This policy describes procedures to be used in the recruitment of staff at the National Midwifery Institute (NMI). The Executive Director appoints a Search Committee who together conduct the search. Advertising is carried out following recommended strategies to provide opportunities for attracting a diverse applicant pool. Candidates will be interviewed. Once a decision to hire is made, an offer of employment will be made by the Executive Director as described herein. Staff hires are official upon approval of the Owners of the National Midwifery Institute.

The enhancement of diversity is a core value for the National Midwifery Institute. This policy contains diversity-enhancement strategies that should be considered for every staff search. Specific strategies are included for each stage of the recruitment process. Because every position is unique, the strategies that are employed for each search should be customized for the particular circumstances. With consideration of these recommendations NMI staff are encouraged to discuss the specific diversity enhancement strategies that may be most appropriate for particular positions and circumstances, and to conduct the search to optimize success.

AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITY

The administration of this policy shall be the responsibility of the Executive Director.

POLICY

National Midwifery Institute is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. NMI does not discriminate and does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or discipline against any individual or group on the basis of their actual, implied or perceived: race; color; national or ethnic origin or ancestry; religion or creed; sex, gender, gender identity or express, including transgender identity; sexual orientation; marital status; familial status; age; disability; genetic information; or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law.

and NMI’s Non-Discrimination Policy.

Furthermore, employees at NMI are recruited, appointed, and promoted without discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or discipline on the basis of their actual, implied or perceived: race; color; national or ethnic origin or ancestry; religion or creed; sex, gender, gender identity or expression, including transgender identity; sexual orientation; marital status; familial status; age; disability; genetic information; or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law.

We promote access, inclusion, and diversity of all students, staff, constituents, and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. National Midwifery Institute is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

These are strong statements regarding the priority and value of diversity for our mission.
Do you, personally, support this perspective?
As someone who is participating in the staff search process, what can you do to enhance staff diversity?

To enhance staff diversity we must:

Create a climate in which staff diversity is valued; there must be a shared understanding of how staff diversity helps us to achieve our specific educational goals.
Develop a diverse applicant pool.
Appreciate diversity when screening applicants; gather and use information that is relevant while working within the boundaries of employment law.
Encourage candidates who will enhance our diversity to accept our employment offers.
Retain excellent staff.

PROCEDURE

Before the Search

The quest for a diverse staff begins long before the search for any particular position begins.

Hold conversations about the current climate for diversity within the department. Long before the search begins, the Executive Director, and current staff members should contribute to the development of future staff members.

Conversations about who and what type of research is needed to maintain and build a stronger diverse departmental climate.
Opportunities for staff to make lateral moves which might change the advertisement of the vacant position (provide staff a chance to make a lateral move if possible).

Initiate conversations among staff to develop a common understanding of:

The value and importance of enhancing staff diversity.
The specific diversity-related needs of the institute. (Define diversity broadly, and appropriately for your staff.)
How staff diversity will help the institute meet educational objectives.
Are you prepared to genuinely welcome individuals who are different from the majority of your staff?
Support and facilitation for these conversations will be lead by the Directors of the institute.

Cultivate the candidate pipeline

Participate and support: support in the preparation of future staff
Build relationships: build a network of contacts and relationships and encourage potential applicants to consider applying for future NMI positions.
Attend: attend conferences and participate in workshops that provide attendees the opportunity to connect with under-represented groups and build a network of contacts within your field.
Review: Diversity Advertising Sources may be used as part of your advertising strategy.

Selecting the Search Committee

Search committees should include members with different perspectives and expertise, who have a demonstrated commitment to diversity.

Whenever possible, committees should include individuals of different genders and races or ethnicities.
Other types of diversity should also be considered when selecting individuals for search committees.
Consider inviting a student or an individual from an under-represented group to serve on the committee.
Consider inviting staff from another institution to serve on the committee.

Creating the Advertisement

Define positions to fill particular roles, but define positions broadly and include diversity-related interests, skills, and experiences in position announcements and selection criteria.

