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11-1-2013

Search Committees: The Most Important Part ofYour Job ... Really!Carissa J. VogelCornell Law Library, cjv45@cornell.edu

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Recommended CitationVogel, Carissa J., "Search Committees: The Most Important Part of Your Job ... Really!" (2013). Cornell Law Librarians' Publications.Paper 1.http://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/libpub/1

Search CommitteesThe most important part of your job . . . really!By Carissa J. Vogel

evaluate

job description

???

question

applicants

prepare

interview

organize

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Need convincing that work on asearch committee may be one ofthe most important parts of your

job? You could spend 40 hours of yourwaking life for many years with a new hire.You will be discussing hard issues andhandling the aftermath of difficult choices.With the selection of a new colleague, thedynamics and culture of your workplacecould be reinforced or completely changed.These thoughts may inspire fear orexcitement. No matter what your emotionis when you get the chance to serve on asearch committee, you will see that yourwork on the committee, due to the futureconsequences of your choice, deservespriority treatment. The following articleoutlines issues and questions to consider inyour service as a member of a searchcommittee.

Begin at the Beginning—The Job DescriptionWhen a position becomes vacant andthe decision is made to fill the openposition, the first step usually involvestracking down the old job description,no matter how long the previousoccupant held the position. Now, mostpeople would rather have a hot spikeput through their eyeball than rewritea job description. But, sharp objectsaside, this fundamental step shouldnot be overlooked. Instead, look at thereevaluation for what it is: a chance toassess what your library has been doingand to imagine what your library coulddo. While the committee or the head ofthe library might decide a big change isunnecessary, the exercise of asking basicquestions about services and workflowsfrequently leads to discovery and newideas.

In your excitement of writing theposition description that perfectlycaptures the attributes of yourprospective colleague, beware theunicorn (the mythical creature thatwill evade your search because it doesnot exist). Unicorn job descriptionsusually fall into one of two categories:an impossible list of skills or animpossible list of duties. To avoid theskills unicorn, ask whether you knowat least one person with the set of skillsand experiences listed in the new jobdescription. Avoiding the duties unicorncan be more difficult because hiringa new person can be seen as anopportunity for colleagues to jettisonunwanted responsibilities. The bestquestion to pose is whether or not youcould complete all the duties requiredto be successful. During your annualreview, would you feel comfortable beingaccountable for all of the duties? If not,a reassessment of the needs listed for theposition will be necessary.

Assessing Candidates—What Could Go RightImagine: The perfect job descriptionhas been posted, and applications withlong resumes, detailed cover letters,and impressive references start appearingin a seemingly endless flow. A stackof applications representing qualifiedcandidates sits before you, and you getout the red pen and start reading fromthe top of each resume, looking to seewhom you can immediately shift intothe “no” pile. Let’s stop here. Thisapproach has been taken by many searchcommittee members and works to limitthe many choices down to an acceptable,easily digestible number. However, otherapproaches exist. In his book The RareFind, George Anders discusses howreading a resume “upside down” can tella more complete story of a candidateand how analyzing a “jagged resume”can lead to discovering outstandingcontributors. His book describes howpeople from different fields rethink theevaluation process to find talent thatmight not be obvious to others in orderto build better organizations.

No one in Anders’ book approachescandidate evaluation from the “no”pile perspective. Instead, candidates areevaluated and considered from a morepositive, holistic angle. What could goright might be the difference in findingan outstanding colleague versus amediocre one. The extra minutes youspend carefully reading each applicationshould be viewed as an investment inyour library.

Questions, Questions, QuestionsWhen you interviewed for your currentjob, how many times were you asked . . .and by how many people . . . about yourfive-year plan and why you applied forthe position? No matter how much timeyou and your colleagues spend with acandidate, you will not have enoughtime to ask all the questions you should

be asking. Do not waste your time ortheirs. (They have a list of questions,too!) You can suggest circulatingquestions and assigning certain setquestions to different people involvedin the search.

As you and the committee preparethe questions for a short, preliminaryinterview, consider the following:

• What are you evaluating?• What are the essential qualities

you want to see to help youdecide to issue an invitation toan onsite interview?

• Do the questions require answersthat warrant more than aregurgitation of the candidate’swritten application?

• Is there a big hole or a questionyou need to have explained?

The questions you prepare forthe onsite interview will build fromthese elements. In addition to the basiccompetency a successful candidate needsto demonstrate, your questions shouldhelp you obtain this type of information:

• Does the candidate understand thecore elements of the position?

• Can he or she articulate thisknowledge?

• Do you have a strong sense ofthe candidate’s personality andthinking process?

• Beyond liking the candidate, doyou think he or she is right forthis particular job at your library?

At every point in the process ofdeveloping questions, talk to the othermembers of the search committee aboutwhat they are looking for in a successfulcandidate and how they are approachingtheir own evaluation. You might besurprised at the array of perspectives.

Organizing the Interview DayThe basic structure of the interview day(or days) should not be overlooked inthe interview process. As a word ofcaution, the structure of the day, suchas who meets with the candidate andfor how long, can be quite political. Feelfree to offer suggestions, but understandif the chair of the search committeecannot act on all of them.

