Recruiting through an academic appointments board

The faculty or the university's special operations (USV) submits a proposal to the Vice-Chancellor to call a person to a position as professor. The Vice-Chancellor then decides whether the person should be called.

The decision basis for the Vice-Chancellor's decision to call a person to a position as professor should include the following:

1. Needs analysis and justification for why a particular position is of special importance to the operations.
2. Requirement profile for the position considering the need. The employment conditions that should apply should also be identified before the call is made.
3. Report on the assessment made regarding the eligibility and assessment criteria for the current position in accordance with the applicable employment regulations.
4. Explanation of the considerations made as to why the recruitment cannot be conducted with prior information about a vacant position as professor.

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Background 

On 20YY-MM-DD, Lund University announced a position as professor in (subject) with permanent placement at the Department of ………. in ……….. At the end of the application period, xx women/men and no men/women had applied as candidates meeting the eligibility requirements. In accordance with Lund University's employment regulations, the faculty board must submit a document to the Vice-Chancellor if there are no eligible applicants of both genders for an advertised position as professor. The Department of ……… in …………. has provided a statement detailing the concrete measures taken to achieve a more balanced field of applicants in connection with the recruitment for the position of professor in xx.

Decision 

The university decides that the process to fill the advertised position as professor in xx can continue, despite the fact that no eligible male/female applicants have applied for the position.

Content:

• Responsibilities are divided between the manager and the academic appointments board
• The needs analysis forms the basis for the requirement profile and advertisement
• Test relocation and preferential rights throughout the process
• Recruitment takes a long time, keep this in mind
• The requirement profile determines what constitutes qualifications, merits, and skills
• Faculty academic appointments board

Responsibilities are divided between the manager and the academic appointments board

The initiative to recruit an assistant lecturer, university lecturer, or professor usually comes from the department, but it can vary between faculties. Here, we focus on faculties where the head of department/recruiting manager is more or less involved in the recruitment process.

The academic appointments board is responsible for the implementation of the process. The board has an HR function attached to it, referred to in this text as HR AAB, which is responsible for tasks such as handling the recruitment system. If you, as the recruiting manager, have a conflict of interest or foresee a risk of one, you should discuss it with the AAB and your manager. Your manager should then replace you in the recruitment process, provided they do not have a conflict of interest.

Decisions to carry out a recruitment can be made in different ways across faculties, but if a professor is to be recruited, it is always the university's vice-chancellor who decides whether the recruitment can proceed. The process varies between faculties, and the recruiting manager or head of department is involved to different extents.

Sometimes a recruitment committee or preparation group is used

The academic appointments board can decide to form a recruitment committee or a preparation group at various stages of the process. The recruiting manager can be part of such a group. Other representatives from the department, such as subject experts, can also be included. Read more in the Employment Regulations for Lund University.

It is important to discuss and manage any potential conflicts of interest that may arise during recruitment.

Read more about conflicts of interest in connection with recruitment

Read more in Lund University's Employment Regulations. 

Needs analysis forms the basis for the requirement profile and advertisement

It is time to start a recruitment process when you, as a manager, see that a subject area is expanding, there is a greater need for teaching, someone needs to be replaced, a certain competence is lacking, or similar, or if it is planned in the faculty's/institution's competence supply plan.

The first step is to conduct a needs analysis of current and future personnel needs. Depending on the faculty you belong to, it may be you, with support from others in the department and HR, who conducts the needs analysis together. Use the faculty's template for needs analysis. You should always start with the strategic decisions outlined in the faculty's or institution's competence supply plan.

Investigate whether the need can be met with existing employees within the organisation or if a new position needs to be advertised. If there is a need to advertise a new position, there must be financial conditions for this throughout the employment period.

Test relocation and preferential rights throughout the process

Before each recruitment, you, as a manager, with support from your nearest HR partner or HR administrator, should review the competencies of those on the preferential list and any relocations within the organisation. This may mean that LU already has employees or former employees with sufficient qualifications for the position. You can then hire someone without needing to advertise. The academic appointments board should still be contacted.

Before advertising, the institution's or faculty's HR function should first go through the following steps:

• The HR function reviews the relocation needs at the university.
• The HR function reviews those with preferential rights to increased scope via the recruitment system.
• The HR function reviews those with preferential rights via the recruitment system. If there is no suitable candidate here, proceed with advertising.
• You should continuously check against relocation needs and preferential rights throughout the recruitment process until the decision on employment has been made.

Recruitment takes a long time, keep this in mind

When a recruitment goes through the academic appointments board, it is difficult for you, as the recruiting manager, to control the timeline. You can make a rough estimate of when you and the department may need to take action. In some faculties, the departments arrange selection days, while in others, the academic appointments board handles it.

How long a recruitment takes, from need to the person being in place, is difficult to say. A recruitment handled by the Teacher Proposal Committee has many steps, and each step can take varying amounts of time.

