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Forming and executing a recruitment plan

Search committees must have

  • a search Chair
  • at least 3 members
  • both male and female members
  • an outside member (for faculty searches)
  • a faculty member (for non-faculty positions with substantial student interaction)
  • recommended: include people representing diverse perspectives within the college

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Formulation of the recruitment plan is the opportunity for the search chair to consider ways of attracting a broad pool of qualified applicants.  One goal in any search is to draw as many qualified applicants as possible.  This increases the liklihood that the search committee will find someone who has the skills and experience to best fill the position.  The Office of Equal Opportunity can offer assistance with this process and will review the form prior to beginning the recruitment phase of the search to ensure compliance with equal employment laws and policies.

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It is important that position descriptions on file with the Office of Human Resources accurately reflect the responsibilities and activities of the job. Recruitment advertisements should be based on the current position description.

For more information on how to draft a position description, see:

Human Resources guidelines

Faculty guidelines for recruitment and hiring [doc]

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Basic structure of an announcement

A position announcement typically contains the following components, separated into distinct sections for clarity:

  • Title/name of position
  • Brief description of the position including whether full- or part-time, whether benefits are included, and any desired starting date
  • Overview of key responsibilities of the position (do not try to list every duty and responsibility)
  • About Kenyon/Gambier [for national searches] (standard language)
  • Desired qualifications such as educational degrees, specific skills or knowledge, or particular work experience
  • Application instructions
  • Equal Opportunity statement (standard language)

NOTE:  The PeopleAdmin system automatically places the EO statement on each page.  Do not include this in the posting information.

Application instructions

All applications are processed through the PeopleAdmin system at https://employment.kenyon.edu/

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Where to post

Position announcements should be distributed as widely as possible in order to attract a broad applicant pool. Decisions on where to advertise depend largely on the nature of the position being filled. In particular, consider whether someone would commute or relocate for a position given the compensation offered and if so, from how far away. Possible advertising options include:

  • Professional association publications/web sites
  • Regional or local newspapers
  • Related departments/offices in other colleges
  • Email distribution lists
  • Personal contacts who are either potential applicants or who can further distribute the announcement

All vacant positions will be listed on the Kenyon web site. When appropriate, the Office of Equal Opportunity will place an ad in the Chronicle of Higher Education and on the Inside Higher Ed web site. For more costly print publications, an abridged announcement may be used to direct applicants to the Kenyon web site.

Attracting minority candidates

In addition to the distribution channels listed above, search committees are encouraged to make additional efforts to locate and attract qualified applicants from diverse backgrounds, including members of racial and ethnic minorities, genders underrepresented in a given field, and first generation college graduates. Some possible strategies include:

  • Posting position announcements in specialty publications such as Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, and Women in Higher Education. These publications may be appropriate if the position involves specific functions relating to a minority population.
  • Utilizing minority sections of organizations. For example: a listserv for the APSA section on Race, Ethnicity and Politics or the Committee on the Status Women in Physics in the APS.
  • Contacting past applicants for the college's Yarbrough Dissertation/Teaching Fellowship.
  • Sending announcements to departments/offices in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), or Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs).
  • Personally contacting associates in other organizations to inquire about potential qualified minority candidates.

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