Search Process

To fill an existing position or create a new position, the hiring manager must request authorization to fill a position by submitting a Workforce Planning Request in HRTS.

The form will request a Job Description, a Search Plan and an organizational chart. Please skip the question asking for a Candidate Rating Matrix.

WFP and then the Budget Office will review the WFP Request.

WFP’s review will include a classification and compensation review of the job description, salary and other pertinent details, and a review of the Search Plan consistent with the University’s Affirmative Action Plan (AAP).

If the request is approved, the hiring manager and search committee chair will receive an email with permission to advertise. They’ll also be assigned a WFP Liaison, who will serve as their point of contact going forward.

Workforce Planning (WFP) will post the position on the UAlbany job board using Interview Exchange, the University’s Applicant Tracking System.

Job postings will appear online for a set number of days, depending on the type of position or opportunity.

• Internal Posting Requirement: UUP-represented professional positions covered under the University’s internal promotion procedures must be posted internally for at least 10 days.  
• External Posting Requirements: The length of time a position is advertised online depends on the type of position and its rank.
  • Positions below the Director level: At least 14 days
  • Positions at or above the Director level: At least 30 days

Job postings:

• Must be consistent with the approved Search Plan
• Must Identify when the search committee will begin reviewing applications (an end date for postings closing on a specific day, or a consideration date for postings remaining open until filled)
• Should include the approved salary range

The hiring manager is responsible for posting and paying for any additional advertising, as outlined in the Search Plan. Note: To minimize advertisement costs, notices may be shortened to refer applicants to the HR website for the complete posting.

Please review the Guidance on Hiring Foreign Nationals for additional advertising requirements. 

Before reviewing application materials, the hiring manager and search committee must meet with their WFP liaison and the Office of Inclusive Excellence for a search kickoff meeting.

The search committee chair should email [email protected] to schedule the search kickoff meeting. 

During this meeting:

• The hiring manager will provide the search committee with their charge and identify the structure for interviews, including the number of rounds and each round’s modality and format.
• The search committee will learn about the search process, including how to keep a search moving forward, conduct legal and effective interviews, manage implicit bias, and adhere to all relevant policies and procedures.
• The search committee chair will learn about their specific role and responsibilities during the search process. 

Before reviewing any candidates, the search committee must finalize the Candidate Rating Matrix.

Then, search committee members must use the Candidate Review Matrix to review each applicant. The search committee will use Interview Exchange, the University’s applicant tracking system, to access submitted materials.

Each job posting includes either an end date for postings closing on a specific day or a consideration date for postings remaining open until filled. All candidates who applied before that deadline must be reviewed by the search committee.

After the advertising close date or consideration date, and after each search committee member has completed their individual review of the candidates, the search committee must meet to deliberate on their findings and determine which candidates to interview.

Note: If a search includes candidates being considered under the internal promotion process, the search committee must review the applicants using the Candidate Review Matrix and all the same approval steps.
 

Confidentiality

All searches must protect applicants’ privacy. Only search committee members should have access to application materials. Department colleagues, hiring managers and other interviewers will have access to the files of finalists.

Anyone involved in the search process must maintain strict confidentiality, as applicants assume their candidacy will be kept private during and after the search. Do not break their confidence or the confidence of your colleagues by discussing privileged remarks and interview outcomes.
 

Conflicts of Interest

If a search committee member has a personal or professional conflict of interest with an applicant, they must disclose this to the search committee chair and HR at [email protected]. HR may ask the search committee member to recuse themselves from evaluating that applicant or from the search committee entirely. 

To request approval to interview selected candidates, the search committee chair must submit a completed Search Tracking Form to WFP at [email protected].

WFP will review the search committee's request, as well as the applicant pool and selected candidates.  

• If WFP approves the request, the search committee may move forward with interviews.
• If WFP identifies an inadequate applicant pool, the hiring manager must enhance the Search Plan and set a new date for applications to be reviewed. 

The search committee must develop interview questions, including at least one equity, inclusion and belonging related question. Sample interview questions are available.

The search committee chair should use HR's communication templates to schedule interviews with the selected candidates and to notify all other applicants of their non-selection.

At the end of each interview round, the search committee must update the Search Tracking Form and complete the Interview Disposition Worksheet (available within the Search Tracking Form) with each candidate’s status and progress.

Once all interviews are complete, the search committee chair must submit the updated Search Tracking Form and the Search Committee Recommendation Form to WFP at [email protected].

If WFP approves the search committee’s hiring recommendations, they will forward the completed Search Tracking Form and a salary range to the hiring manager. The hiring manager may then select a candidate from the list of finalists.

Before making an offer, the hiring manager (or their designee) must first check the selected candidate’s references, using the Reference Check Guide.

