The selection process should be carefully planned and a key element will be to decide on the most appropriate selection methods to use for your vacancy.
One early decision you will need to make is whom to include on your selection panel and who will chair the panel.
For Lecturer, Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor appointments the panel should have a core membership of:
There are more specific requirements for selection panels for Chair and clinical academic appointments.
For all other appointments, the panel should be a small but representative group of relevant stakeholders who know the job and its requirements well. This would certainly include the line manager and, in many cases, a representative from outside the immediate work area, particularly for roles where a colleague from a School or Division that the post-holder will be providing a service to or working in partnership with can be identified (e.g. a Dean, Head of School or Faculty Manager on the panel for a Faculty Financial Controller or HR Manager) and vice versa.
The panel will normally include at least three people, with two the absolute minimum.
The normal expectation is that a reasonable gender balance will be achieved in the composition of the panel.
All selection panel members should have been on the University's Introduction to Inclusive Recruitment training course or an agreed appropriate alternative (please book on to Develop). Exceptionally, where an individual other than the Chair is identified as a key panel member and is not able to attend the course or other suitable training in time for the selection process, they may take part subject to the Chair taking responsibility for ensuring that they are briefed and competent to play an active and effective role.
If a member of the panel has a family or non-work related social connection with any of the candidates invited for interview, they should declare this to the Chair of the selection panel at the earliest opportunity before the interviews take place. The Chair will then need to make a judgment as to whether the individual should remain part of the process or be replaced. Normal academic or professional contact, which may involve a degree of social contact, would not normally be a reason for excluding someone from the process.