Most steps take longer than in the recruitment of T/A staff; for example, the advertising period is at least four weeks, but typically it is 6-8 weeks. For the expert procedure, you should count on at least one to three months.

The recruitment is also influenced by how often the academic appointments board meets and whether the decision on employment is made by the dean or the university's vice-chancellor. For international recruitment, time for possible residence permits, relocation, etc., must also be considered.

The requirement profile determines what constitutes qualifications, merits, and skills

The requirement profile is crucial as a starting point for recruitment. What you write in the requirement profile determines who is ultimately assessed as the most qualified and skilled. It is important to clearly state which qualifications must be met (eligibility) and which qualifications are meritorious. To avoid discriminating against any potential applicant, it is also important that the requirements are objectively justified based on the tasks to be performed.

The academic appointments board´s template for the requirement profile should always be used, and the content should provide a clear description of, among other things:

• The environment in which the employee will be working
• The tasks the employee will perform
• The responsibilities the employee will have
• The requirements for education, experience, knowledge, and competencies needed to perform the tasks

Always base the requirement profile on the needs analysis. The requirement profile should be based on a competency-based approach. Read more in the course Competency-Based Recruitment in the Competence Portal.

Log in to the Competence Portal.

Critically review your work – is what you write objectively grounded? It can be helpful to get input from specialists, colleagues, or others involved in the recruitment.

The requirement profile must be approved by the Teacher Proposal Committee or another authorised person at the faculty. Contact HR TPC for more information.

Faculty academic appointments board

• School of Economics and Management
• Faculties of Humanities and Theology
• Faculty of Law
• Faculty of Fine and Performing Arts
• Lund University Faculty of Engineering (LTH)
• Faculty of Medicine
• Faculty of Science
• Faculty of Social Sciences

Content:

• Advertise – inform about the vacant position
• Advertisement channels – choose the right ones to reach the right audience
• Choosing the best, expert evaluation, and selection days
• Reference checks as a basis for in-depth questions

Advertise – inform about the vacant position

The advertisement should be based on the requirement profile and should be designed in a clear and measurable way. A well-written and clear advertisement increases the chances of attracting qualified candidates and a good pool of applicants.

The advertisement should always:

• Be published on the university's and the employment agency's websites.
• Be published for at least four weeks.
• Be available in both Swedish and English.
• Be published via Euraxess.

The advertisement is created in the recruitment system by the HR function of the academic appointments board (HR AAB) in consultation with the recruiting manager and the academic appointments board. HR AAB ensures that the announcement follows the university's templates and regulations and checks that it is written in a way that appeals to applicants.

The recruitment system also allows the use of selection questions, which can facilitate the selection process.

Advertisement channels

Consider how the advertisement should be disseminated before it is published. Who is the target audience, and how and where can they best be reached?

The recruitment system provides access to several advertisement channels. If you want to use other channels, it must go through our contracted advertisement broker. HR AAB is responsible for ensuring that the advertisement is carried out.

Choosing the Best, Expert Evaluation, and Selection Days

When the academic appointments board determines who is the best candidate, they start from the requirement profile. It should be clear which candidates meet the established requirements and provide an objective and non-discriminatory result of the recruitment. Non-discriminatory means that no weight should be given to irrelevant factors related to, for example, gender, gender identity or expression, ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, sexual orientation, and age.

The basis for recruitment at an authority like Lund University is that the person with the best qualifications and skills should get the position. In the first selection of applicants, the academic appointments board assesses who meets the eligibility and objective merits requirements. Those who pass the selection are usually sent to experts for evaluation of scientific, pedagogical, and collaboration merits.

Proposals for experts are submitted by the department

In most cases, the department proposes experts to the academic appointments board. Who contacts the experts can vary between faculties.

An expert in a recruitment should be able to make an objective and impartial assessment of the applicants' scientific and pedagogical merits, but also evaluate aspects such as collaboration merits, cooperation skills, and leadership.

More information about the expert assignment can be obtained from HR AAB at your faculty.

Selection days/equivalent

Once the expert review is completed, the academic appointments board may invite the top candidates to selection days/equivalent for further evaluation. The selection days/equivalent can vary between faculties.

The purpose of selection days/equivalent is to obtain a deeper evaluation of the top candidates' competence in the research subject, scientific and pedagogical competence, experiences, and other knowledge and skills (abilities, skills, and attitudes) through interviews and work samples (e.g., trial lectures). An equally important purpose is for the candidate to receive information about the workplace and the conditions and expectations of the position.

If you, as the recruiting manager, and your colleagues participate in the selection days/equivalent, remember to provide a positive but realistic picture of the workplace and tasks so that the candidate's expectations match reality. Normally, the academic appointments board initiates the selection days. Check with your HR AAB.

Interviews can vary

Sometimes the academic appointments board conducts the interviews, and sometimes it is a preparation group or recruitment committee in which the recruiting manager is involved.

When planning interviews, it is important to remember that the interview is most effective if it is standardised and structured. When the questions are predetermined and all candidates receive the same questions, we can treat all candidates equally and avoid discrimination.

