Recruitment Plan form. Please have the search committee members provide their race and gender identities for the AARP form.

The dean must approve your initial paperwork, as described in Step 1, before you may proceed.

Once you've received approval from the dean, you must submit all final paperwork using the Workforce Planning Form on the Human Resources Transaction System (HRTS). In the notes section, please state the time period of your search (for example 2022-2023 Faculty Search for Fall 2023 Start Date).

Upon Provost’s approval, the Provost’s Office will submit all paperwork to Human Resources and will notify the Dean’s Office once this has occurred. Human Resources will then submit all paperwork to ODI for approval.

At this time, an ODI staff member will invite all search committee members to attend a 75-minute Inclusive Search Workshop. This workshop is mandatory, and all committee members need to complete the workshop before reviewing applications.

Diversifying the faculty is an important goal of UAlbany's Strategic Plan, and education on how to establish an equitable search process is also critical for everyone.

Do not proceed with the search until you have received final approval from Human Resources and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Do not proceed with Step 4 until you have received final approval from Human Resources and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Once you have received final approval from Human Resources and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI), you must place postings and advertisements as required and as described in the AARP.

In addition to paid advertisements, other affirmative action efforts and recruitment strategies include but are not limited to the following:

• Professional Associations, listservs, and conferences

• Social Media platforms, including LinkedIn and Twitter

• Posting of notices at local, regional, and national meetings and conferences

• Letters to graduate schools in the discipline for the type of position being advertised

• Contact qualified people who have written letters of application in the past year

• Outreach to other colleges and universities

Use the outreach strategies discussed during the Inclusive Search Workshop to diversify the applicant pool. You may also contact ODI for additional assistance.

All search committee members must be added to and use Interview Exchange.

International applicants: Please visit the HR website for information on the "Special Consideration for International Candidates" for important information on federal immigration requirements. 

Applicants will receive an automatic response confirming receipt when they submit their application on Interview Exchange.

Do not begin reviewing applications until you have completed the following steps and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion has approved the documents listed below.

• Prepare the Application Rubric & Applicant Flow Analysis. This is an applicant screening tool developed by the search committee that should be consistent with the qualifications listed on the job posting.

  • The ODI representative must submit the completed document to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for approval before it can be used.

• Complete an EEOC Data Report. This report contains a summary of the applicant pool's diversity and the results of the advertising and recruitment efforts outlined in the AARP.

  • The ODI representative must email the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to request an applicant pool snapshot halfway through the posting period (for example Day 15 of a 30-day posting) and before the search committee begins reviewing applications. ODI will generate the report and send it back.

  • This report must be reviewed by the search committee before they begin reviewing applicants' resumes to ensure the recruitment plan is resulting in an inclusive and diverse applicant pool.

  • If the applicant pool is not adequately diverse at this point in the search process, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion will work with the search committee to identify additional sources for advertising the position to diverse populations.

  • Applications must be treated as confidential and only search committee members should have access to applications at this stage. The academic department may only see the applications of individuals who are invited for final interviews.

Do not begin reviewing applications until you have completed Step 5 and have had your documents approved by the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.

Applications must be treated as confidential and only search committee members should have access to applications at this stage. The academic department may only see the applications of individuals who are invited for final interviews 

All search committee members are expected to review and evaluate all applicants based on the qualification criteria stated in the position posting — including applicants' academic attainments and experience and their strengths and weaknesses — using the previously approved Application Rubric & Applicant Flow Analysis.

Candidates who do not meet the minimum qualifications should be given a non-select code and should not proceed further in the search process.

The search committee must develop interview questions and have them approved before scheduling any interviews. Both the initial and final interview must include at least once question about diversity and inclusion. All questions must closely relate to the Announcement of the Vacancy.

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion has prepared sample interview questions for faculty searches and sample questions about diversity and inclusion. Please also review the illegal interview questions that search committee should not ask candidates.

The search committee may elect to conduct initial interviews via telephone or Zoom to screen candidates before scheduling final interviews.

Do not schedule initial interviews until you have received approval from the Dean and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion on the items described below.

