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Faculty & Staff

Overview of the Search Process

This document briefly summarizes the search procedures for units within LAS. It is designed as a supplement to the Campus Administrative Manual and the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (OEOA) Search Guidelines and Procedures for Academic Appointments.

Please read both documents carefully before beginning a search.

Hiring Request Forms

AHR has issued the following information on Hiring Request Forms (as of August 2009):

Hiring request forms are still needed for the following new and vacant positions (including visiting titles):

Academic Professionals
Faculty
Non-tenured Academics
Retiree Rehire positions to be paid on state funds

Hiring request forms are no longer needed for the following types of positions:

0% positions paid or unpaid
Academic Hourly
Grad Assistantships
Grad Hourly
Post Doc Research Associates
Visiting Scholars

Request for an Academic Professional Position

For all new and replacement academic professional positions, approval must be obtained from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Academic Human Resources and the Provost. Please submit the Hiring Request Form to Amy Elli. This form is required for all potential hires: Visiting or Regular, at any % time, and regardless of source of funds.

Please address the following questions in the justification section:

  1. Describe the critical nature of this position/hire to the mission and success of the unit and the institution; where applicable, include specific strategic goals that are addressed.
  2. Could the work associated with this position be reallocated to be accomplished in another way, for example, through assignment of duties to others in the unit, reduced FTE or a partial year appointment? Could an alternate title be considered or the role reconfigured so that the work can be accomplished by someone with less experience or through training an individual whose position can be left vacated?
  3. Document any negative consequences that would occur if the proposed position action were delayed or remained unfilled.
  4. Please verify that you have funds to make this hire without incurring deficits.

Send the signed Hiring Request Form electronically to Amy Elli for College processing.  AHR will soon add the Hiring Request Form to HireTouch.

For Academic Professional positions: To ensure that the correct title is being requested please send the current PAPE or submit a new PAPE (via HireTouch) to Amy Elli with the Hiring Request Form.

Final approval will arrive to the unit from Academic Human Resources or the Office of the Provost. After receipt of this approval, send the next set of forms via HireTouch to College, EEO Officer In Box for further processing.

Request for Faculty and Academic Other Positions

All potential faculty and Other Academic hiring activity requires the approval of the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Academic Human Resources and the Provost via the Hiring Request Form. Other Academic positions include, but are not limited to the following: Lecturers, Instructors, emeritus professors, research associates. This form is required for all potential hires: Visiting or Regular, at any % time and regardless of source of funds.

Full approval of the Hiring Request From is required before any paperwork can be submitted to AHR or EOA for approval.

Establishing an Academic Professional Title

The PAPE form (Principal Administrative Position Exemption) outlines all the duties and qualifications for the position and is required for ALL new and significantly revised existing Academic Professional positions- regardless of %time or Vtg/Regular status. Title approval for Academic Professional positions must be received before submitting any search or Appointment Change documents. The PAPE must be submitted along with the Hiring Request Form to ensure that the correct title is being requested.

If the unit has a current PAPE that is less than 3 years old and the duties and qualifications have not changed, then upload the PAPE into HireTouch in the Forms tab "Upload existing approved PAPE within 3 years." 

For an existing position, if the duties and/or qualifications have changed, then establish a new PAPE. For all new positions, create a new PAPE.

The ad you will use for your search is based on what is contained in the PAPE- you cannot add duties or qualifications after the PAPE is approved (a new PAPE would need to be done). It may be easier to have the committee write the ad, then write the PAPE.

All titles containing "Director" require a second level of approval. Please fill out Provost Communication #3, Request to Add a New Administrative Position attachment and submit with the Hiring Request Form to Amy Elli. Additional information is contained in Appendix B: Additional Information on Titles Containing Director.

PAPEs are submitted through HireTouch. The PAPE Questions attachment lists all the information that will be requested in the HireTouch form and may be easier for the unit to use when developing the position requirements.

Title approval for positions may take anywhere from 1 to 3 weeks.

When you are ready to enter the information into HireTouch, please consult the instructions for Starting a Workflow.