Next, the hiring manager should negotiate an offer with the selected candidate within the approved salary range. Note: Any deviations from the approved title and/or salary range must be reviewed and approved by WFP.

Once the candidate has accepted the offer:

• The hiring manager must update the Search Tracking Form and send it back to WFP at [email protected].
• The supervisor must initiate the appointment forms.(New employees should visit the On-boarding page for additional required forms and other important first-day information.)
• The search committee chair must notify other applicants that the position has been filled.

To fill an existing position or create a new position, the Dean or their designee must first consult with the Provost’s Office and obtain their approval to move forward.

Once the Provost’s Office has granted approval, the Dean’s Office must request authorization to launch a search by submitting a Workforce Planning Request in HRTS.

When completing the form, please follow these instructions:  

• Add a New Value.
• HR Details tab: Fill in the various form fields. Then, in the comments section, add the time frame for the search and start date. For example: “2025-26 Faculty Search for Fall 2026 Start Date.”
• Job Details tab: Skip this section.
• Attachments tab: Attach completed versions of the following forms:
  • Job Description
  • Search Plan
  • Candidate Rating Matrix

Note: The Dean’s Office should collaborate with the Department Chair (or another appropriate person, when there is no department) to complete the forms listed above. 

Once the WFP Request is submitted, the appropriate offices will complete a review:

• A designee from the Provost’s Office will review the request to search and the attachments, The designee will let the Dean’s Office know if there are any questions or if any modifications need to be made to the documents.
• The Assistant Vice President for Administration from the Provost’s Office will also review and approve the request.
• Next, Workforce Planning will review and approve the request. 

If the request is approved, the Dean's designee and search committee chair will receive an email with permission to advertise. They’ll also be assigned a WFP Liaison, who will serve as their point of contact going forward. 

Note:  The rank and salary range of the position will have already been determined by the Provost’s Office in consultation with the Dean during Step 1 of the Faculty Search Process. 

Workforce Planning (WFP) will post the position on the UAlbany job board using Interview Exchange, the University’s Applicant Tracking System.

Job postings will appear online for a set number of days, depending on the type of position or opportunity:

• Temporary and visiting faculty positions: At least 14 days
• Tenure-track faculty positions: At least 30 days
• Full-time, non-tenure track faculty positions: At least 30 days 

Job postings:

• Must be consistent with the approved Search Plan
• Must identify when the search committee will begin reviewing applications (an end date for postings closing on a specific day, or a consideration date for postings remaining open until filled)

The Dean’s Office, school/college, and/or department is responsible for posting and paying for any additional advertising, as outlined in the Search Plan. Note: To minimize advertisement costs, notices may be shortened to refer applicants to the HR website for the complete posting.

Please review the Guidance on Hiring Foreign Nationals for additional advertising requirements. 

Before reviewing application materials, the Dean (or their designee), Department Chair and search committee must meet with their WFP liaison and the Office of Inclusive Excellence for a search kickoff meeting.

The search committee chair should email [email protected] to schedule the search kickoff meeting. 

During this meeting:

• The Dean (or their designee) and Department Chair will provide the search committee with their charge and identify the structure for interviews, including the number of rounds and each round’s modality and format.
• The search committee will learn about the search process, including how to keep a search moving forward, conduct legal and effective interviews, manage implicit bias, and adhere to all relevant policies and procedures.
• The search committee chair will learn about their specific role and responsibilities during the search process.  

The search committee will use Interview Exchange, the University’s applicant tracking system, to access submitted materials.

Each job posting includes either an end date for postings closing on a specific day or a consideration date for postings remaining open until filled. All candidates who applied before that deadline must be reviewed by the search committee.

After the advertising close date or consideration date has passed, each search committee member must use the approved Candidate Review Matrix to individually review each applicant, in preparation for discussions with the search committee.

Search committee members do not need to share their completed matrix with the search committee chair, and overall scores do not need to be calculated. Instead, the matrix should be used as a tool to review candidates and inform the search committee’s discussions.

Once all committee members have reviewed every candidate, the search committee must meet to discuss their findings and determine which candidates to interview.

All search committee members are expected to review and evaluate all applicants to ensure each application’s completeness, the academic attainments and experience, strengths, and weaknesses of the candidate according to the criteria for the position. Candidates who do not meet the minimum qualification should not proceed further in the search process.
 

Confidentiality

All searches must protect applicants’ privacy. Only search committee members should have access to application materials. Department colleagues, other interviewers, the Department Chair, the Dean’s Office and the Provost’s Office will have access to the files of finalists.

Anyone involved in the search process must maintain strict confidentiality, as applicants assume their candidacy will be kept private during and after the search. Do not break their confidence or the confidence of your colleagues by discussing privileged remarks and interview outcomes. 
 

