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A.
Introduction
Through its collective agreement Mount
Allison University
is committed to the ideal of gender equity within the teaching
faculty. Among the measures taken to bring this about is
the establishment of an Equity Panel to monitor the process
of hiring new faculty. In order that the role of Equity
Panel members be fully understood and so that members, and
Search Committees, are prepared to perform their respective
roles, the following guidelines have been developed.
The Principle of Equity in Hiring
Historical patterns of academic career preparation and hiring
have tended to favour one gender over another. In most fields
there has been a marked male dominance, even to the point
of exclusivity. Over the past generation however, more and
more women have pursued academic careers and the gender
balance has begun to change. Redressing the imbalance takes
time since new hiring typically must await the opening of
positions through resignation or retirement. Given the domination
of one gender in many departments, there is a potential,
whether real or perceived, that the under represented gender
may face entrenched biases leading to discrimination when
hiring occurs. To counter these potentials, specific measures
are being taken to ensure equity in hiring. When new positions
open, it is the policy of Mount Allison University, and
in accordance with the New Brunswick Human Rights Act that
hiring be conducted fairly and with due regard for both
recruiting the best available candidates and the achievement
of gender equity within the faculty. Articles 16.21 - 16.22
of the Collective Agreement specify the means by which fairness
and quality will be achieved.
Employment
equity has the following essential components:
- the removal of barriers that lead to discrimination
in employment and promotion. This includes the elimination
or modifications of all practices and systems, unless
they are authorized by law, that cannot be shown to
be necessary job requirements
- the introduction of positive policies and
practices designed to remedy the effects of past discrimination
against members of the under represented gender. This
includes, but is not limited to, ensuring that job openings
are brought to the attention of members of the under
represented gender, and being proactive in encouraging
applications from members of the under represented gender
- ensuring that those involved
in hiring have an awareness of the differing career
development patterns that affect women in academia
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B.
The Role of the Equity Panel Member
At Mount Allison University each Search Committee in a Department
with an under represented gender will have a Equity Panel
member assigned to it by the Vice President and MAFA. In
making these assignments, the Vice-President and MAFA will
consider the gender composition of the departmental Search
Committee and in instances where the committee does not
have a member of the under-represented gender on it, will
make every effort to assign an Equity Panelist who is from
the under-represented gender. Although the Equity Panel
member is a non-voting member of the Search Committee, it
is intended that the member participate in the work of the
Search Committee from its formation through to the conclusion
of its work. Specifically the Equity Panel member will assist
the committee by:
- Advising on the formulation of the hiring
advertisement to ensure that it carries no predetermined
bias with respect to gender. In addition the member
will work with the committee to ensure that the placement
of the advertisement will be seen by the under represented
gender. This might include, for example, assisting the
Search Committee to identify gender-based committees
within disciplines which act to promote equity and which
maintain electronic list-servs, bulletin boards, or
newsletters through which advertisements might be transmitted.
Other proactive steps might include soliciting the Chairs
of graduate departments with a view to specifically
bringing the job to the attention of the under-represented
gender and contacting prominent scholars in the field
of the under represented gender.
- Attending all meetings of the Search Committee
for the purpose of monitoring the deliberations and
communications of the Search Committee throughout the
process of the search. The member is expected to assess
whether the committee is conducting a fair and un-biased
evaluation of candidates. The Equity Panel member is
also expected to meet the candidates who are invited
for interviews.
- If, at any point in the process, the Equity
Panel member concludes that the equity guidelines are
not being followed, the member will inform the Search
Committee, the Union, and the Dean of the Faculty to
which the department belongs.
- Within two days of the search committee's
submission of its recommendation, the Employment Equity
Panel member of the Search committee shall make a report
to the Dean, copied to the Union, on the search process
with includes the methods used to encourage applications
from the underrepresented gender, the total number of
qualified applicants, the numbers of male and female
applicants, the number of candidates of each gender
interviewed and short-listed, the genders of the top
three ranked candidates, and the member's rank-ordered
short list which formally presents the qualifications
of each qualified candidate and the reasons for the
member's ranking.
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C.
The Search for Excellence in Hiring
A paramount objective in hiring is to recruit the best qualified
candidate for the position. Deans, Heads, Equity Panel members,
and all members of Search Committees must not lose sight
of this principle. This principle is enshrined in the collective
agreement under article 16.22. However, when as a result
of the search, and considering all of the factors used to
judge candidates (i.e. potential for teaching, research
and service) the Search Committee cannot identify one candidate
as being better qualified than another of the under-represented
gender, then the candidate from the under-represented gender
shall be recommended. As noted in subsection 4 above, the
Equity Panel member, will in every case identify for the
Dean, the member of the under-represented gender judged
by the Search Committee to be best qualified among those
applying from this gender, regardless of their place in
the rank ordering of all candidates.
