Internal Search
INTERNAL SEARCH
Guidelines for an Internal Search (Faculty with Administrative Role)
A university unit may conduct an internal search when a new full-time set of responsibilities is available and no vacant position exists. Such searches may limit the applicant pool by using minimum criteria, as long as those criteria are job-related. A unit may utilize internal searches when full-time administrative roles call for current faculty applicants because no vacancy exists.
Chair positions might include a minimum criterion that applicants must hold a tenured position in the Department. This might be worded “at time of application” or “at time of appointment” to allow those currently in the tenure process to be considered. Assistant or Associate Dean positions might include a minimum criterion that applicants currently hold a regular faculty or administrative position in that College.
ADVERTISING
Announcement to the appropriate pool of potential applicants is required. This might include written or email notices to members of the relevant College faculty, including administrators, or other internal recruitment efforts. All examples above contribute to equal opportunity in the announcement process. The unit must maintain documentation of at least one written source in the hiring file.
The hiring unit should establish a closing deadline of at least four weeks after the latest written announcement. Timely application consists of a completed UCF Faculty Applicant Affirmation form. Applicants can visit the Academic Affairs website to print the form for completion. Hiring officials also may require or request a curriculum vitae, statements of administrative philosophy, or other documents.
There is no minimum number of candidates in a valid internal search, as long as the hiring unit directed announcements to the appropriate pool of potential applicants. Units are not required to re-open if there is a limited pool.
SCREENING
All applicants should complete the UCF Faculty Applicant Affirmation form and provide a current resume or curriculum vitae.
Additional information (statement of administrative philosophy, for instance) may be required of all candidates, or just the finalists.
The hiring official should appoint a diverse committee of individuals knowledgeable about the area. The committee should adopt screening criteria before reviewing applicants. The committee must document a screening "round" to determine which candidates meet required criteria. Decisions on preferred qualifications and quality of experience follow for as many rounds as necessary.
A search manager may enter results of reference checks, conversations with colleagues, and personal references offered by committee members into the hard-copy search record following screening for required and preferred criteria. It is not appropriate for the committee to consider reference information at the earlier round(s) where members conduct screening based only on the candidates’ materials.
EO/AA recommends three interviews when possible, but may approve a search with fewer if the hiring unit directed announcements to the appropriate pool of potential applicants. Colleagues may provide interview input to the hiring official or the search committee, if they were involved in the interview(s).
FINAL DETAILS
The committee makes recommendations to the hiring official in the format requested. Examples include rank order of the top three; listing of three who are acceptable; or strengths and weaknesses of all those who were interviewed.
A hiring file is prepared when the hiring official selects a candidate. It will include the Faculty Applicant Affirmation, curriculum vitae, and search committee records. The official transcript of highest degree must be included, with one exception. EO/AA accepts a copy if the official transcript exists in a current employment file with initials next to the degree verifying that EO/AA reviewed it previously.
Hiring units forward faculty folders for EO/AA review by a date one month prior to the end of the semester following appointment. Human Resources reviews USPS and A&P hiring proposals.
EO/AA recommends timely notification of non-selection as a courtesy to all candidates, especially the other interviewees.
UCF EO/AA 2/05, 7/10, 10/10, 1/11, 2/11, 2/12
Internal Search