If required in the interview, thepresentation topic is often the mostdebated and discussed part of theinterview day. The stakes are highbecause this is the most high-profile partof the onsite interview and is often theonly session that everyone who givesfeedback will have in common. Searchcommittee fatigue starts setting inaround this point in the process, whichmakes the pressure to craft a good

To Skype or not to Skype,that is NOT the question.A 30- to 45-minute phone or Skypeinterview is always a good use oftime. If your library allows for thetime, try to talk to as many peopleas possible from your “yes” and“maybe” piles. Again, think aboutwhat could go right. Some greatcandidates do not sparkle on paper.(However, be prepared to addresstechnological issues and have abackup plan if you need to switch toa conference call or other option.)

© 2013 Carissa J. Vogel

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close as my yoga mat. Afterwards, I’m in a betterplace. Om.

MaryAnn Keeling, Law Librarian, U.S. Customs andBorder Protection Information Resources Center,Washington, D.C.

Outside of work Itrain in Krav Maga torecharge and de-stress.Krav Maga is aself-defense systemdeveloped in Israelcombining techniquesfrom areas like boxing,Muay Thai, Judo, jiu-jitsu,and wrestling, among

others. It is a great workout and allows me tomeet new people and friends on a regular basis. Italso helps me punch, hammer fist, and kick awayall of the stress work and life send my way. Aftera training session, I always feel recharged andready to take on life with renewed focus andvigor (even though sometimes I’m a little bruised).

Patricia M. Dickerson, Reference/StudentServices Librarian, North Carolina CentralUniversity School of Law Library, Durham

I’m definitely recharged byspending time cooking. I callit “kitchen therapy.” Somuch of my job involvesstrategic administrativework that doesn’t yieldimmediate and tangibleresults. Creating somethingbeautiful and delicious thatI can enjoy with people I

love makes me incredibly happy. I get to see theprocess from beginning to end and share timeand fun with other people. Competitive foodcreation is also amazing, but so far that has beenlimited to an ice cream take-down in Brooklyn.

Courtney Selby, Associate Dean for InformationServices, Director of the Law Library, andAssociate Professor of Law, Maurice A. DeaneSchool of Law, Hofstra University Law Library,Hempstead, N.Y.

Cycling on the rail trail nearmy house: clears my head,gets my blood flowing,my heart beating, and mylegs moving.

Julie Graves Krishnaswami,Head of Instruction andLecturer in Legal Research,Lillian Goldman Law Library,Yale Law School, New Haven, Connecticut

Courtney Selby

Julie GravesKrishnaswami

topic that much more difficult. If youunderstand what you need to learnfrom the presentation, it can be easierto develop a good topic.

If the job primarily requires thecandidate to train or to teach lawstudents or newly minted lawyers,the topic should require teachingsomething and, more than likely,should be very specific. Your evaluationwill be based on whether or not thecandidate can clearly presentinformation in an organized, easy-to-follow manner. In contrast, if theposition will require many differentkinds of presentations to variedaudiences, it is more important tounderstand how the candidateapproaches a general topic.

No matter the topic, you shouldnot plan to sit by and passivelyobserve the presentation. During the

presentation, write at least twoquestions you can ask the candidate.You will want to think about whatyou want to ask, when you want toask it, and how you plan to ask yourquestion. For example, if the candidatewill be teaching first-year law students,during the presentation (not waitingfor the question and answer period)you might want to ask a questionabout something the candidatealready covered. You can learn a lotabout a person’s teaching ability byinterrupting their rhythm. Thoughthis may not seem polite, you areevaluating the candidate’s abilities.This might be as “real world” aspossible during the interview process.Remember, you need as muchinformation as you can get to makea good decision in the end.

Picking the WinnerOnce you have interviewed the lastcandidate, the most important part ofyour job is ahead of you. At this point,it will be a matter of bringing all theinformation together, from feedbackto reference checks. Before the finalmeeting of the search committee,carefully read through all of thewritten feedback. The final discussionabout who to hire can be lively, sogood preparation is key. Though everynew hire is a gamble, the payoff ofa great, long-term colleague is huge.Good luck hitting the jackpot! �

Carissa J. Vogel(cjv45@cornell.edu),Assistant Directorfor Research andInstruction andLecturer-in-Law, CornellUniversity Law Library,Ithaca, New York

Make feedback easy tocollect by creating asurvey.• If your organization does not

have its own system, serviceslike SurveyMonkey are a low-skill way build a survey andcollect the data you need.

• Circulate the survey before yourfirst candidate comes in soeveryone can see the things youare interested in having themevaluate, and ask everyone toinclude their names whengiving feedback.

• As the interview draws near,send reminders and set adeadline for getting thefeedback. At least one memberof the search committee shouldmonitor the progress and reachout if colleagues have not givenfeedback, especially if the newposition will work directly withsaid colleagues.

• All members of the searchcommittee should complete thesurvey. Getting written feedbackwill prevent a good talker fromchanging other members’opinions.

No opportunity to be a part of asearch committee at your job?Volunteer in your community.Nonprofit organizations frequentlyneed help interviewingcandidates. The skills you buildduring any interview process willbe fully transferrable.

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Patricia M. Dickerson

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