This guide is intended for anyone involved in the search. There are a wide variety of advertising sources and recruitment methods you may utilize to “cast a wide net” and recruit candidates.

Print, electronic ads, or social media

• Effective January 2019, VCU is running a year-long Central Advertising Plan (CAP) pilot in which all VCU vacancies (except internal searches or direct appointments/ waivers) are posted automatically in the online job boards of ChronicleVitae, HigherEd jobs, and DiverseJobs. These sources satisfy the required ad placements with no cost or effort on the part of the hiring unit.  
• Any unit-initiated advertisements should complement and not replicate any advertising provided by the university. Hiring units are encouraged to purchase additional advertising as appropriate to the position and specific recruiting strategy. Consider media such as LinkedIn, Indeed, or other discipline specific publications. 
• Departments are encouraged to use electronic job-posting services targeted toward diverse groups, such as minority caucuses of specific disciplines. Many professional organizations also maintain directories of women, minorities, and veterans
• Announcements should be placed in journals, publications, or on job boards aimed specifically at underrepresented groups 
• You might also try mailing or emailing vacancy notices to graduate departments, professional journals, web recruitment boards, professional associations, electronic newsletters, and newsgroups. 

You can also utilize standard descriptive language to include in advertising or a position profile; it can help to have this information to share with candidates about VCU and Richmond. You can also visit Inside HR for a full list of advertising resources.

Conduct outreach and recruitment

• Personal contacts you know through professional organizations and colleagues at other institutions are effective networking resources. Please take note that, while referrals are excellent resources, additional recruitment efforts should still be made: referrals have the potential to limit diversity since people tend to refer individuals who are similar to them
• Look at websites at other institutions to find individuals in similar positions (or a step down) to which you are recruiting. Reach out to those individuals to ask about their interest or to receive referrals. Make sure to request inclusion of qualified women, minorities, and veterans
• You are encouraged to contact professional organizations in your field to request that position announcements be shared with members, especially with women’s, minority, or veteran caucuses. Making personal contacts with caucuses is most likely to result in applicants for your position.
• Network w ith women, minorities, and veterans at professional conferences and invite colleaguesthem to apply.
• Contact colleagues at other institutions to seek nominations of students nearing graduation, recipients of fellowships and awards, or others interested in moving laterally,   making sure to request inclusion of qualified women, minorities, and veterans.
• Consult with minority and women faculty already on campus for outreach strategies.

When making personal contacts, share information with them about VCU and Richmond. Review this list of links and videos.