Faculty Search Committee Manual

Section 3: Interviewing the Candidates

The interviewing process is conducted when the department chair has approved the recommended list of finalists from the search committee. The following guide will help prepare for the interview.

• The committee should consult the EOS Officer for assistance.
• Use interview questions as given in the guidebook to permit a fair, objective, and job-related inquiry. (See Appendix M.)
• Specific inquiries about a candidate's disability and medical condition cannot be asked. (See Appendix N).
• If a candidate's immigration status is in question, it must be addressed at the interview.
• Provide Interview Questions Do's and Don'ts to any faculty, student, or staff who are involved in the search process.
• To ensure a consistent and comparable assessment, the same questions must be asked of all candidates.
• References must be checked before an offer is made.
• The interview must also include a discussion with candidate references and when they will be checked. The committee must have the explicit consent of the candidate prior to inquiries into references.
• The committee can proceed to check references provided by the candidate. References other than those provided must have explicit consent of the candidate.
• A candidate's current employment position must be ascertained in order to disclose any possible problems with the candidate's credentials for the position.
• The length and elaborateness of the interview process will vary with the position to be filled.
• Candidates who reside outside Arlington must have arrangements made for the interview. The committee should send the candidate information regarding UT Arlington prior to the interview. The committee should provide the candidate:
  • An itinerary for the visit
  • A tour of the city
  • Real estate information
  • Public school information, as appropriate

Telephone Interview

The committee must first develop a structured telephone interview format:

• The committee should identify areas the interview should cover.
• The committee should establish a method for checking additional references following the interview if the candidate is amenable.
• The committee should prepare a written summary of the interview for recording purposes and for use during the final evaluation process.

It is extremely important that all telephone interviews be consistently conducted and reported. All contacts by candidates to the chair and/or committee members must be documented.

The Interviews: Knowing and Courting Candidates. Reprinted with permission from The Search Committee Handbook, a publication of the American Association for Higher Education, Washington, DC.

This work is © 1988 by AAHE.