Additional information on titles:

Please review Appendix A for additional information on campus guidelines regarding when a PAPE is needed.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has the following additional guidelines concerning titles:

  1. To be appointed as an Instructor, candidates must have a Master's degree.
  2. To be appointed as a Lecturer, candidates must have a PhD or an MFA; the only exception is for incoming Assistant Professors hired through a search that have not received their PhD by time of appointment. Please contact Amy Elli for questions concerning these titles.

Conducting a Search

When needing to fill a position, a search should be conducted
If your unit wishes to pursue an Appointment Change Form, please consult the Apt Change Form Instructions.

Form Search Committee

First, appoint a diverse search committee. The search committee should reflect a variety of perspectives and sensitivity to Affirmative Action issues. When possible, include women and representatives of designated classes on all search committees. If a diverse search committee cannot be achieved within the unit, consider the following: look outside the unit for individuals the new hire would work with, appoint a post-doc or graduate student. If the search committee is not diverse, written explanation for the selection of the search committee is required within the Search Form. The Unit Affirmative Action Officer must be consulted and approve the explanation before the Search Form is submitted to the Unit Executive Officer.

Identify Advertising Sources

Outline a specific plan for recruitment that will result in a diverse pool of qualified candidates including women and representatives of designated classes. Suggestions include listeserves in your academic discipline, HigherEd jobs, and special recruitment sources specific to your discipline.

The University of Illinois Academic Affirmative Action Executive Summary Report should be consulted to see if your position has a placement goal. This report can be accessed via the EOA website: http://eoa.illinois.edu/academicsearch.html

If your unit has a placement goal set for the job you are searching for, please consult the EOA Diversity Recruitment Sources list to find appropriate ad sources to use to generate the most diverse pool of qualified candidates. You discipline may also have appropriate ad sources that will attract a more diverse pool of qualified candidates.

If your unit does not have a goal set, the College asks that you still use at least one general diversity related advertising source such as the Insight Into Diversity or Diverse Issues in Higher Education to increase the pool of qualified diverse applicants for your search:

For Faculty searches, EOA suggests Faculty for the Future and Diversityweb

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access suggests the following strategties related to ad sources to increase applicant pools:

  1. Utilize special advertising resources that will reach and attract top underrepresented candidates
  2. Verify the use of special recruitment sources
  3. Utilize colleague networks to identify top potential candidates
  4. Spread the word about the position: share information with incumbents at other institutions; contact women's colleges and historically Black and Hispanic colleges and universities for alumni information; and recruit at professional conferences that target underrepresented professionals
  5. Send the announcement to professional diversity organizations

Below are some additional advertising sources and helpful hints;

CareerBuilder- the University has an agreement with CareerBuilder to provide a one-month job posting for $200, which is a discount of over $200 per posting. Additional information can be found here.

Greater Chicago Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (GC HERC) - this is a free job board that also links to indeed.com and tedjob.com. All searches will be posted to this site by campus.

Shaker Advertising- The University signed a new contract with Shaker Recruitment Advertising, an advertising agency that specializes in employment advertising and negotiating lower advertising rates with all different types of print and online media. This contract is intended to help units save time and money on employment advertising, while attracting the best talent for open academic professional or faculty positions.  Shaker can provide considerable savings in personnel time by handling all of the recruitment advertising details from writing or designing the ad based on the job description, to finding the most appropriate media sources, and placing the advertisement on your behalf. By taking advantage of Shaker's ad writing service and negotiated media rates, job advertisements can often be placed for the same or less cost than you would pay by posting job advertisements without the assistance of an agency. 

For general information on the services provided by Shaker, please visit the University Human Resources web site at:
https://hr.uillinois.edu/PolicyCompliance/Toolkit/GuidanceRes/ShakerInfo.cfm

News Gazette: If you are using the News Gazette please be aware of the following: the News Gazette has recently added a feature to their on line employment classifieds that allows applicants to apply through their site. You will need to cancel this feature with a phone call so that your advertisement has a note that reads "This employer is not accepting applications through this site. See ad for further information."