Conflicts of Interest

If a search committee member has a personal or professional conflict of interest with an applicant, they must disclose this to the search committee chair and HR at [email protected]. HR may ask the search committee member to recuse themselves from evaluating that applicant or from the search committee entirely.  
 

Record Retention

Any documents created, used or derived from the search need to be kept as part of the search record for at least three years. The records should be maintained by the Department or Dean’s Office.  

Examples of records that should be saved include, but are not limited to, applications, all emails, completed Candidate Rating Matrix files, job description, search plan, search committee notes, letters, interview questions, voting results (if applicable) and all documents required for any of the steps listed on this webpage.

Next, the search committee must complete the Search Tracking Form and develop interview questions, including at least one equity, inclusion and belonging related question. Sample interview questions are available.

The search committee chair must also request approval to interview selected candidates by submitting the following to the Department Chair and then the Dean:

• A list of selected candidates and their CVs
• A list of interview questions for the initial interviews
• The Search Tracking Form

Upon the Department Chair and Dean’s approval, the search committee chair must submit the Search Tracking Form to WFP at [email protected].

WFP will review the search committee's request, as well as the applicant pool and selected candidates.  

• If WFP approves the request, the search committee may move forward with interviews.
• If WFP identifies an inadequate applicant pool, the Dean’s Office and Department Chair must enhance the Search Plan and set a new date for applications to be reviewed.

The search committee chair should use HR's communication templates to schedule initial interviews with the selected candidates and to notify all other applicants of their non-selection.

Search committees may elect to conduct initial interviews over Zoom or telephone. Second-round interviews should be conducted on campus.

Interviews should be scheduled when all search committee members are able to attend, as their full participation ensures fairness, consistency and the comprehensive evaluation of each candidate.  

If this is not possible due to scheduling constraints, interviews may proceed with a quorum of committee members (at least greater than half of the committee). The same set of questions must be asked of each candidate.
 

After the Initial Interviews

After completing the initial interviews, the search committee must:

• Update the Search Tracking Form and complete the Interview Disposition Worksheet (available within the Search Tracking Form) with each candidate’s status and progress
• Develop a short list of candidates for campus interviews (typically three to four finalists and one to two alternates)
• Use Interview Exchange to request three letters of reference from the referees listed for each candidate on the short list

The Department Chair must approve the short list of candidates before the search committee chair submits the following to the Dean (or their designee) for approval:

• Short list of candidates selected for an on-campus interview, plus alternate candidates
• Department Chair’s endorsement for the short list 
• Updated Search Tracking Form, with completed Interview Disposition Worksheet
• A list of interview questions for campus interviews
• Candidates’ application materials (cover letters, CVs, teaching and research statements, and three letters of reference)

Before the Dean gives their approval for on-campus interviews, the Dean or their designee must contact [email protected] and consult with WFP. Once the Dean approves on-campus interviews, the search committee chair may schedule.    

Once the campus interviews are complete, the search committee must meet to update the Search Tracking Form and develop a final recommendation for the Department Chair using the Search Committee Recommendation Form.

The Department Chair or the search committee chair must then check all recommended candidates’ references by phone using the Reference Check Guide.

Next, the Department Chair must submit the following documents to the Dean:

• Search Committee Recommendation Form
• Department Chair’s hiring recommendation
• All finalists’ CVs
• Finalized Search Tracking Form
• Itemized summary of search expenses to date

The Dean’s Office must request approval to extend an offer by sending an email to [email protected], the Provost’s Office Chief of Staff and the appropriate Associate Vice Provost (AVP for Faculty Development for tenure-track positions and AVP for Faculty Success for non-tenure-track positions). Please include the WFP number and position title in the email subject. The email must also include the following: 

• All documents sent to the Dean by the Department Chair
• Dean’s recommendation to extend an offer, including a first-choice candidate and one or two alternates
• WFP number  
• A recommended salary and estimated start-up expenses for the recommended candidate, using the Start-up Expenses Spreadsheet Template (the Provost’s Office will provide the appropriate template)
  • To determine the recommended salary, the Dean’s Office should use data from BI to create a full salary analysis that includes current salaries, dates of hire and date in rank for all department faculty.
     

Making an Offer

Once the Provost’s Office and WFP have granted approval to make an offer, the Dean’s office and/or Department Chair can extend a verbal offer to the selected candidate. 

If the candidate requests any changes to salary or other conditions, the Provost’s Office must be consulted.

Once a candidate has sent an email accepting all conditions of the verbal offer:

• Tenure-track positions: The Dean’s Office must submit the Offer Letter Request Form and Start-up Expenses Spreadsheet to the Provost’s Office Chief of Staff and the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development, who will generate the official offer letter. (The Provost’s Office will share the current Office Letter Request Form and Start-Up Expenses Spreadsheet when hiring approval is provided.)
• Non-tenure-track positions: The Dean’s Office must submit the Non-tenure Track Faculty Offer Letter Request Form, which the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Development will use to generate the official offer letter.

