Quick Tip

Traditional search practices are inadequate to the modern age and one of the culprits behind a lack of faculty diversity.

Not that long ago, you would be greeted with suspicion for mentioning the word “recruiting” in a campus conversation about faculty hiring. But waiting for applicants to come to your department — because “that’s how we’ve done it from time immemorial” — means you risk neglecting many potentially fantastic colleagues. They didn’t apply or accept an offer, but might have, had you made any effort to recruit them.

The era of passive recruiting is over. So what does active recruiting look like in an academic setting?

As a chair or a dean, you should be in permanent recruiting mode, always keeping an eye out for potential hires. Like any other profession, academe has its peculiarities. One of them is that it’s much harder to switch jobs if you are a faculty member than it is for someone in, say, car sales. That’s why it’s important to think about hiring in the long term. Meeting a job candidate for the first time at an initial interview puts you both at a disadvantage — it’s like a blind date. On the other hand, if you have gotten to know each other over time, you can make more-informed choices.

You can build connections with academics in myriad ways before actually offering employment. Building relationships with people of color and other underrepresented groups is especially crucial. Think of it as mutual networking — for both hirers and applicants. Imagine the benefit if all of your program’s faculty members invested just a little time in such pre-emptive acquaintance-making. Too many academics network for themselves — looking for peer scholars in their area of study — and not for the future of their program.

Continue reading: “Admin 101: How to Actively Recruit Faculty Members,” by David D. Perlmutter

Thanks for reading The Quick Tip, a free newsletter from The Chronicle. Twice a week, we’ll send you fast advice for your job and your academic life.

Suggestions for what you’d like to see here? Other thoughts? Please email Denise K. Magner, a senior editor who compiles this newsletter, at denise.magner@chronicle.com.