Best Practices for Creating a Diverse Search Plan
The President and Provost have declared that increasing the diversity of students, staff, and faculty at Stanford University is of critical importance. A diverse and inclusive community offers different perspectives, experiences, and cultures that enrich the educational experience.
The Diversity and Access Office supports those involved in the recruiting process by providing information that will assist hiring managers develop a diverse search plan and providing strategies for building a broadly diverse candidate pool for current openings.
Determining Opportunities for Diversifying Staff
- What are the current and future needs of the office? Who do we serve?
- What’s the current make-up of the department/business unit?
- How many and what types of positions are expected to be vacant?
- Are any of these positions in an underutilized job group for women and/or minorities (contact the Diversity & Access Office for additional information).
Evaluating Job Descriptions
- Is the job description aligned with commitment to staff diversity?
- Does the job description use language that attracts diverse staff?
- Does the job description include criteria such as "experience working with a diverse population?"
- Does the job description accurately reflect the skills and education necessary for the position?
- Are essential and marginal functions of the position clearly stated and consistent with current needs and/or responsibilities of the position?
- Does the job description include any bias language? Remember to use his or her, he/she, or s/he when you occasionally need to stress the action of an individual.
Diversifying the Applicant Pool
- Contact the Diversity & Access Office to determine the current availability of qualified women and minorities for that position in the relevant geographic areas (i.e. San Mateo, Santa Clara counties).
- If you are utilizing a search firm, does the firm present a diverse interview pool?
Interviewing Applicants
- Review the interview pool and ensure that it is inclusive of women and minorities.
- If a search committee is used, is it diverse?
- Review proposed interview questions to ensure there are no illegal questions, i.e. age, disability, children, etc.
- Ensure that hiring managers understand the process to implement reasonable accommodations if necessary for the interview.