The Search Committee
The Committee
The Search Committee must be added to the posting on PeopleAdmin. If you are unable to find all of the members from the drop-down menu, please contact Academic Staff Relations to have the member added. Please provide their name and Banner Number in your request. Committee members who do not have a Dalhousie netID may be added as Guest Users, and they will receive a special user name and password to access the posting via e-mail.
Committee composition
The search committee should be formed in accordance with the academic unit's established procedures and endorsed by the members of the academic unit. Wherever possible, the Committee should include representation from designated groups (Indigenous peoples, persons with a disability, racially visible people, women, and people of a minority sexual orientation or gender identity). (See Board/DFA Collective Agreement Clause 4.03). If the search is for an Instructor Member, there must be an Instructor Member on the Search Committee. If this is not a search for an Instructor Member, the field in PeopleAdmin requesting the name of the Instructor on the committee should be filled in with "N/A". Members from related units, or from the external community, may be invited to participate for this purpose. Diversity on the Search Committee allows a wider perspective which is valuable in assessing candidates' qualifications.
Responsibilities of committee members
- Chair
- Secretary - A member of the Committee, and/or a staff member, should be assigned clear responsibility for the administrative tasks of the Committee.
- Main tasks
- Generally, the Search Committee has three main tasks. They include:
- planning the advertising and recruitment of candidates to provide a strong and diverse applicant pool (ensure that all members of the Committee are clear about the requirements of the position)
- screening candidates, conducting interviews, and reviewing references, and
- recommending the candidate who is best suited to fill the position.
- Generally, the Search Committee has three main tasks. They include:
Conflict of interest/perception of bias
In addition, Committees should avoid situations where there could be the perception of bias, for example, where a Committee member acts as a referee for one of the applicants. Where such situations arise, the Committee should seek advice from the Academic HR Advisor early in the process.
Initial meeting
- Review the Academic Recruitment and Selection Guidelines
- Fair Hiring Practices
- Ensure availability of all committee members, and that all Committee members who will be voting will be available during the entire selection process. (See Board/Clause 14.11(d) DFA Collective Agreement).
- Discuss scheduling Equity, Diversity & Inclusion training. Please schedule this with the Academic HR Advisor to take place before the initial review of applications.
The Dean, Head/Chair/Director may meet with the Committee at any stage in the recruitment process, with the specified purpose of ensuring that employment equity principles are being appropriately applied.