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I
NTERVIEWING
C
ANDIDATES
“A well-hosted campus visit allows candidates to make well-informed decisions on whether the position and the place is a right ‘fit’ for them.”
- Association of American Colleges and Universities
Approval to Interview
The request for
Approval to Interview
eDoc must be
submitted and approved
BEFORE
scheduling on-campus
interviews with candidates. You should review all
applicants, indicate which of these you wish to interview,
and state reasonably why others have been rejected. Please
attach a separate document containing rejection reasons for
review by the Office of Equity and Diversity. An interview
pool of 3 - 5 candidates is encouraged. Be sure to list
additional candidates if available. Record the total number
of applications received. Be sure to include the
authorization number found on the approved
Authorization
to Recruit document
. Required signatures for approval to
interview include: the academic dean/administrator who is
responsible for hiring, the committee chair, the Executive
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, and the Director of
Staff Equity & Diversity. Allow adequate time to secure
all approvals before contacting candidates.
Preparing Interview Questions
The committee should compose a group of core questions
based on the job-related criteria to evaluate candidates.
These questions should be asked of all candidates to ensure
that crucial job-related information is obtained. Open-
ended questions tend to relax candidates and encourage free
speaking. Developing questions ahead of time need not be
unduly restrictive. Follow-up questions based on the
responses to pre-determined questions will most likely vary
with each candidate. Core questions should be reviewed to
ensure they do not unnecessarily screen out women and
minority candidates.
Telephone Interviews
Departments may use telephone interviews as a “pre
-
intervi
ew” near the end of the screening process. A request
for
Approval to Interview
is not required. It is important
that you let the candidate know in advance that you would
like to schedule a phone interview so that he or she is
prepared and understands it is part of the screening process.
It is also important that during these interviews, you are
consistent when questioning all of the candidates and
inappropriate questions are not asked. (Refer
to Ensuring
Bias-Free Recruitment: A Guide for Search Committees
on
page 9).
This should NOT be the only interview conducted with
successful candidates.
Informal Interviews
Interviewing at conferences can provide more
contact with a wide array of candidates and should
be done if possible. Although you need not fill out
the request for
Approval to Interview
for these types
of interviews, it is important that you have reviewed
information raised in the
Ensuring Bias-Free
Recruitment: A Guide for Search Committees
located on page 9 and do not ask inappropriate
questions.
Campus Visits
The campus visit serves a dual purpose. The
candidates are evaluating the campus and they
themselves are being evaluated.
Candidates should be given the itinerary for the visit
in advance and should be invited to request any
special accommodations they might require. It is
also appropriate to ask if there are any special offices
on campus the candidate would like to visit or if
there is anyone he/she would like to meet so
appointments can be made prior to the candidate’s
arrival. All faculty candidates must be interviewed
by the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic
Affairs and the Chancellor.
While evaluating the candidate the committee should
also assist the candidate in making an informed
decision about the campus by letting him or her meet
the administrators, other faculty, staff, and students
with similar interests.
Skills Demonstration
Indiana University Southeast policy encourages that
candidates demonstrate teaching or lecturing skills.
It is important this requirement be administered
consistently with all candidates and that all
candidates have enough notification to properly
prepare as well as to make any special request for
equipment or accommodations.
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