Evaluating Applicants: Best Practices

Best Practices for Evaluating Applicants

Before the search committee evaluating applicants, the following activities should be completed:

• The search committee chair should ensure that all applicants meet the minimum qualifications for the position. Applicants who do not meet the minimum qualifications can be released and dispositioned from the applicant pool prior to review in Interfolio or Workday.
• The search committee should develop a rubric based on the job description. The criteria within the rubric should align with the qualifications posted in the position announcement but may also speak to expectations of the position. All applicants should be evaluated using the same rubric. Follow your academic unit’s guidance regarding whether you need to use a specific rubric or need approval for your rubric prior to applicant review. A sample rubric that can be copied and adapted for your position is available here.

Note: A search committee may choose to use different criteria at different stages of the search (e.g., criteria for initial review, criteria for interviews). If so, the search committee should outline which criteria apply to which stages to the search. See this sample rubric for an example of different criteria applied at different stages of the search. At all times, the criteria should be designed to evaluate the applicants qualifications for the position.

Once you have defined your applicant rubric and your search has reached the application deadline (e.g., initial/priority deadline for full consideration), the search committee may begin reviewing applications.

Important Note: All documentation related to an employment search (including faculty searches) must be retained a minimum of five years according to the Wake Forest University document retention policy. Any physical or digital files or notes that are downloaded, created, or printed must be archived at the end of the faculty search process. These files may be reviewed or used in rare circumstances in which an employment search process needs to be examined, such as if there is a legal claim made against the university; in such cases, the files must be retained until the legal hold is released. The search committee should take care to follow consistent, nondiscriminatory procedures during the faculty search process and to share all documentation and records produced as part of the process. Any notes and records made within Interfolio Faculty Search will be retained as part of the university’s retention process.