Scope and Length for Advertising Positions

Faculty, Other Academic, Academic Professional and all other positions must be minimally advertised according to the following:

  • National Searches: HireTouch job board, professional journals and papers in the appropriate area, HERCjobs.com, Diversity recruitment sources (EOA guidelines are currently being reviewed. Specific diverse recruitment sources may be required effective January 2010).
  • Regional Searches: HireTouch job board, regional recruitment sources- example: Newspapers in the Midwest, HERCjobs.com, Diversity recruitment sources (EOA guidelines are currently being reviewed. Specific diverse recruitment sources may be required effective January 2010).
  • Local Searches: HireTouch job board, postings in and around unit offices, Diversity recruitment sources (EOA guidelines are currently being reviewed. Specific diverse recruitment sources may be required effective January 2010).
  • Internal to Campus Searches: HireTouch job board, mailings to appropriate campus units, postings in and around unit offices.
  • Internal to Unit Searches: HireTouch job board, email to all employees in the unit, postings in and around unit offices.

Prepare Position Announcement

All position announcements need to include 11 elements:

1. Location of position, which includes both:

  1. Name of the department or unit, and
  2. "University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"

2. Rank and/or title:

  1. For all academic professional positions, ensure that an up-to-date PAPE has been established.
  2. For faculty positions, state if the rank is "open" or negotiable.

3. A brief statement of duties.

4. Minimum qualifications:

  1. State in terms of minimum degree requirements. The person appointed must meet all minimum qualifications. Once the position is approved and advertised, no application, however outstanding, may be considered unless the candidate meets the stated minimum qualifications for the position.
  2. To allow flexibility, you may use statements such as:
    i. "Individuals working toward a PhD degree may be considered, but the degree must be obtained by the starting date."
  3. Preferred/desired qualifications may also be listed.
  4. For Academic Professional positions: all required and preferred qualifications must be listed in the PAPE.

5. Salary statement:

  1. The salary range was approved on the Hiring Request Form. The unit cannot negotiate or hire outside that range without receiving approval from LAS and AHR and/or Provost Office.
  2. To allow flexibility, the announcement may state that the salary is negotiable, commensurate with experience or competitive.

6. Appointment status:

  1. Appointment status was approved on the Hiring Request Form.
  2. Is the position regular (non-visiting) or visiting?
    i. Visiting appointments may not be extended beyond three years.
  3. What is the percent time of the appointment?
  4. If the possibility of changes in the appointment status is anticipated and is requested in the Hiring Request Form, the following qualifiers will generate the broadest applicant pool, and thus, provide flexibility in making these changes:
    • i. For visiting positions, use "Position may become regular at a later date."
    • ii. For part-time positions, use "Percent time may increase at a later date

7. Proposed starting date:

  1. The start date was approved on the Hiring Request Form.
  2. The appointment may not begin before the state
  3. d starting date.
  4. To allow flexibility, the announcement may state that the starting date is "as soon as possible after the closing date," or "negotiable after the closing date."

8. Application materials:

  1. What materials should applicants send?
  2. Applicants will upload documents via HireTouch. Below are just 2 examples to aid you in writing the ad:

Example 1:
Please create your candidate profile through https://jobs.illinois.edu and upload application materials through this system. To ensure full consideration upload your application letter, curriculum vitae, and teaching materials. In addition, three letters of reference must be sent to Chair, XX Search Committee, Department of XX, University of Illinois, ADDRESS. Phone: XXX-XXXX. All materials (including letters of reference) must be submitted by the closing date of XX. For information about Illinois, visit our webpage at: website.

Example 2:
To ensure full consideration please create your candidate profile through https://jobs.illinois.edu and upload your application letter, curriculum vitae, summary of research and plans, and contact information for three or more personal references by the close date of XX. For further information contact: Search Committee; email, phone

9. Closing date for receipt of applications:

  1. Examples of closing date statements:
    • i. "In order to ensure full consideration, applications must be received by [date]."
    • ii. "Full consideration will be given to applications received by [date]."
  2. If a need to interview before the closing date is anticipated, the announcement must state: "Applicants may be interviewed before the closing date; however, no hiring decision will be made until after that date."

10. Unit contact information:

  1. Name, email address and phone number are mandatory.

11. Brief statement of campus Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Policy:

Please use one of the four statements below in your ad. This statement is the last line of your ad.

The preferred statement is: "The University of Illinois is an Affirmative Action, Equal Opportunity Employer."

