Once the telephone interviews have been completed, the Recruitment Committee will meet to review the evaluation forms, compare notes, and create a short list of three to five applicants. Once this is done, preparations can begin for on campus interviews. The first step in that process is obtaining administrative approval of the candidates. If necessary, some brief justifications may be requested of the committee.
To ensure that candidates’ visits run smoothly, the Recruitment Committee should:
When firm dates are set, transportation can be arranged. Reservations should also be made for lodging at a local hotel with Illinois State rates.
Allowances in scheduling should be made to accommodate each candidate’s personal interests; ask candidates if they would like to meet with any special on-campus groups. Be sure to include:
Elements of the schedule should be assigned to committee members, such as picking the candidate up at the airport, escorting the candidate to locations on the schedule, and providing the candidate tours of the community.
The Recruitment Committee should also prepare comment sheets to be used to capture feedback from interview participants for each candidate. These can be broad-based forms with open questions, or checklists based on stated qualifications for the position with space left for comment. Distribute the forms before the interview to faculty members and staff who might participate in the interview or candidate presentation. A list of suggested questions and questions to avoid should also be distributed.
While the schedule is being arranged, prepare packets for mailing to each candidate at least one week before the scheduled interview. Packets can be obtained from Human Resources and contain the following:
The committee may wish to consider including additional materials such as:
If the candidate will be required to make a presentation to faculty, staff, or students, she or he should be notified at the time of invitation. The candidate should be informed of the following:
Each candidate should be assigned a resource and contact person (usually a member of the Recruitment Committee) whom the candidate can call or e-mail with any questions. The contact person should call the candidate to be sure the packet arrived in a timely fashion and call again one to two days before the candidate is to travel to be sure that every one is clear on the schedule, times, and contacts. The contact person should also provide the candidate with an evening and weekend telephone number in case a flight delay or other problem in transit affects the interview schedule. In addition, the contact person should inform the candidate that the Office of Disability Concerns, 438-5853, can address any reasonable accommodations that may be necessary.
Distribute information about candidates to the department. Interview schedules for each candidate should be copied and distributed to all persons named on the schedule and to the appropriate unit, department, college, or university personnel. The interview schedules should also be posted on departmental bulletin boards and in administrative offices.
The Recruitment Committee must formulate a list of possible questions to ask candidates. The list may be divided into questions that must be asked of each candidate to provide a consistent base of information for comparison, and extra questions that can keep the pace of the interview going, if necessary.
Whenever possible, questions should be open-ended or situational, designed to go beyond “yes” and “no.” Situational questions are especially useful in gauging management or teaching style, interpersonal skills, and ability to think on one’s feet.
Questions not to ask. There are a number of questions related to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, ancestry, age, marital status, physical disability, and other topics that are strictly prohibited.
Meals with Recruitment Committee members provide an opportunity to interact with candidates casually. Because social occasions are technically part of the interview, issues addressed in the Pre-Employment Inquiry Guide regarding appropriate questions, will apply. The more formal opening and closing sessions with the Recruitment committee also are useful in the interviewing process.
The following topics must be covered at some time during the interview by the Committee or appropriate administrator:
Candidates’ questions. Be sure to give candidates the opportunity to ask any questions they may have.