At Lund University, competency-based interview techniques are used. Read more in the course Competency-Based Recruitment in the Competence Portal.

Log in to the Competence Portal.

Contact your HR AAB for support in planning and conducting the interview.

Psychometric tests are common

Today, it is common to use psychometric tests in recruitment, and it is a good tool to use as a complement in the recruitment process.

The purpose is to evaluate the candidate's intellectual abilities and skills. The tests can provide a good basis for deeper questions during interviews. Lund University has several procured test tools.

Read more about the university's procured recruitment services.

It is usually the academic appointments board that decides whether psychometric tests should be used.

References as a basis for in-depth questions

Taking references can be a way to obtain additional information about the candidate, confirm information that emerged during the interview, and clarify any uncertainties. Here too, the focus should be on evaluating the qualifications set out in the requirement profile.

References are obtained at the final stage of the recruitment process. The candidate should know that we are taking references and should have provided details of referees. The use of references in recruitment through the academic appointments board varies between faculties. Contact your HR AAB for more information about reference checks.

Final Candidate Proposed by the Teacher Proposal Committee

When it is finally clear who is best suited for the position, the academic appointments board makes the decision to propose a final candidate.

The process through the academic appointments board and expert evaluation should ensure that the most suitable and meritorious candidate is the one offered the position.

Content:

• Salary setting
• Employment decision
• Feedback to applicants
• Opportunity to appeal the employment decision
• Introduction is the foundation for a good start to employment
• Follow-up meetings
• Recruitment can be terminated

Salary setting

The department's salary proposal is usually submitted by the salary-setting manager, according to the delegation order at the faculty. Follow the faculty's procedures. Salaries must not be promised before they are approved by the manager/equivalent and the faculty/equivalent in accordance with current procedures.

In salary setting, consideration should be given to:

• The difficulty and responsibility of the position.
• The individual's personal skills.
• The individual's importance to the department's results.
• The salary level at the department/area/LU.
• Market sensitivity (potential competitive forces).

The HR function should ensure that the university's and faculty's specific salary criteria are applied in salary setting for a new hire. If the salary proposal deviates from the normal salary range, the proposal should be anchored with the faculty management.

Information about salary setting to employee organisations is handled by the HR function in the recruitment system.

Read more about salary setting here

Employment decision

It is important to know that verbal agreements are binding. Therefore, the person offering employment to a candidate must have checked with the AAB and the faculty before giving a final promise of employment and salary to the candidate.

Employment decisions are usually handled by your HR/personnel function in consultation with the recruiting manager and HR AAB. Follow the instructions from HR AAB. If the university's vice-chancellor needs to sign the decision, HR AAB will present the case at the vice-chancellor's meeting.

Feedback to applicants

It is important that candidates who do not get a job at Lund University still have a positive impression of Lund University as a workplace. They may apply again or know someone who is attractive to Lund University in the future.

Therefore, all candidates who have been interviewed at Lund University should receive verbal feedback as soon as possible on why they did not proceed in the process. Candidates who were not interviewed are informed by the HR function via the recruitment system.

Opportunity to appeal the employment decision

It is possible to appeal an employment decision at a government agency. Only candidates who applied but were not offered a position can appeal the decision. Therefore, it is important that the recruitment process is followed with a clear requirement profile and documented selection and interview management. The opportunity to appeal is valid for three weeks from the day the decision is posted on the university's notice board at Gamla Hud.

Introduction is the foundation for a good start to employment

The first impressions one gets as a new employee can be crucial for how things go in the future with work and relationships with colleagues. A good introduction at the new workplace creates comfort and a sense of belonging. It helps the new employee quickly get into the work, which benefits the department both humanly and economically.

The HR function is good at supporting managers in the introduction work. A good start is to appoint an introduction responsible person and create a schedule and book meetings with important functions and colleagues well in advance.

A good start is for the manager or HR function to go through the employment conditions, obligations, and rights with the new employee. There is more information about the introduction on the HR web, and most departments have developed their own introduction material.

Go to the introduction page

There is also useful information on the Staff Pages website:

For new employees | Staff Pages

Follow-up meetings

Since each employment is a significant investment in time, commitment, and resources, it is good to follow up within a period of three to six months to ensure that the new employee has had a real opportunity to integrate into the organisation and perform productive work. Check what training efforts may be needed to facilitate the process of getting into the work. It is important to be attentive to the employee's needs.

Download the follow-up meeting template on the Forms and Templates page

Recruitment can be terminated

There may be various reasons why a recruitment cannot be completed, for example, if there are no qualified applicants or if the only qualified candidate declines.

To be able to terminate a recruitment, the matter must first be negotiated under the MBL (Co-Determination in the Workplace Act). Talk to your HR function for support in MBL management. After that, the dean or the university's vice-chancellor (for professor recruitment) can decide to terminate the recruitment.

Contact your HR AAB for information on who is authorised to make that decision. Such a decision cannot be appealed.