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D.
Developing Sensitivity and Awareness of the Differing Career
Patterns among Women Academics
In the spirit of fairness and equity in hiring it is important
that Deans, Heads, Search Committees, and Equity Panel members
be familiar with, and sensitive to, the differing patterns
by which women prepare for academic careers. Women are more
likely to have had disrupted or otherwise non-standard academic
backgrounds for a variety of reasons including child-bearing,
child care and spousal relocation. It is also possible that
in an era of converging gender roles, some men may have
had a similar pattern of disruption. In either case, hiring
criteria should focus on academic quality and potential
rather than on the progression and sequence of training
and continuity of previous employment.
In a
similar way Search Committees need to be aware that the
topics and styles of research and scholarship adopted by
women may not be identical to those of men. The emergence
of feminist perspectives in many disciplines has had a powerful
affect on identifying issues not previously considered important.
In most disciplines these new approaches are now well accepted
and integrated into the literature of the discipline, and
as such, can no longer be regarded as unusual or aberrant.
Any assessment of this work should be carried out using
the same intellectual rigor and standard applied to all
academic research.
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E.
"Best Practises" in Hiring
Construction
of Advertisements
Advertisements
should be transparent in delineating the desired research
orientation and qualifications sought by the department;
the nature and range of teaching that is expected of the
candidate, and the commitment and contribution expected
of the candidate with respect to "community service"
or the advancement of Mount
Allison's
institutional objectives and values. For example, an explicit
solicitation of commitment to high quality and innovative
undergraduate teaching, involving a high level of face
to face interaction and accessibility to students; to the
development of an active program of research or creative
activity, and to the development of collaborative cross-disciplinary
relationships, will convey something of the values that
Mount Allison espouses. By doing this, each candidate has
the opportunity to address how they meet the criterion for
the position.
Approaches to Countering Perceptual Distortions
Many studies have shown that perceptual distortions can
unconsciously affect the hiring process. A few of these
are outlined below. It is incumbent on those involved in
the search process to strive for objectivity by overcoming
these pitfalls.
First
Impressions
First impressions often have a profound affect on candidate
assessment. Impression may not be related to any selection
criterion but could be based on a handshake, dress, hair
etc. Studies indicate that once the impression has been
made the interviewer will look for information to reinforce
or strengthen their impression.
Favourable
vs. Unfavourable Information
If,
in the course of an interview, the candidate conveys an
impression that is 99% favourable, but 1% unfavourable,
some interviewers may give a disproportionate weight to
the unfavourable impression. If the interviewer is positively
disposed to the candidate the reverse can also happen. The
point is that interviewers need to strive for objectivity
and should record all data that is relevant.
Positive/Negative
Halo Effect
This
occurs when one trait of the individual (positive or negative)
is allowed to influence judgement of all criteria used in
assessing the candidate. Many traits and abilities often
relate to others, however each should be evaluated on its
own merit.
Stereotyping
Avoid faulty generalizations that classify groups of people
based upon your own personal biases (e.g. women over 40
do not make good employees).
Hiring
in One's Own Image
Interviewers generally respond more favourably to those
whose education, economic, ethnic and/or geographic background
is similar to their own. This does not ensure that there
is enrichment of the diversity in the work group.
Oversimplification
Be aware of the complexity of some traits and abilities.
Probe your finding to ensure your assessment is justified
(e.g. do not assume that the person is a good supervisor
just because they supervise 10 people now!)
Projection
This happens when we attribute our feelings, values or characteristics
to the candidate because we somehow identify with them (e.g.
he/she has the same love for music as I do therefore he/she
must be a hard worker too).
Self-fulfilling
Prophecy
This comes about when the interviewer has a bias and is
influential in bringing about what he/she expects to happen.
This is sometimes seen with the misconception that there
are no internal candidates worthy of consideration. When
an interviewer has that attitude, the interview climate
is far from ideal and the interview is not an objective
assessment of the candidates involved.
Interviews and the Conducting of Campus Visits
The interviewing of candidates is one of the most important
and potentially problematic components of the hiring process.
In preparation for a campus visit and interview, the Search
Committee should consider the following:
- Will all members of the Committee, including
the equity panel member, be present during the visit
and interview? Will key senior administrators also be
available to meet the candidate? Will there be opportunities
for the candidate to be exposed to students during the
visit?