Acceptable alternatives are:
i. "The U of I is an AA-EOE."
ii. "The University is an AA-EOE."
iii. "Illinois is an AA-EOE."

Short ads

In order to alleviate high print advertising costs, units may use shortened announcements that refer applicants to a Website for more information. The unit must be able to ensure that the announcement will generate a sufficient pool of qualified diverse applicants. Both the "short ad" and the complete announcement must be reviewed by LAS and OEOA.

Required elements for the short ad:
  1. location of position; rank and/or title
  2. closing date
  3. statement of campus Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunity Policy
  4. link to full position announcement

Submit the short ad in the HireTouch Search Form.

Complete Search Form

If you have already established a workflow in HireTouch for this position, find and click on your job in HireTouch, go to the Forms tab and select START on the appropriate Search form line.
If you did not need to establish a PAPE, please consult the instructions for Starting a Workflow to begin your Search Form.

Send Search Form For Review

The Search Form is reviewed electronically by the Unit Affirmative Action Officer, Executive Officer, School Director (if applicable), College of LAS, and Office of Equal Opportunity and Access. Advertising cannot take place until the unit receives approval from OEOA.

Advertise Position Only After EOA Approval

EOA will send an email to the Search Contact indicating approval of the search. You are now approved to begin advertising. Advertising should be carried out as indicated on the Search Form. Please forward the email from OEOA approving your search to Amy Elli.

Please remember the following: Each ad source listed on the Search form must be used. Keep a copy of all ads AS THEY APPEARED IN THE AD SOURCE, with publication date(s) noted. These must be inserted into HireTouch Summary Form at the conclusion of the search. The date(s) or date range of each ad source must be detailed in the search narrative. For listserves, the dates submitted can be used in the search narrative.

Once the position is approved and advertised, no candidate's application, however outstanding, may be considered unless it meets the required criteria listed in the position announcement. The position announcement that is sent to LAS and approved by OEOA is the exact announcement that should appear in all ads. Wording may not be changed without approval from LAS and OEOA.

Search Committee Chair and Unit Affirmative Action Officer Meet

After OEOA approval of the search is received, the Search Committee Chair and Unit Affirmative Action Officer (UAAO) need to meet to go over the EOA and LAS Hiring Procedures. If the Search Committee Chair is also the UAAO, Amy Elli will meet with the Search Committee Chair.

The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access website has resume evaluative techniques that the search committee can review:

The Search Chair and Unit AAO should review these materials.

Search Committee meets with College EEOC Chair

The College of LAS Equal Employment Opportunity Officer, Amy Elli, will meet with each search committee at the beginning of the search process. This process confirms the College's and your department's commitment to the affirmative action/ equal opportunity process. 

Develop Criteria for Screening Procedures Before Evaluating Candidates

Evaluation procedures and screening instruments should ensure equal employment opportunity and fair employment practices in all aspects of the selection process. The screening criteria are based on the qualifications and duties stated in your ad.

After the deadline date, search committee members can log into HireTouch to review applications. If the search ad stated that review and interviews may occur before the deadline date- then search committees can review applications before the deadline.

BEFORE ANY APPLICATIONS ARE LOOKED AT BY ANY SEARCH COMMITTEE MEMBER- the criteria used to review applications for each step of the search process must be established.

Consult the Search Guidelines and Procedures for Academic Appointments located on the OEOA website for more information on criteria and procedures for Search Committees.

Screening and Interviewing Applicants

After screening procedures are designed for each step of the search process, the search committee may evaluate candidates in accordance with pre-established criteria.

An applicant is one from whom the search committee has received a résumé/curriculum vitae or one who, having been nominated on the basis of sufficient data, has consented to be considered.
A finalist for the position is a qualified applicant who has successfully proceeded through all levels of the search process. He or she is included in the list of top candidates who were interviewed or were selected for interview but have withdrawn their candidacy for the position. These finalists are the applicants who should be fully discussed in the Search Narrative. The decision to include an individual as a finalist should be based upon judgment of their comparative professional merit relative to the requirements specified in the job description. Occasionally, a successful appointment does not develop from the finalist list. Candidates who were not originally placed on the finalist list, but who were designated in the narrative as possible alternates may then be considered for the position. Only under unusual circumstances should the finalist list be restricted to one finalist.

