Search Committees

Committee Appointments

A School/Arts & Sciences-designated individual, often a department chair, is responsible for appointing a search committee and a search chair. A department chair may serve as a search committee member or search committee chair but is not required to do so. Deans typically do not sit on committees for department faculty within their reporting line but do participate in final selection and are responsible for the final selection and for making all appointments.

A five-person search committee is recommended. Committees must number at least three people. When selecting a committee, Deans/department chairs shall consider factors such as workloads/service commitments, longevity with the organization, and subject matter expertise. Be mindful that some university areas may also consider rank and position. Schools shall consider the institution's commitment to diversity, broadly defined, when composing the committee. Please consult the Diversity & Inclusion website for more information. Schools shall strive to ensure all members have an equal voice within the process and ensure that any members with supervisory or evaluation influence over other members do not dominate the selection process.

Search Committee Role

The search committee is accountable for recruiting talented, highly qualified candidates into the pool that reflect the needs and interests of the unit and university. Committees are tasked with evaluation and with recommending well-qualified finalists to the Dean.

Search Chair Role

The Search Chair leads and participates in the search committee and is responsible for setting the search timeline, interfacing with the Hiring Authority, and providing search committee leadership to ensure a robust deliberative process. It is also their responsibility to provide leadership for interviews. The search chair is accountable for ensuring all search guidelines are followed by the committee in the search process.

Conflicts of Interest

Committee appointments should avoid foreseeable conflicts of interest. Committee members or potential members must disclose potential conflicts to the search chair, who will discuss the conflict with the Talent Acquisition Team. In addition, if a search committee member is discovered to be an immediate family member or member of household of an applicant, the search chair must contact the conflict of interest committee. Should an unanticipated conflict of interest arise during the search, the affected committee member shall recuse themselves from that point forward.

An individual may not serve on a search committee if:

the individual plans to apply or does apply for the position
the individual has an immediate family member, household member, or intimate partner that plans to apply or applies for the the position
the individual has a strong, pre-existing preference to select a particular individual

An individual must recuse themselves from evaluating a particular applicant if:

the individual has a shared financial interest or endeavor with an applicant
the individual and applicant have or had an officially recognized mentor- mentee relationship
the individual and applicant have or had a close relationship, such as a close personal friendship or recent co-authorship, which may impact the individual’s ability to objectively evaluate the applicant.

A committee member shall disclose any of the following scenarios. Recusal potential shall be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The search committee member has been a substantial collaborator on creative/scholarly work or grant applications with one or more applicants.
The search committee member recognizes a prejudice, bias, or other challenge that could impact their ability to conduct thorough and impartial evaluation.
The search committee member believes that their recusal may be necessary to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.

Search Liaison

A Department-appointed Search Liaison may execute actions on behalf of the Search Chair and department, provide administrative and logistical search support, and interface with University Human Resources and other stakeholders to execute successful searches. The Search Chair may double as the Search Liaison. This individual currently maintains “Hiring Official” access within PeopleAdmin and is responsible for PeopleAdmin actions and data-entry.

Charge Meeting

The Hiring Authority or their designate shall meet with their search committee prior to launching the search. Below are typical elements of a charge meeting.

Review of Position, Recruitment Plan and Timeline

The Hiring Authority or their designee, such as a Department Chair and or Search Chair, is encouraged to review the position and clarify what qualifications and attributes are most important to the role. They also overview the recruitment plan, including what, if any outreach activities are expected of committee members. Importantly, this individual will set the search timeline. Reserving times and locations for selection activities can help avoid search delays. Prolonged searches may result in applicants withdrawing from the pool and accepting other positions.

Confidentiality

The Hiring Authority or designee should emphasize the importance of confidentiality and the expectation to conduct fair and unbiased applicant evaluation. Search committee members have obligations of confidentiality both towards the applicants and – consistent with the provisions on privacy in the William & Mary Faculty Handbook – with respect to the deliberative processes of the search itself, in which they are engaged.