The following documents must be submitted to, and approved by, the department chair and then by the Dean before you may conduct initial interviews:

• A list of candidates

• A list of questions that will be asked during initial interviews

• Completed Application Rubric & Applicant Flow Analysis

Once the Dean approves the items listed above, their office will forward the information to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for their review and approval.

Only after you have received approval from both the Dean and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion can you schedule and complete initial interviews.

All committee members should update their existing Application Rubric & Applicant Flow Analysis forms for each candidate after the initial interview.

Following the initial interviews, the search committee should send a non-selection letter to the candidates assigned non-select codes.  The search committee should select a short list of candidates (typically three to four individuals, with one to two alternatives) for final interviews.

Do not schedule initial interviews until you have received approval from the dean and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion on the items described below.

The following documents must be submitted to, and approved by, the department chair and then by the Dean before you may conduct initial interviews:

• The shortlist of candidates

• Updated Application Rubric & Applicant Flow Analysis form, with the outcome of the initial interviews and non-select codes, entered for the candidates not moving forward

• A list of questions that will be asked during the final interviews

• For department chair and dean only: application materials (cover letter, CV, teaching and research statements, and three letters of reference)

Once the dean approves the items listed above, their office will forward all information (except candidates' application materials) to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for their review and approval.

Only after you have received approval from both the dean and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion can you schedule and complete final interviews.

All committee members should update their existing Application Rubric & Applicant Flow Analysis forms for each candidate after the final interview.

Once the search committee has completed all final interviews and updated the Application Rubric & Applicant Flow Analysis forms for each candidate, the search committee must meet to develop a final recommendation for the department chair.

No candidate may be contacted or offered a position until the recommendation, salary, and related expenses are approved, as described below.

Once a final recommendation is selected, the search committee must send the following to the department chair:

• The name of the candidate to whom the committee recommends extending an offer

• A summary of each candidate's strengths and weaknesses, based on the job description and the Application Rubric & Applicant Flow Analysis

• Final Application Rubric & Applicant Flow Analysis form for each candidate

• Itemized summary of search expenses to date

The department chair must submit the recommendation to the Dean for approval. Once the Dean approves the items listed above, their office will email all information to Steve Galime and Christine Wagner in the Provost's Office and to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion for their review and approval.

When a final candidate has been approved by the dean, the Office of the Provost and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, the dean and department chair must recommend a salary, as well as any estimated start-up and moving expenses.

Using data from BI, the dean and department chair must also create a full salary analysis that includes the current salaries, dates of hire, and date in rank for all department faculty.

The Dean's Office must then submit that salary request, estimated expenses, and salary analysis to the Provost's Office for their review and approval.

Only when all the above information has been approved by the listed entities may the department chair call the candidate to make a verbal offer. The Provost's Office must be consulted on any requested changes to the salary or other conditions, or if the candidate declines.

Once the candidate has accepted all conditions of the verbal offer by stating as such in an email, the Dean’s office submits the Offer Letter Request Form and Start-Up Expenses Form to Christine Wagner and Steve Galime who will generate the official offer letter.

Note: Visa issues should be addressed at this time. Departments should not make any commitments that are not codified in the original offer.

The offer letter is sent to the candidate. Once the candidate has signed and returned the offer letter, the search is complete.

Once the candidate has signed and returned the offer letter, the search is over and the following steps must be completed:

• Complete a final report. Send an email to the Office of Diversity and Inclusion indicating that the candidate has accepted, their start date and salary, as well as the search number and the statement that the search can be closed.

• Follow up with other candidates. The search committee chair must send a Post Interview Regret Letter to all other candidates informing them the position has been filled.

• Complete the appointment packet. Once the department receives a copy of the accepted offer, the department is responsible for sending the candidate an HRM-2 Appointment Packet.

  • The candidate should return the packet to the department for the chair's signature. Next, the department should keep a copy of the signed packet and forward the original to the dean's office.

  • The department must also verify the candidate's academic credentials and work experience, completing the verification form included in the HRM-2 packet. Copies of the candidate's diploma and/or transcript for their highest degree must be included.