Interviews must be held after the application closing date unless the approved Position Announcement contained the following statement: "Applicants may be interviewed before the closing date; however, no hiring decision will be made until after that date." Members of the search committee may not write letters of recommendation for applicants.

Items to Maintain During the Search Process

Status Codes for applicants
After the committee has made their initial review of applicants, the User Status Code should be updated. This is done in the Candidate tab in HireTouch. Page 9 of the Academic Professional Search Instructions provides instructions on updating the User Status Code. This will allow the search committee to sort applicants by their status within the search and find those that have made it to the next levels of review easier.

The Search Chair should designate one person to update the status codes. Updating the status codes will update what all Search Committee members and staff contacts will see in HireTouch- it is not a separate rating system for each committee member.

Applicants do not see this information.

Narrative of search process
The search chair should also write the narrative as the search is progressing. This will aid in the most accurate record keeping for each step of the search process and for a quicker wrap up time at the end of the search. The UAAO should aid in writing the narrative, outlining all steps taken to increase the diversity of the applicant pool. Please consult the LAS Preparation of Narrative for information that must be contained in the Narrative.

Changes to a Search Already in Progress

Notify LAS (Amy Elli) in writing if there are any changes to a search in progress or for permission to extend or close the search.

Extension of a search after closing date has passed

For extensions, explain why the extension is necessary and what your plans are to recruit a sufficient pool of applicants. An extension should only be requested after your application closing date. When you extend a search, neither the search committee nor the qualifications should change without approval from LAS and OEOA.

Please attach a position announcement to this request. The new announcement should match the initial position announcement (except for the date). "Extended Search" should be included in the heading or body of the announcement. Minor changes to the text may be permitted; however, "revised and extended search" should be included in the heading or body of the announcement. Applicants should be notified that the search has been extended and that no hiring decision has been made.

Closing a search without a hire

When closing a search without an appointment, complete a narrative outlining the search process. Please indicate whether you plan to seek approval from LAS to search again for this position at a later date.

Multiple offers from the same search

Approval for multiple hires from the same search should be requested when completing the Hiring Request Form. If an additional candidate(s) are identified during the selection process, a written request outlining the need for the additional hire(s) and an explanation of why the candidate(s) were chosen should be emailed to Amy Elli as soon as possible after identifying additional candidates. This process should only be used in extraordinary cases. The Affirmative Action Hiring Packet cannot be processed until approval for additional hire(s) is received from LAS, Provost Office and OEOA.

Changes in the search committee

Notify OEOA and LAS of any changes in the search committee. If individuals are added to the search committee, provide the information requested on the Search Form. Any changes to the search committee cannot alter the approved composition of the committee. Please consult with Amy Elli before making any changes to the search committee.

Changes in recruitment sources

Notify OEOA and LAS of any changes in the list of recruitment sources. It is important to ensure that special recruitment efforts are not negatively affected by changes in recruitment sources.

Packet of Documentation for Equal Employment Opportunity Committee (EEOC) Approval

When you are ready to submit the Hiring Packet to LAS for review, please follow these guidelines:

Update the User Status Codes for all candidates. Find and click on your job in HireTouch, go to the Candidates tab. Finish assigning codes for all candidates. For the proposed hire, please assign the code: Finalist/Campus Visit Interview.

Complete the Summary Form: Find and click on your job in HireTouch, go to the Forms tab and select START on the Summary line. Fill out all portions within the Summary Form and upload the following documents:

  1. Letter from Head of Unit/School to Dean containing content of proposed offer
  2. Narrative of search process. Consult the LAS Preparation of Narrative for a list of information LAS requires in the Narrative. Narratives that do not include the required information will be sent back for revision and the hiring packet will not be approved until a complete narrative is received.
  3. If your search used a rating/ranking form for the review of applicants, please include a copy of that form.
  4. Diversity Report on applicant pool. EOA should have sent this to you on the closing date of the search.  If they did not, or you need an updated version, please contact oeoa@illinois.edu to request a copy. Remember to state your search # in the email request.
  5. All ads that were placed. If possible, scan all ads into one pdf document.

