Creating an effective, diverse search committee ensures the inclusion of different perspectives, fairness in decision-making, and greater success in hiring and retention.
- Ensure you follow any collective agreement language related to the hiring and selection process with regard to committee composition.
- Ensure that the search committee is reflective of differences in interested constituencies, gender, and equity-seeking group status.
- Involve people from outside the hiring department, who are committed to reducing bias.
- Have search committee members complete Implicit Bias training. Reflect on your learning from the Implicit Bias training module, recognizing any potential for bias.
- Review qualifications with an awareness of implicit bias: Minimum years of experience, education, career progression patterns.
Cultural humility is another way Search Committee Members can manage bias and foster more inclusive environments. This concept involves remaining curious and humble about cultural differences and recognizing that becoming culturally competent is a continuous learning journey to respect and embrace other people's experiences and realities.
- Explicitly discuss, in advance, the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the duties of the role successfully.
- Include criteria regarding the candidate's potential to contribute to the department's diversity goals (refer to Request for Limited Hire document).
- Consider reviewing available inclusive hiring resources for the search committee prior to beginning the shortlisting process, e.g. "Candidate Selection and Interview Process”.
- Discuss the potential for subtle and unintended bias as it relates to gender, race, presentation style, accent, dress, weight.
- Ask cultural competency-based questions to learn about the candidates' experience and understanding of working in diverse environments.
The Harvard Implicit Association Test (IAT) is a tool that examines conscious and unconscious divergences related to attitudes and beliefs about race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and other social categories.