- What information does the candidate require
prior to coming to campus? Is there an information package
that can be provided?
- Does the candidate have
any special needs (diet, accessibility, travel, accommodation)?
While
it has been common in the past for candidates to be interviewed
individually by members of the department or program, this
practice does not ensure that everyone involved in the search
will hear the same responses from the candidate, nor that
the candidate can present herself/himself consistently and
to best advantage. The best
practice recommended is for the entire Search
Committee to conduct a single interview with the candidate.
In order that each candidate interviewed responds to the
same questions, it is recommended that the interview be
conducted using a prepared but flexible set of questions.
By adopting this approach the Search Committee will have
the opportunity to scrutinize these questions so as to avoid
those that may be inappropriate with respect to equity issues.
It is also recommended that the Committee have agreement
on the "Candidate Rating System" to ensure that
there will be a consistent basis of assessment throughout
the hiring process.
The
following guidelines are designed to promote effective interviews:
- Be prompt, allow sufficient time not only
for the interview, but also time subsequently for the
candidate to move on to other meetings with consideration
for refreshment and rest room stops. Select an attractive
and accessible venue for the interview - one that will
ensure there are no interruptions or telephone calls
during the interview.
- Treat each candidate as an individual with
whom you are sincerely pleased to meet. Try not to turn
the interview into an interrogation, or a barrage of
questions. Listen carefully to what the candidate has
to say; do not dominate the conversation. Ask open-ended
questions that permit the candidate to provide a means
to convey the information being sought. Do not show
impatience when the candidate does not respond in the
manner expected. Avoid entering into arguments with
the candidate.
- Avoid any questions that have no bearing
on the candidate's capacity to handle the responsibilities.
For example the question: "how many children have
you to care for?" may imply a presumption that
the candidate will chose child care over job responsibility.
Ask questions about the candidate's ideas, philosophies,
or achievements rather than questions about their attitudes,
political beliefs or personal habits. Hypothetical questions
or those that draw on past professional experiences
form a useful basis for assessing the candidate. Avoid
making hasty judgements about the candidate based solely
on appearance or mannerisms. Ask questions that may
help dispel negative impressions.
- Permit the candidate to ask questions.
- Avoid lengthy note taking. It is better to
expand notes, or complete rating forms, immediately
following the interview.
- Do not convey an outcome
or make promises that cannot be kept.
When
a Search Committees brings a candidate to campus, in the
interest of ensuring the candidate a neutral space for the
visit, overnight accommodation should be provided in a local
hotel rather than with a member of the department. During
such visits, there is a natural instinct to fill the visitor's
time. It should be remembered that for most candidates the
interview and related meetings with senior administration
can be stressful and the evening offers a welcome opportunity
to re-charge, or to do some individual exploring of the
town and its environment. Search Committees are therefore
encouraged to make suggestions with respect to possible
places where the candidate might dine. Thought might also
be given to assisting the candidate to meet with real estate
agents, daycare operators, school officials, or to tour
the hospital.
If the
Search Committee chooses to require the candidate to make
a public presentation (eg. a lecture, talk or seminar),
it is essential that the Committee strive to create consistency
of conditions in this requirement. For example, there should
be consistency in determining whether the candidate or the
department selects the topic. Committees should be avoid
selecting a topic that favours one candidate over others.
Similarly, Committees should ensure that each candidate
presents to an audience broadly similar scale and composition
to ensure equity of presentation "dynamics" and
response.
Post
Interview Assessment
It is important that the Search Committee "refresh
and reflect" following their meeting with the candidate.
The use of a Candidate Rating System is important at this
stage and the committee might consider collecting and filing
these documents after each interview in order to maintain
consistency when more than one candidate is being interviewed.
In any event the Committee will want to ask: was the person
better on paper than in person? What strengths and weakness
were evident? What problems or issues remain as concerns?
How does the candidate compare with others being considered?
What does the candidate offer that other candidates do not?
Are any of these concerns tied to unacceptable discriminatory
bias?
When
the Committee chooses to obtain the appraisal of candidate's
referees, or to solicit independent assessments, it should
ask that these be in writing (letter, fax, email). The committee
should avoid verbal or hear-say reports because of the potential
for filtering or "slant" by the member of the
Committee transmitting the message. If additional information
that the candidate can supply is needed, this should be
obtained from the candidate directly and not from secondary
sources.
As the
hiring process draws to a close, and as the Committee considers
its recommendation(s), it is important to reflect again
on these issues. Any wish on the part of Committee members
to change their rating should be openly justified and documented
for the record.
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