Reviewing Applicants

Academic HR

Reviewing Faculty Applicant Pools

At the University of Florida, a search committee is charged with finding world-class scholars and motivating them to become part of the UF community. Below is a high-level overview of what to consider when reviewing faculty applicants. For more in-depth information, consider taking the course PVO800: Faculty Search Committee Tutorial.

Develop Selection Criteria

During the search process, the search committee must develop a clear screening criteria for candidates. The following are topics to consider when developing the selection criteria:

The qualifications that an applicant must possess in order to be considered for the position.
The specific attributes or dimensions along which qualified applicants will be distinguished.
The evidence committee members will look for to determine if applicants have met the criteria.
The plan to evaluate candidates if the search is open to more than one rank (e.g., Assistant/Associate/Full).

Applicant Review Process

Minimum Qualifications Screening
The applicant review period includes multiple phases. The first phase is generally a first screening to determine whether or not a candidate meets the minimum criteria for the position. Criteria such as education level and years of experience fall into this screening phase.
Preferred Qualifications Screening
The preferred qualifications screening is more qualitative in nature. In this phase, search committees will rely heavily on their evaluation criteria. Preferred qualifications may include characteristics such as demonstration of leadership abilities, evidence of inclusive practices, etc. When applying evaluation criteria, you may wish to examine a candidate’s entire career. For instance, a candidate who has earned her or his degree and has entered the academic profession after raising a family will undoubtedly have employment gaps and/or fewer publications than another candidate of the same graduating class whose career has been uninterrupted. If one evaluates a candidate’s publication record in terms of these considerations, however, she or he may well be the stronger candidate. Whatever criteria are used, it is important that they are applied to all candidates.

Prepare for Interviews

Phone Interview

Schedule a call with candidates and interviewers and establish a target duration of the call.
Post a public announcement of any interview involving more than one committee member.
Prepare core questions as determined by agreed criteria.
Determine the order in which the interviewers will ask questions.
Test teleconferencing equipment and procedures.

In-Person Interview

The hiring authority generally approves on-campus, or “face-to face,” interviews with short-listed applicants. Submit a request to interview at least two weeks prior to the date you wish the interviewing to begin. Submit candidate assessments (written or oral) to the hiring authority including:

Approval to interview request from the search committee.
Copy of search committee questions and criteria.
Description of any additional recruitment efforts.
Vita or dossier for each candidate listed in the approval to interview request.
Tentative interview schedule, indicating the names of all individuals with whom the applicant will meet, as well as any lectures or open meetings that will be included. Candidates should meet with:
- The Department Chair
- The School Dean/Director
- If possible, faculty and student representatives

Staff (TEAMS & USPS)

What to Consider When Reviewing Your Applicant Pool

At the University of Florida, each department is empowered to review and determine which applicants are considered qualified for the position and which candidates are selected for an interview. However, to maintain a fair and legal review process it is important that the evaluation process is established prior to reviewing the resumes of your applicant pool.

Evaluate Based on Skills, Knowledge, Behaviors
The skills, knowledge, and behaviors identified when writing the job description or the job advertisement are the criteria that should be used when selecting candidates to interview. Below are some general guidelines to assist you in reviewing your applicant pool.

Use the same criteria for all applicants.
Develop your evaluation tool early in your recruitment process.
Applicants being considered for interviews must meet the minimum requirements posted on the job advertisement.
Preferred qualifications may be used as a tool to determine which applicants possess the qualities that will make him/her successful at the position.
Look out for any employment history gap, or history of job hopping that may be identified from the applicant’s resume.
If additional assessment is utilized in the recruitment process, then please consult with Human Resources prior to administering the assessment to ensure compliance with federal laws and aligns with the position.

Detailed instructions on how to manage your applicant pools in the Careers at UF system can be found in the toolkit. The following are reference guides that are part of the toolkit:

Giving Veteran Applicants Preference in the Recruitment Process

At the University of Florida we do not utilize a scoring system when reviewing veteran applicants in the recruitment process. In order to comply with federal and state guidelines, UF grants veteran’s preference on eligible positions with a minimum of an initial interview for all veterans who claim and are eligible for preference.

Eligible Positions
All positions that were formerly classified as University Personnel Support Services (USPS) qualify for veterans’ preference, including positions in a salary plan of TU2E.

Faculty, OPS, and student positions do not qualify.
For a full list of qualified positions, please view the document available here.

Identifying Veterans in the Applicant Pool
Recruitment and Staffing will review and qualify veterans for veterans’ preference. If a veteran meets the requirements for veterans’ preference, then the veteran will be noted in the applicant pool. However, hiring departments should still review the pool to ensure all eligible veterans are provided preference for qualified positions.

How Does Veteran’s Preference Impact Your Interview Process?

If your recruitment process contains a single interview prior to making a hiring decision, eligible veterans must be interviewed.
If you have a multi-interview process, eligible veterans must be granted a first-round interview at a minimum.

For information on the criteria to claim veteran’s preference, visit the Veteran’s Preference page.

Temporary (OPS)