To find the best new faculty member, units need to spread the word that they are hiring far and wide. However, units must do so in a way that follows not just best practices but also meets UW Academic HR and federal employment advertising requirements.

The University of Washington uses Interfolio’s Faculty Search to manage competitive searches of academic personnel. For more information on posting jobs in Interfolio, please visit Academic HR’s web site on Posting Jobs.

Step 1: Write a good job advertisement

A good advertisement is one that:

  • Attracts the type of applicants with the expertise units seek;
  • Uses language throughout the ad that conveys that applications from underrepresented minorities and women are sincerely welcomed and encouraged; and
  • Meets Academic Human Resources requirements for job language and elements.
  • Here are a few sample job advertisements that successfully demonstrates the above: Environmental and Forest Sciences and Atmospheric Sciences.

The best possible way to write this good advertisement is:

  • Consult Academic HR’s Creating a Position User Guide – Building the Job Posting section for their required content (e.g., appointing unit, rank and title, full-time/part-time)
  • Consult guides and experts for what language to use and not to use in an advertisement to attract a diverse applicant pool (more information immediately below); and
  • Have an explicit understanding of the expertise the unit seeks so that it can be articulated clearly, concisely, and completely.
  • The College of the Environment is dedicated to hiring and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce, so all job advertisements should be written carefully to encourage rather than discourage applications from women and underrepresented minorities. The Dean’s Office provides a guide to writing faculty job advertisements to help units succeed in this way. They are also available to consult with units about job advertisement language prior to submission for review. Other offices on campus that can consult on recruitment are the Office of the Associate Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement and the UW ADVANCE Center for Institutional Change. The Dean’s office’s Human Resources Manager is also available to assist in the draft process to ensure advertisement requirements are met.

Step 2: Submit the job ad in Interfolio

  • Please follow Academic HR’s Creating A Position User Guide to develop a position description and advertisement and submit it in Interfolio.
  • Unit Academic HR contacts should check and double check that the content of all faculty job postings meets Academic HR expectations before they are submitted for approval.
  • Units are encouraged to submit a Word version of the job posting to the Dean’s Office at envhr@uw.edu prior to entering it into Interfolio for review and feedback to ensure an efficient and timely Interfolio review.
  • Enter the search committee information and evaluation criteria into the Interfolio.
  • Submit the position in Interfolio for approval. Feedback or approval from HR will be provided within 5 business days.
  • Once the unit has incorporated Dean’s Office feedback and finalized the ad. It will then route to Academic HR for final approval.

Step 3: Spread the word

National posting requirement:

  • For all faculty openings, it is highly recommended to place a job advertisement online at the Chronicle of Higher Education’s job site for a minimum of 30 days prior to the application closing date. If units choose, they can instead print the advertisement in a national print journal for that same 30 days. However, if units are only advertising the job online, the ad must be advertised online on the Chronicle of Higher Education’s web site in addition to other appropriate online postings.
  • Not advertising according to Academic HR’s requirements can seriously compromise a unit’s ability to hire a foreign national, so it is important to make sure it is done properly. Units should keep copies of these online and hard-copy postings to demonstrate compliance with this requirement. For hard-copy postings: make a copy of the cover of the issue in which the advertisement ran, ensuring the copy shows the date and volume/issue number.

Go beyond the requirement:

  • To reach a broad applicant pool, units are encouraged to post job ads in journals (online and/or in print) specific to the desired discipline and with organizations that target women and underrepresented minorities.
  • Some suggested places to post job ads are listed on the College Intranet’s faculty job ads section. More placement ideas can be found on the UW Office of Faculty Advancement’s web site. It lists a number of discipline-based organizations and publications and web sites for enhancing the diversity of the applicant pool.

Networks and word of mouth are often the best tools units have for spreading the word about available positions. Units might consider:

  • Asking faculty to send the job out on any associated list serves they are members of;
  • Asking faculty to distribute to people they think would be excellent candidates;
  • Sending the job ad to the Chairs/Directors of other similar or related academic departments at the UW and at other universities and asking them to distribute it;
  • Distributing copies of the job advertisement at conferences or other professional gatherings;
  • Posting the advertisement to the unit web site.

Next: Applications to Interviews to Selection