Home > Faculty Recruitment > Guidelines for Preparing Job Announcements

Faculty Recruitment

Guidelines for Preparing Job Announcements

Department Chairs or unit heads and/or search committees typically prepare the job announcement or advertisement for approval by the proper administrative offices and/or the faculty of the department. Please note, job descriptions are highly recommended. However, detailed job announcements will suffice in the case of instructional faculty.

Job descriptions or job announcements include the following information:

1. Title and rank of position (even if the "rank is open depending upon qualifications")



2. Type of position (i.e., administrative, research, or instructional faculty-restricted, tenure-track or tenured, or duration of contract)



3. Duties of position



4. Required and preferred qualifications



5. Salary or salary range must be included on the OEDS EEO Form 1, but a statement such as salary will be commensurate with qualifications, etc. can be included in the actual advertisement



6. Specification of when appointment begins (ideal starting date is acceptable) and whether appointment is 9 or 12 month appointment



7. Date when review of applications will begin or deadline for receipt of applications (closing date)



8. Required contents of completed application. * Typically these include:
   
   
   • Letter of application with specific reference to candidate's qualifications for position
   
   
   
   • Curriculum vitae (for instructional positions) or resume
   
   
   
   • References (see section entitled "Reference Checking")
   
   

   (*Please remember that individuals who are nominated for positions must be contacted to ascertain whether they are indeed interested in being considered for the position. Additional time may be added to any deadlines to compensate for this additional delay in the process.)



9. Name and address of contact person within the hiring unit or conversely, the name and address of the chair of search committee.



10. Equal Employment Opportunity Statement: All advertisements should include the following statement:
    
    
    "GMU is strongly committed to the principle of diversity, and in that regard, seeks a broad spectrum of applicants including women, minorities and people with disabilities for its faculty and staff positions."
    
    "Individuals with disabilities desiring accommodations in the application process should notify __________ (name of unit contact, unit, phone/TDD) by the application deadline."
    
    Variations are permitted but should be discussed with the OEDS or H.R. prior to submitting the advertisement.

Additional Considerations:

1. Nothing in a job announcement or job description may be discriminatory.



2. The wording of an advertisement must be gender-neutral and demonstrate cultural sensitivity.



3. Special consideration should be given when developing required and preferred qualifications. Unannounced required qualifications will require additional advertisement and a delay in filling the vacancy.

(Adapted from the Faculty Search Process; Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA 1995)