Approvals must be entered as follows:

AAO- your Unit's Affirmative Action Officer
Department- your Unit's Executive Officer
Department/School- your School's Director OR if you are not in a School- your Exec Officer
EEO Officer- College, LAS EEO Officer
College/Unit- College, LAS Hiring
OEOA or Provost- OEOA, OEOA
OEOA: OEOA, OEOA

The College EEOC will examine the search and selection procedures. The College review of the Summary Packet will take approximately 1-2 days.

This review takes places prior to a job offer being made.

Completing Affirmative Action Hiring Packet for multiple hires

If more than one individual is being hired from the same search, go to the Forms tab for your search, click on Add/Remove Forms (located on the right side of the job forms box), click on Summary Form 2nd Hire, then save. Fill out the new form for your second hire and include all information as outlined above (Packet of Documentation for Equal Employment Opportunity Committee (EEOC) Approval).

Completing additional Affirmative Action Hiring Packet(s) if top candidate refuses offer

If your top candidate has refused your job offer, a complete Affirmative Action Hiring Packet must be completed for your next choice before you make any offer to that candidate. Go to the Forms tab for your search, click on Add/Remove Forms (located on the right side of the job forms box), click on Summary Form 2nd Hire, then save. Fill out the new form for your second hire and include all information as outlined above(Packet of Documentation for Equal Employment Opportunity Committee (EEOC) Approval). You should add an addendum to the Narrative indicating when propoed hire turned down your offer and requesting approval for hire #2. Update the User Status Code to indicate that your top finalist declined your offer. Include any other information that the College would need to properly evaluate your request.

Making an offer to the candidate

Make an offer of appointment only after receiving approval from LAS.

Examples of offer letters can be found in Provost Communication #2 and Appendix I: Offer Letter Examples.

When offering a visiting position, the following information must be contained in the letter:

"Please be advised that visiting academic professionals are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and the Visiting Academic Professionals/AAP-IEA-NEA union. For more information regarding the contract, please go to http://www.ahr.uiuc.edu/PDF%20Forms/vap.pdf. For more information regarding the bargaining unit, please see the Association's website, http://www.ieanea.org/local/aap/."

Offer letters for faculty positions must be issued by the Dean of LAS except for SOCS, LCL, ESE, MCB and SIB.

Since the turn-around time for approval of hiring packets in LAS is very quick, approval for informal intensions to offer will not be approved.

Notify all candidates when the position is filled or closed without an appointment

Employing units must notify applicants about the status of their candidacy within a reasonable time limit. HireTouch has a bulk email function. Consult the HireTouch Resources section for additional information.

Acceptance of Offer

Once the offer is made and negotiations are complete, the offer letter must be signed by the appointee. The candidate may submit an email accepting the offer, prior to returning the signed offer letter. After the appointee accepts the offer, send the remaining finalists a denial letter as soon as possible.

Closing the Search

After the signed offer letter is returned to the units, upload the letter into HireTouch using the Activity tab; click on documents; click on add document (located on bottom left corner of screen); enter required information; upload the letter; click save. The letter you upload must contain the offer and the individual's signed acceptance of the offer.

Initiate Appointment

Upon the candidate's acceptance, the appointment is processed by forwarding the appropriate documentation to LAS (Stephanie Haas) via the FrontEnd. Paperwork for AHR includes the fully approved Summary Form saved from HireTouch, I-9, CV/Resume, Offer-Acceptance, Hiring Request Form. Contact Stephanie Haas for specific information on the FrontEnd.

Maintain pre-employment files

EOA will archive your search about 1 month after receiving the accepted offer letter. If your unit wishes to save information from your search, please download forms, vita, letters of reference, etc. from HireTouch as soon as possible after your finalist has accepted the job. The department does not need to keep files (either paper or electronic) on all applicants- HireTouch will keep the files. It is advisable for departments to keep files (electronic) on finalists if they wish. A personnel file on your hire must be kept and include all search paperwork (search form, ad, fully approved summary form, narrative, vita, reference letters, etc.).

If a question or allegation is raised regarding the efficacy or fairness of a search, such records should be maintained for an additional two years after the issue has been resolved.

Important websites

  1. Office of Equal Opportunity and Access
  2. Campus Administrative Manual
  3. Academic Human Resources