Search Committee Guidance

during COVID-19

Effective immediately, and until further notice, we are suspending all on-campus interviews for search candidates. During this time, all job searches will be conducted remotely via telephone and video interviews. Our Employment Office is available to help your search committees navigate this temporary change and we have assembled guidance for how to conduct successful remote searches.

TIPS for a Remote Search:

  • Be mindful – Stay informed and diligent of the current circumstances of the University, your colleagues, and applicants. Plan ahead by determining and prioritizing the business need while remaining flexible moving forward if needed with the process, search committee members, and applicants.

  • Be strategic in the interview and hiring process – Interviewing & Hiring: Use appropriate structured formats for interviewing that are able to be conducted during social distancing (Phone/Zoom). Be strategic of what questions to ask in the circumstances of that interview structure. Work with the Department and Hiring Manager to determine the start date, this is a departmental decision. When do you need this new hire to start? Are you prepared to train and accommodate the new employee? Under current circumstances, start dates are flexible with orientation conducted through an online module.

  • Communicate – Communicate status updates to applicants on a regular basis. See provided templates below or ask your HR specialist for guidance.

  • In lieu of on-campus visits, promote remote tours to applicants – Send applicants the virtual tour that can be accessed from anywhere. Self-Guided tours are also available depending on directives from the University, applicants may download the self-guided tour to print or use on their phone. The self-guided tour hits the highlights and shares information about different places on campus. For information on Boone and the local surroundings you may encourage applicants to explore go to Boone.

  • Fairness and consistency – Be able to defend every decision for eliminating or advancing a candidate by utilizing fair and consistent screening process by deriving evaluative criteria from the position posting. See "evaluate" below for more information.

For more guidance, please visit our Recruitment & Selection website using your AppState credentials

In LIEU of "In-person" interviews, utilize phone and zoom

Collaborate with your Committee with Sample Google Matrix/Rubric

Applicant Screening Matrix (Google Sheet) A sample tool used to better help you determine the candidates who are among the most qualified from the scores given during the application screening process and from the interview evaluation process. (To get started: Open the Document in Drive; Click on "File"; then click on "Make a Copy" to edit/update the Matrix).

Our Employment Team is here for You!

Nancy Crowell - crowellnd@appstate.edu
Associate Director for Employment

Shelley Leder - leders@appstate.edu
Lead Talent Acquisition Specialist
Divisions: Chancellor, Advancement, & Smaller Colleges in Academic Affairs

Candace Silver - silverch@appstate.edu
Talent Acquisition Specialist
Division: Academic Affairs

Matthew Grieve - grievem@appstate.edu
Talent Acquisition Specialist
Divisions: Business Affairs and Student Affairs

Appalachian's web conferencing tool, Zoom, allows faculty, staff, and students to interact live via a web interface. Web conferencing allows anyone with a computer and Internet connection or a mobile device with the app installed to interact with two-way audio, video, chat, screen sharing, breakout rooms, recording, and more. Users can send invitations to any email address, so it is easy to bring in participants from outside the University. All faculty, staff, and students have Zoom 'Pro' accounts, and are equally able to use this product, both to host and to attend meetings.

You can use Zoom web conferencing tools to:

  • Host search committee meetings of up to 50 participants from a computer or mobile device

  • Interview candidates from distant locations, including those external to the University

  • Guidance for your applicants: Prior to their scheduled Zoom interview, recommend applicants test their internet connection by joining a Test Meeting to ensure the interview will go smoothly. This web page also offers technical support should applicants have any questions/problems connecting.

Click here to get started using Zoom!

Eliminating Bias with Video Interviewing

“doesn’t video interviewing increase the likelihood of bias and discrimination?”

Circumvent bias with Checks and Balances- make sure that candidates are reviewed by more than one person in order to eliminate any one individual controlling the recruitment process. By utilizing video interviewing through Zoom, this is one of the key benefits. Not only does every candidate have the opportunity to answer the exact same questions through our recommended structured interview process, but also, their responses can be recorded and are visible to the recruitment team and hiring managers for review. A great candidate would be easy to recognize and hard to eliminate from the recruitment process.

Communication Templates

Communicate status updates to applicants on a regular basis

Send an email directly from Search Chair:

Dear [Applicant Name],

I am serving as the chair of the search committee for the position of [insert position title] at Appalachian State.

This message is to confirm that we have received your application and that it will be given full consideration by the committee. Given the uncertainty regarding continuity of operations at the university, I am unable to provide clarity about the timetable or process for the filling of this position, but I will be sure to stay in contact over the coming days.

In the meantime, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly if you have any questions.

Best,
Search Committee Chair

Send email From PeopleAdmin (sent from employment@apppstate.edu):

  • Search delay due to COVID-19 (Corona virus) - search committee to communicate at a later date

Click on How to send email templates in PeopleAdmin for step by step instructions.

Contact your Talent Acquisition Specialist if you need to suspend/cancel your current search and we'll communicate with your applicants:

  • HR Only: Current Search Suspended due to COVID-19 (Corona virus) - request to repost at a later date