DEI Prof-spectives: Promoting DEI in Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention of Faculty and Staff

DEI Prof-spectives
  • DEI
  • 01 September 2019

A goal of the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is DEI to foster equitable solutions to recruit, hire and retain diverse faculty and staff at Rowan University. DEI goals throughout the hiring process help to:

  • create equitable opportunities for diverse candidates
  • address historical marginalization in hiring processes at universities 
  • foster an inclusive work environment
  • support the retention of minoritized faculty, staff, and students

The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is offering a DEI Certificate for Rowan faculty and staff. Please visit our website for more information on our professional development certificates. 

Six ways to promote DEI in recruitment, hiring, and retention of faculty and staff: 

1. Address implicit and unconscious bias:

Implicit and unconscious bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect an individual’s decision-making, actions, and understanding, in an unconscious manner. Every individual carries implicit/unconscious bias in which causes thoughts and attitudes towards others based on characteristics such as ability, age, sex, gender, race, sexuality, or religion. When considering hiring practices and committees, it is important to discuss the impacts of implicit/unconscious bias, which may have negative consequences on who is hired and why they are hired. The hiring process has multiple stages that rely on subjective decision-making, in which bias occurs. A thorough DEI hiring plan can reduce the influences of implicit/unconscious bias.

The Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is offering Unconscious Bias training for faculty and staff at Rowan University. Please visit our website for more information on our Search and Hiring Committee Implicit Bias Training. 

2. DEI and the job description:

The job description outlines the responsibilities, skills, experiences, and abilities of the desired candidate. Additionally, the job description communicates the values of your department to potential candidates. As a department, discuss how the position can advance DEI goals and how these goals can be integrated into the job description. Include an Equal Opportunity Statement in your recruitment and consider adding your department’s commitment and examples to DEI work. 

3. Diverse recruitment:

When advertising job openings, it is important to consider which types of candidates are recruited through different recruitment platforms. Focused outreach is an effective strategy for increasing the diverse pool of applicants. Utilize Civilian Labor Force (CLF) information from the State of New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, to understand current and future predictions of state demographics for staff positions. Research diverse job boards and organizations, advertise locally, keep CVs of prospective candidates on file, and recruit potential applicants by sending them a personal letter or email informing them of the available position. Identify institutions with doctoral programs and contact coordinators to share positions, particularly minority-serving institutions.

4. DEI and hiring committees:

Seek out hiring committees who are: diverse; committed to DEI research and projects; advocate for students/faculty/staff of diverse backgrounds. When the hiring committee is selected, debrief the current demographics of the department. Consider implicit/unconscious biases within the department/office. Describe your goals and requirements for the position, and why DEI is important to your department.

 

5. The Interview:

Interview questions are a way to evaluate a candidate’s abilities, as related to DEI  skills and competencies. Here is a comprehensive list of sample interview questions related to cultural competency that are currently being used in various institutions of higher learning:

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 *Sample Cultural Competency Interview Questions modified from Mesa Community College

6. Retention Support Strategies:

  • Create a culture of accountability for DEI work among staff, departments and units. For example, encourage those within your department to use inclusive language, and have conversations about why certain phrases or words are inappropriate or exclusive. 
  • Build trust and relationships – Be transparent about department expectations, be willing to engage in difficult conversations, be willing to receive feedback, and provide clear feedback on performance. 
  • Identify interests – Ask your employees and colleagues what their professional goals are, and support them in achieving goals
  • Build social networks – Connect employees and colleagues to affinity groups, professional associations, and networks 
  • Avoid tokenization – Do not rely on marginalized individuals or groups to educate you and your department. Instead, create an environment which provides resources and education on diverse topics and encourages self–reflection about one’s relationship to systems of inequity. 
  • Mentorship – Mentors can be identified through projects, cultural or identity membership, or experiences. Mentors can help an individual navigate through their identities as it related to working at an institution of higher education, help solve difficult issues or encourage professional development paths
  • Support DEI professional development initiatives – It is important to have difficult conversations about DEI with your department. This is critical in promoting a Rowan culture of commitment to DEI.
  • Integrate DEI into performance reviews – Evaluate members on how they are engaging in DEI work. For example, “leads in driving positive change and works to promote DEI” or “shows little willingness to accept feedback, learn and listen to the concerns of others”

Hiring managers and search committee members should reflect on the following questions during the search process: 

  • Am I holding biases on the education level, type of experience, or location of experiences of the candidate?
  • Am I concerned with how the candidate is dressed, their hairstyle, tattoos, or piercings? Would these aesthetics affect the candidate’s ability to fulfill the needs of the job?
  • Am I having thoughts about how the candidate will “fit” into the department, rather than does the candidate meet the requirements of the position? 
  • Are there similar or consistent patterns (ethnicity, race, or gender) displaying a homogenous work environment? 
  • How am I personally engaging in DEI work? 

Additional resources for continued learning: 

Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education 
 
Diversity Doesn’t Stick Without Inclusion 
 
Harvard Implicit Bias Test 
 
How to Do a Better Job of Searching for Diversity 

Identifying and Avoiding Interview Biases
https://training.hr.ufl.edu/resources/LeadershipToolkit/transcripts/Identifying_and_Avoiding_Interview_Biases.pdf

The Best Search Committees