Recommendations to consider for developing the faculty position announcements:

Faculty members are at the heart of a great university. The key to recruiting truly outstanding faculty is active searching, which requires time and effort. This document serves as a brief overview for developing job announcements. The aim of any faculty search is to identify faculty with high goals and the ability to meet those goals. Thus, we cannot just announce the position, then sit and wait for candidates to apply. We need to scout for best candidates, make phone calls, contact leading people in the field, and work toward creating a diverse and strong candidate pool. Faculty recruitment is not just a process but also a strategic endeavor that can only be accomplished by collective efforts of all faculty, staff, and students involved. We will be holding a comprehensive workshop on faculty recruitment on August 26, 2016.

For those units who would like to work on the job announcements before the workshop, the following is a set of recommendations for crafting the announcement.

  1. Start with a sentence that announces the opportunity in an enthusiastic tone.The paragraphs that follow the leading sentence could include context and bragging points about the program or department that is hiring.Use concise and clear language. The audience should be able to infer sincerity and excitement for this opportunity. Make candidates want to apply.
  1. Describe the position as broad as possible in order not to limit the pool of applicants.
  1. Include statements in the ad that relate to the set of screening criteria adopted by the search committee or the broader faculty group.
  1. Include statements that indicate the department’s commitment to diversity. Some examples recommended by other universities that we support are:
  1. Include information about the application process, required materials, and the timeline.
  1. End with information on OU and Norman.

The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Carnegie-R1 comprehensive public research university known for excellence in teaching, research, and community engagement, serving the educational, cultural, economic and health-care needs of the state, region, and nation from three campuses: Norman, Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City and the Schusterman Center in Tulsa. OU enrolls over 30,000 students and has more than 2700 full-time faculty members in 21 colleges.

In 2014, OU became the first public institution ever to rank #1 nationally in the recruitment of National Merit Scholars, with 311 scholars. The 277-acre Research Campus in Norman was named the No.1 research campus in the nation by the Association of Research Parks in 2013. Norman is a culturally rich and vibrant town located just outside Oklahoma City. With outstanding schools, amenities, and a low cost of living, Norman is a perennial contender on the “Best Places to Live” rankings. Visitsoonerway.ou.edufor more information.

  1. Add the required EOO statement.

The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity employer. Women, minorities, protected veterans, and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Recommended structure of the ad:

  1. OU Logo (university and college/department if available)
  1. Heading (University/Department/Position announcement)
  1. Enthusiastic general description of the position
  1. Nature of the search and start date
  1. Rank and areas of specialization
  1. Qualifications (clear and match the evaluation criteria)
  1. Information on how to apply
  1. Statement about commitment to advancing diversity
  1. Statements about OU and Norman
  1. Website info for further information
  1. Contact info for additional questions
  1. EOO Statement

Example Job Announcements:

  1. The following are two examples of a partial job announcement to hire a director for the Advanced Radar Research Center.

As a job announcement, the first example is weak in the following aspects. First, the opening sentences do not reveal a sense of excitement and enthusiasm about the position. It is important to note that whereas the main objective of the announcement/advertisement is to lead to a successful hire, this information can also be treated as an evaluation of the program and the University from the public.

In general, the first sentence should convey excitement. Using a concise subject-verb-objective sentence structure should aid the purpose. Second, since the purpose is to attract attention, detailed descriptions of the position can be delayed. For example, job descriptions can be provided as a separate attachment, or provided upon further contact. Third, rather than describing the past status of the facilities and environments only, the current and future status should also be discussed to depict the full growth of the department, college or university.

The following is a revised version of the same position.

Compared to the initial version, the leading sentence in the revised version is clear and active. The second paragraph provides detailed descriptions of the past accomplishments of the program and its current status. It lists key research and applications that are of interest to potential job applicants. The third paragraph describes the purpose and goals of the program. Overall, the revised announcement provides a sense of vision and promise.

  1. Examples of leading sentences from actual announcements:
  • The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at the University of ____ (..) is in an ambitious, multi-year period of growth and renewal. As part of this expansion, applications are being soughtfor 1 full-time, tenure-track faculty position in Structural Engineering and Mechanics.
  • If you are a performance driven, innovative and progressive individual looking for a new challenge in your career, then ___ has the opportunity for which you are looking. Applications are now open to join ___ as Assistant Professor (Acting) – Academy for the Performing Arts.
  • (Current): The University of ___, College of ___ is pleased to announce that applications and nominations are being accepted for the ___ Chair in ___. This position is funded from the ___ Endowment and the Office of the President at the University of ___. The intent is to identify an innovator in scholarly thought in ___. This person will provide leadership in our continuing efforts to build capabilities in the area and specifically will lead efforts to diffuse ___ pedagogy across the campus.

(Suggested): The University of ___, College of ___ is excited about growing the ___ program, which has been consistently ranked among the top 10 by ___. We encourage creative, innovative, dynamic individuals with scholarly and practical experience who would like to be part of a strong team in expanding capabilities of the current program to apply for the Chair of ___ in ___.

  1. Example of a paragraph on diversity from an actual announcement:
  • We seek candidates who will provide inspiration and leadership in research and actively contribute to teaching. We are especially interested in candidates who can contribute, through their research, teaching, and/or service, to the diversity and excellence of the academic community and who will build collaborative ties with other departments within the College and the University.

Note: Although terms such as job announcements (or advertisements) and job descriptions have sometimes been used interchangeably, they are slightly different in functions and purposes. Job announcements and advertisements are similar such that both are intended to attract applicants and provide a general overview of the department, college and/or university. Job descriptions, typically accessed from an announcement in the form of a link or attachment, are intended to provide more detailed information about the position, such as minimal qualifications and an overview of duties.

The Importance of Thoughtfully-Designed Faculty Positions:

A well-written job description and well-designed job announcement are essential to attracting a large and diverse initial applicant pool. Information that is presented in a job description and/or other forms of announcement is binding, and should be developed with careful thought and attention to detail. Poorly written job descriptions and announcements lead to an inconsistency between the advertised criteria and the actual job requirements and experience. Poorly written announcements can also lead to expectations that are not appropriate to the positions.

Ideally, job descriptions and announcements would attract the most promising and most appropriate candidates for the positions. As a general rule, criteria for the position need to be clear, concise, and factual. The announcement must give a sense of sincerity (i.e., job descriptions that are too brief or announcements that are too simple may give the impression that the employer does not value the position or that the institution already has a candidate in mind). It is important to note that “factual” does not imply that the announcement lacks enthusiasm. The design of an announcement and the description of the job must be written with an inspiring tone that attracts attention.

Key elements of a successful search:

It is important to seek input and support of faculty from the start of the search so that faculty members build ownership and interest in the process. We recommend that the following actions before crafting the job announcement:

  1. Meet as a search committee (or broader group if your department is involved at this stage) to discuss the required and desired qualities and characteristics for the position. Some or most of this information would have been part of the Regular Faculty Recruiting Application submitted to the Office of the Provost earlier.
  2. Discuss materials that would be requested of applicants and purpose of requesting these materials, what would be learned from those materials, and how each item would be evaluated. Having this discussion will allow for meaningful and agreed upon materials to be requested and creates alignment with the screening criteria used for the position.
  3. Create the first and second screening criteria FIRST and then write the job announcement using the criteria. This enables a clear distinction about what is required for the position (first screening) and what is preferred or strongly desired for the position (second screening).

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