Guidelines for Developing Position Announcements

University policy requires public announcement of all full-time faculty and librarian positions. There are, however, exceptions under certain circumstances (See Variances from Standard Recruitment Procedures). Announcements should be published as widely as practicable, including placement in professional journals and newsletters and at professional meetings, as well as contact with representatives of relevant departments and schools, by letter, e-mail, etc.

I. Content of Position Announcements

Position announcements should contain the following information:

A brief overview of the department/school/library/University,
Primary job responsibilities,
Basic Qualifications (selection criteria) for a specific position,
The date upon which a full review of applicant materials will commence,
The Application Procedure including the statement, “Only complete applications will be considered,”
The statement "The university is an Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer that does not unlawfully discriminate in any of its programs or activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law,”
The statement "Employment offers are contingent on the satisfactory outcome of a standard background screening."

In the event that budget constraints or other factors (i.e., space or word limitations) prevent a comprehensive position announcement, Faculty Recruitment will work with the department/library to determine the most appropriate response to these issues.

A. Primary Job Responsibilities

The focus of the primary job responsibilities should be the department/library’s mission, programmatic needs and performance expectations. Analyze the position criteria carefully to ensure that candidates with alternative, but equally relevant, experiences are not excluded from consideration.

B. Qualifications

1. Basic Selection Criteria

Basic selection criteria are the qualifications and experiences that job seekers must minimally possess in order to be considered an applicant for a specific position. See Guidelines for Developing Selection Criteria for additional information on “Basic Selection Criteria.”

2. Preferred, Desired, and/or Additional Selection Criteria

Only librarian announcements are permitted to include additional selection criteria (preferred qualifications, etc.).

Librarian position announcements should clearly distinguish between basic and additional criteria. All selection criteria should be established prior to the position announcement or prior to use of an external database to build an applicant pool.

C. Review Date

All announcements must include a date upon which a full review of applicant materials will commence. The text should read as follows:

“Review of applications will begin on (date) and will continue until the position is filled.”

This date must ordinarily be at least thirty (30) days after the printed publication date of the main position announcement. The University established the thirty day time period for faculty and librarian positions in order to comply with federal guidelines which allow a “reasonable time” for any interested and available prospective applicant to respond to position announcements and to accumulate an adequate applicant pool. In exceptional cases, and in cases where there has historically been a high volume of expressions of interest from job seekers, Faculty Recruitment will work with the department/library to establish an appropriate time period to accumulate an applicant pool.

D. Application Procedure

Announcements must clearly indicate the procedure a job seeker must use to apply for a specific position and the information or documents required for consideration. The application materials required must be sufficient to allow the search committee enough information to determine if a jobseeker meets the stated qualifications. In many cases, this will require more than just a curriculum vitae and a list of references.

Examples:

Appointment Procedure: To be considered, please complete the online faculty application at http://www.gwu.jobs/postings/xxxxx and upload a letter containing a brief statement of interest, a curriculum vitae, a statement of research and teaching interest, copies of at least three representative publications, and include the complete contact information for at least three (3) references.

How to Apply: Please complete the online faculty application at https://www.gwu.jobs/postings/xxxxx and upload a cover letter, statement of teaching philosophy, sample of scholarly publications, C.V., official academic transcripts, and include the names and contact information for three (3) professional references.

Jobseekers who fail to follow the application procedure may not be considered for the specific position. If questions arise about how to promote compliance with the application procedure, please contact the Recruitment Specialist.

E. Language that Addresses the Importance of Diversity

In addition to including the University’s EO/AA statement, and in keeping with the University’s commitment to maintain a diverse workforce, departments/libraries should consider a diversity sensitive statement which addresses the importance of diversity and the value placed upon those who can share and teach differing points of view.

Examples of “Diversity Sensitive” Statements:

The Chronicle of Higher Education and other journals, etc. are replete with examples of the type of statements you can use. For example:

"The university and department have a strong commitment to achieving diversity among faculty and staff. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from members of underrepresented groups and strongly encourage women and persons of color to apply for these positions."
"Seeking applicants that have experience with ethnic minority school populations..."
"The University seeks to attract an active, culturally and academically diverse faculty of the highest caliber."

These types of statements serve as noticeable features to potential applicants from underrepresented groups and may heighten their interest in and attraction to employment in a department/library.

II. Recordkeeping

Departments and libraries must obtain and retain the tear sheets of printed announcements and copies of announcements as they actually appear on job boards, listservs, etc.

III. A Reminder

Position announcements for full-time faculty and limited service, benefited faculty (i.e., regular part-time) positions must be approved by Faculty Recruitment prior to placement.