After the review date indicated in the position announcement, the search committee will screen all applications submitted for the position. Any applicant who does not meet the required qualifications indicated in the position announcement will be eliminated from further consideration. The search committee will make note of the criteria for non-selection. Only a brief statement is required; however, the criteria must be directly related to advertised criteria and must be specific, i.e., no terminal degree, degree in wrong discipline, documents not provided, etcetera. Non-selection criteria which simply restates the definition of the category is not acceptable (i.e., not as qualified as those interviewed, etcetera).
The search committee will then begin a closer review of all applicants meeting the required qualifications for the position. At this point, desired qualifications indicated in the position announcement may be utilized to determine those applicants to be interviewed. Qualifications not indicated in the posting should not be used to eliminate an applicant or enhance an applicant’s consideration unless it can be shown that such qualifications are demonstratively relevant to the applicant’s suitability for the position. Telephone/Skype interviews and contact with references may be utilized by the search committee to determine the most highly qualified candidates for the position who will be invited for an on-campus interview.
The search committee will communicate to the hiring manager or HR liaison the category and reason for non-selection/selection for each applicant. Again, the criteria for non-selection must be specific. Reason such as “not a good fit”, “not a good match” will not be accepted.
In reviewing applications, the search committee must be cognizant of the policy statement in the Auburn University Faculty Handbook that an individual holding the terminal degree from Auburn University normally is not eligible for permanent appointment and thus will not be placed on a tenure-track appointment except in rare circumstances. An exception might occur if the individual has held faculty rank at another university or college, had a responsible position in industry or professional practice, is a qualified applicant in a field where there are national shortages, has an outstanding national reputation, or is certified in a discipline by a nationally recognized specialty board or college. Exceptions may also be allowed if such appointments would permit a department or unit to meets its affirmative action/equal opportunity obligations. Any such exception must be requested in writing by the Department Head/Chair, supported by the Dean, and approved by the Provost prior to submitting the Hiring Proposal.
After reviewing the applicant pool, the Department Head/Chair, Dean/Assoc. Dean in association with the HR Liaison, may determine that there are an insufficient number of qualified applicants or diversity of applicants for the position and require further recruitment efforts before on-campus interviews be scheduled.
Last Updated: March 23, 2017
