by Jill Thompson | February 16, 2022
For institutions to become diverse, equitable and inclusive workplaces for faculty and staff, HR must take a critical look at current hiring processes and analyze not only who’s being hired, but who’s doing the hiring. Are search committee members trained in DEI issues and prepared to conduct interviews in a way that exemplifies the institution’s commitment to DEI?
As we wrap up the first two weeks of the 21-Day Equity Habit Building Challenge: Less Talk, More Action, we’re calling attention to inspiring higher ed hiring initiatives and resources from two institutions. HR pros will want to bookmark these resources to help them think through small adjustments or total redesigns of their institution’s hiring processes and DEI training for search committees.
UC Davis’ Guide for Hiring Managers
To helping hiring managers develop skills related to diversity and inclusion, UC Davis’ HR team created a guide to attracting, selecting and hiring diverse talent. The guide lists ways the institution can improve its reach for open positions and the diversity of candidates, as well as tips for incorporating inclusive language, targeting outreach, selecting recruitment panels, developing interview questions and making accommodations for applicants with accessibility issues.
Oakland University’s Diversity Advocate Program
Oakland University’s Diversity Advocate (DA) faculty hiring program was highlighted in-depth in the Fall 2021 issue of Higher Ed HR Magazine. The goal of the program is to mitigate bias in the hiring process. At one of the 21-Day Challenge Town Halls, OU’s team discussed the advantages of applying its DA model to the hiring process, namely ensuring equity doesn’t fall between the cracks by designating a DA to be an attentive participant in the search process.
While Oakland University created the DA program for faculty hiring, they have gone on to create the Diversity Equity Advocate (DEA) program aimed at staff hiring. Although the DEA program is still considered a pilot program, it’s a great example of how Oakland University is shaking up search committees to achieve a more diverse workforce.
Search committees are one of the first points of contact for job candidates. It’s imperative that these committees are prepared and trained to conduct inclusive interviews with diverse candidates and to bring issues of equity to the forefront. HR practitioners can use the resources listed here to spark ideas and action within their institutions.
Haven’t joined in on the latest 21-day challenge yet? There are still two weeks left! 21-Day Challenges are open to CUPA-HR members only.
Check out these articles to see how other institutions are promoting diverse, equitable and inclusive hiring practices:
Embedding Racial Equity Into HR Practices
The Equity Case for Competency-Based Hiring
Breaking Down Hiring Barriers for Veterans: The Journey to Becoming a Military-Friendly Employer
Hiring Heroes: Providing Employment Opportunities for Military Veterans
How Two Universities Are Building Community Partnerships to Strengthen Local Hiring
Removing Hiring Barriers for the Disability Community
Examining Implicit Bias and Its Effect on Hiring and Inclusiveness
e-Learning Courses:
Building a Successful, More Inclusive Search (Individual)
Building a Successful, More Inclusive Search (Group)