The Provost’s Office will send the official offer letter to the candidate for their signature. Upon receipt of the signed offer letter, the search committee chair must notify other applicants that the position has been filled.  

The department must initiate the appointment forms and verify the candidate’s credentials. After submitting the Hiring Proposal Form, the department should email [email protected] and copy the Dean (or their designee) to provide the Hiring Proposal Number.

To close the search, the Department must email [email protected] and copy the Dean (or their designee) to indicate the candidate’s acceptance and provide the employment start date and salary. 

Access the Search Plan. Refer to the Inclusive Excellence Recruitment Resources as needed while developing a Search Plan.

• Staff & M/C Positions: The hiring manager downloads and completes the Search Plan and submits it with the Workforce Planning Request (Step 1 of the Staff & M/C Search Process).
• Faculty Positions: The Dean’s Office downloads and completes the Candidate Rating Matrix with the Department Chair before submitting the Workforce Planning Request (Step 1 of the Faculty Search Process).
   

Search Committee Guidelines

Any active University faculty, professional staff or support staff member may serve on a search committee. Read about the overall responsibilities of each search committee member and the search committee chair.

Search committees are established by the hiring manager for staff and M/C positions or by the Chair and/or Dean for faculty positions. 

Search committees must have a minimum of three to five members that reflect the diversity of the University community. The minimum number of search committee members required depends on the type of position being filled:

• Staff & M/C Positions:  
  • Entry- to mid-level hires: At least three committee members  
  • Hires at or above the Director level: At least five committee members
• Faculty Positions: At least four faculty members, not including the Department Chair. Additionally:
  • Tenure-track Searches: At least four of the faculty members must be tenured or tenure-track.
  • Non-tenure-track Searches: At least two of the faculty members must be tenured or tenure-track. 

A search committee's size should always represent the position's level, scope and impact and include employees from other areas/departments.  

Note: The supervisor, Department Chair and/or final decision-maker should not serve on the committee or take part in the applicant review  (Step 5 of the Staff & M/C Search Process and Step 5 of the Faculty Search Process), as this could potentially be seen as having an undue influence on the search process.

Access the Candidate Rating Matrix. To download the template, select “File,” “Create a Copy,” then “Download a Copy.”

• Staff & M/C Positions: The search committee downloads and completes the Candidate Rating Matrix before starting the applicant review (Step 5 of the Staff & M/C Search Process). No review or approval is required.  
• Faculty Positions: The Dean’s Office downloads and completes the Candidate Rating Matrix with the Department Chair before submitting the Workforce Planning Request (Step 1 of the Faculty Search Process). Be sure to add details about the rating scale that will be used for preferred qualifications. 

Access the Search Tracking Form. To download the template, select “File,” “Create a Copy,” then “Download a Copy.”

The search committee chair must:  

• Download, complete and submit this form to request approval to schedule interviews (Step 6 of the Staff & M/C Search Process and Step 6 of the Faculty Search Process)
• Update the form after each interview round (Step 7 of the Staff & M/C Search Process and Step 7 of the Faculty Search Process)
• Submit a final version of the form to request approval of the final hiring recommendations (Step 8 of the Staff & M/C Search Process and Step 8 of the Faculty Search Process)

The search committee must develop interview questions (Step 6 of the Staff & M/C Search Process and Step 6 of the Faculty Search Process), including at least one equity, inclusion and belonging related question, using these resources:

• Sample Faculty Interview Questions
• Sample Staff & M/C Interview Questions
• Sample Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Related Questions

The search committee chair should use the following templates to communicate with applicants:

• Initial Interview Invitation
• Second- & Third-round Interview Invitation
• Interview Confirmation
• Non-selection Notification 

These templates are used during the following steps:

• Staff & M/C Positions:
  • Step 7 of the Staff & M/C Search Process
  • Step 8 of the Staff & M/C Search Process
• Faculty Positions:
  • Step 7 of the Faculty Search Process
  • Step 8 of the Faculty Search Process

Access the Search Committee Recommendation Form.

• Staff & M/C Positions: The search committee chair must complete and submit the recommendation form (Step 8 of the Staff & M/C Search Process) The form should list each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses and provide a list of qualified, unranked finalists for the hiring manager’s final decision.
• Faculty Positions: The search committee must complete and submit the recommendation form (Step 8 of the Faculty Search Process). The form should detail each candidate’s strengths and weaknesses and support the hiring recommendation being made. The form asks for a vote; if voting is not used, please indicate that. 

Access the Reference Check Guide.

Review the guide before checking a selected candidate’s references (Step 8 of the Staff & M/C Search Process and Step 8 of the Faculty Search Process).

These checks must include at least three professional references with a focus on supervisory relationships.