Thanks Tammy! It is a shame much of our first review of resumes is often an attempt to find a reason not to look at them again. Anything we can do to help speed up the initial review process without sacrificing thoroughness is something we should consider. You seem to do a nice job of identifying candidates.
Dave,
What are the key words you look for when hiring an instructor?
We have hired some outstanding instructors from referrals. We also get leads from our school website and from FacultyFinder.com.
Thanks, Donna.
You have different challenges than most Deans because your program is offered entirely online. What is one advantage you have under this condition?
We have also used employee recommendations. This seems to work for us, because they do know what we expect from our faculty.
Thanks, Cissi!
There really is no better way to identify good instructor candidates that to use the recommendation of your faculty. Many companies. including yours, provide incentives to employees that refer candiates who are hired and who stay with the company for a designated period of time, perhaps six months.
I have limited experience with this. From what I have seen we send the information to DeeDee and she posts the job on the company website and other employment sites?? It seems to be very effective because everytime we send her a request we get lots of resumes. However we have had some difficulties finding coding instructors. I do agree that employee referals is a very effective way to find instructors. I will probably speak with medical instructors and medical program coordinators about keeping a network of potentials in the field. Building that rapport I think could be very productive.
Tony,
I think thats wonderful that you have that connection with the culinary community. Connections like this puts you in an ideal position. I also agree that the KSAOs is a good way to find what you are looking for within the realtive community. Having that system of rapport makes it easier to implement the KSAOs and find what you are looking for becasue you are looking for the best in a poole of qualified candidates.
Billy,
It may be worth it to you to contact members of your Advisory Board to let them know that you are always looking for good faculty members. They can be a good source for you.
You may also want to work with other campuses in your company that are near your location.
Suzzane
We get referrals and applicants throughout the quarter - even for areas that we may not have a current need. It is important to ensure we hang onto those as our needs change on a regular basis and we may have a need for that potential candidate the following quarter.
Tony
Actually our school has had the most success recruiting at one of our local bi-annual job fairs. One of the practices that we do regardless of the current needs, continue with interview processes staying on the look out for talent.
James,
Thank you for this discussion forum post. One of the best things a school can do is to always be recruiting qualified faculty members. That way, "immediate needs" do not become "emergency situations."
I think your classmates will find your success with job fairs interesting. What process do you follow when preparing for a job fair? Are there any subject areas for which this strategy has been more or less effective?
Mainly we recruit our instructors through recommendations by employees, alumni and students. So far we have never had walk-in applicants due to our unique field, which limits the number of applicants. However, we do have out of state or even overseeas candidates to apply for the vacant position. We need to take all the aspects regarding KSAOS for further improvement.
Yan,
Thank you for your post to this discussion forum. I look forward to interacting with you in other discussion forums.
You are fortunate to have employees, alumni and students willing to recommend you as an employer. That certainly is a sign that you are doing things well.
Where do you see the greatest need for improvement in your hiring processes relative to KSAOs?
The greatest need for improvement is we not only have to hire somebody with required education and experiences but also the teaching skills should be taken into consideration. Very often, we notice there is a big difference between knowing something and something they are able to do. We have found that demonstration class is essential before we make the final decision and sitting through the whole session from the beginning to the end is important.
Thanks, Yan.
The practice teach is a commonly practive among career colleges. Knowing the subject does not guarantee that an individual knows howto teach it. The ability to effectively plan and conduct a lesson is as important as knowing the content.
Some schools ask the candidate to prepare a full lesson while others ask for only an introduction to a unit or a short presentation.
Our campus typically use various methods for recruitment. From referrals from current employees, to internet ads and also recruiting through our advisory boards, we were able to have instructor applicants that not only satisfy our accreditation requirements, but also come highly recommended.
We can better improve this process by constantly interviewing to build a pool of candidates so that we can steer clear of last-minute hires.
We have a very detailed hiring process that include several interviews and a teaching demonstration to help us select the best candidate.
Referral is the most common way of recruiting applicants. This process can further be improved by making sure candidates thoroughly understand our culture, needs and KSAs.
Thanks, Andri. Referrals are easily the best way to find qualified candidates who should fit in with your school's culture. What do you do if you interview a referral that you do not feel will be a good fit?
Generally, if they do not meet our qualifications for adjunct faculty, I will not continue the hiring process. I will thank the individual for the referral, but will continue to seek out candidates that fit our culture and have the necessary qualifications. If I must place the candidate, I will carefully review their resume, interview them and seek other opportunities such as: teaching assistant, curriculum developer, or project coordinator. My ultimate goal is to have a win/win situation -- place the candidate in a position where they will be successful as well as the school will benefit from their contribution.