Search committee members or interview panel members whose job requires them to work with search and selection information are to uphold the highest levels of confidentiality. Search committee members shall complete a confidentiality statement. Except as required by law, information about job applicants shall be restricted to designated individuals, such as the appointed search committee, and those directly involved with facilitating and overseeing the search, such as Human Resources staff. No individual shall release the name of a job applicant or information about the applicant without the applicant’s express consent. When a final interview round requires the participation of stakeholders outside of the search committee, the Search Chair may share an applicant’s C.V./resume with those stakeholders, provided the applicant has pre-approved the document’s circulation and that any personal details or contact information is redacted. AskHR@wm.edu.

Each committee member is required to submit a signed and dated Confidentiality and Ethics Agreement.

Confidentiality and Ethics Agreement

As a search process participant for the position of ______________________, I understand that the ultimate success of the search and the integrity of the University depend on the search being conducted in an impartial, ethical and professional manner. I understand that search committee members have obligations of confidentiality both towards the applicants and – consistent with the provisions on privacy in the William & Mary Faculty Handbook – with respect to the deliberative processes of the search itself, in which we are engaged.

Consistent with these understandings, I acknowledge and accept the following:

I understand that the Search Committee’s charge is to recommend qualified candidates to whomever has the ultimate authority to appoint faculty or staff.
I understand that non-committee stakeholders may be engaged at the on-campus interview stage, and that the role of those stakeholders is to provide candidate feedback in a standardized format. This feedback may inform selection decisions but does not carry a decision-making “vote.”
I agree to conduct myself in a professional manner and not to cause disrepute to applicants, my department, Office/School and University.
I agree to recuse myself in the event of a conflict of interest, or if a reasonable person would be likely to perceive a potential conflict of interest.
I acknowledge that the only acceptable spokespersons for the search are the Search Committee Chair, their designee, or an appropriate Human Resources professional.
I acknowledge that all information concerning the candidate pool is confidential and I agree to permanently protect the identity of individuals who have expressed interest in exploring this opportunity, including individual qualifications and merits.
I will restrict search-related documents and information to designated individuals who are directly involved in the search process, such as the search committee, and to individuals with search oversight, such as University Human Resources.*
For committee members:

a. I agree to maintain confidentiality of Committee discussions and deliberations, both during the review process and after its completion. I agree that any breach in confidentiality could damage the reputations and/or livelihoods of the candidates, the Committee and the University. I recognize that such breaches are violations of the codes of conduct outlined in the William & Mary Faculty Handbook.

b. I agree to not move any search-related record, report, file, or copy of an official record or report from the place where it is maintained except in the performance of official duties. At the conclusion of the search, I agree to forward any search-related materials in my possession and to abide by separate recordkeeping and destruction policies.

I understand that I may be excluded from search-related activities if I breach any of these agreements, however the agreement terms shall still apply.

I have read, understand and agree to abide by all the terms of this Agreement, as a condition of my participation in the search process.

*When a final interview round requires the participation of individuals outside of the search committee, the Search Chair may share an applicant’s CV/resume with those participants, provided the applicant has pre-approved the document’s circulation and that any personal details or contact information is redacted.

Recusal

Should a committee member encounter a perceived or actual conflict of interest, they should promptly alert the Search Chair. Please consult the Conflict-of-Interest section above.

Evaluation Methods

Typically, the hiring official clarifies evaluation expectations, and the Search Chair leads continued discussion of specific evaluation tools. The selection process should be determined before the launch of the search. related, the committee should develop selection tools before reviewing applicants. Below are common evaluation related tools. See Screening & Evaluation Section for more information.

Screening Grid (preliminary application review)
Phone/virtual interviews and synthesis tool
Interviewstream
Pre-interview or post-interview reference checks/forms
Questionnaires or activities
Recommendation letters
Optional reference check calls
On-campus interview (generally required for in-person jobs)
Work-related mock exercises