Viable candidates may self select out based on the wording of your criteria

To attract the largest candidate pool, define positions as broadly as is reasonable, given the departmental needs.
Decide when a qualification is “preferred” rather than “required.”
Limit your use of the terms “must” and “required” to characteristics that are truly essential.
Be flexible with numerical measures (such as required years of experience).

Within submitted application materials, consider asking applicants to describe their experience with diversity issues, working with diverse students, and/or working in multicultural environments.

Example: Instead of using numerical measures such as “4 years or 5 years of teaching experience” consider “candidates must demonstrate teaching scholarship relevant to the position” to increase your candidate pool.

Go Beyond the EEO Statement

Include the required EEO statement when you advertise your position:

National Midwifery Institute is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating and supporting a diverse and inclusive work and educational community that is free of all forms of discrimination. This institution does not tolerate discrimination or harassment on the basis of age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, parental status, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. We promote access, inclusion, and diversity for all students, faculty, staff, constituents, and programs, believing that these qualities are foundational components of an outstanding education in keeping with our mission. NMI is interested in candidates whose experience and qualifications support an ongoing commitment to this core quality.

Be proactive. Go beyond the required statement and make it clear that the institute values diversity (broadly defined) and expertise regarding diversity concerns within the context of the subject-matter domain.

Example: “NMI is especially interested in qualified candidates who can contribute, through their research, teaching, and/or service, to the diversity and excellence of the academic community.”

Advertise the Position Broadly

Employing multiple recruitment strategies should increase the diversity of the applicant pool.

In addition to advertising on the NMI website and in national publications or job-listing databases appropriate for your discipline, consider:

Publications that are read by under-represented/diverse candidates in your field of study.
Listservs that are followed by under-represented/diverse candidates in your field of study.
Diversity specific websites that are viewed by under-represented/diverse candidates in your field of study.
Personalized letters or emails to potential applicants or to colleagues who might share your refer potential applicants.
Direct person-to-person contact with colleagues and prospects at professional meetings, by email, or by telephone. Encourage potential applicants to look at your formal position announcement and to apply for your position.
Utilize your network of contacts including, past and current guest lecturers and presenters and relationships with under-represented groups.

Screening Applicants

Ensure that the hiring criteria are directly related to the requirements of the position.

The criteria should be clearly understood, and accepted by all members of the committee.

Discuss the potential for “dysconscious racism” (King, 1991), a predisposition of search committees to favor candidates who are like themselves in terms of educational background, social experience, values, and behavior.
Ensure that the criteria for evaluation of candidates do not exclude people with non-traditional career paths.

Top candidates may be individuals with unusual experiences and highly transferable skills.

Consider including a candidate's ability to add intellectual diversity to the department, to work successfully with diverse students and colleagues, and to mentor diverse students as an important selection criteria for all candidates.
Demonstrated ability to engage with students, staff and communities in diverse methods and opportunities.

Consider other options for qualified applicants. If a candidate is not appropriate for the position being recruited, but they might be a valuable contributor to NMI who may be better suited in another position, forward information about the individual to the Executive Director. Invite these candidates to apply for other positions when they become available.

Interviewing Candidates

Search committee chairs should communicate with the candidate the opportunity to meet with various members of the NMI community
Federal and State Legislation and NMI Policies regulate what we can ask candidates. Be sure that all faculty, staff, and students who will be participating in the interview process understand:

The roles and responsibilities of the position being searched.
What types of questions are appropriate to ask.
What types of questions are inappropriate, prohibited or illegal.

Reminders:

Ask position-relevant questions.

Do not ask personal questions that are not relevant to the position.

Appropriate Questions

Position-relevant questions can and should be asked.

Position-relevant questions can include:

Helping students to understand diverse perspectives.
Teaching students how to work effectively with diverse populations.
Promoting the academic success of a diverse student body.

You can ask candidates questions about their experiences and skills related to position-relevant concerns such as these, and you should evaluate each candidate’s ability to meet these position expectations.

EXAMPLES

For a social science position:

What experiences have helped you to understand the attitudes and beliefs of people from various religious groups?

For a health-professional position:

How might we advise students to work with women and men from various ethnic groups?

For any position:

What experiences have prepared you to effectively advise and mentor a diverse student population?

Acceptable and Unacceptable Questions

Ask how to pronounce the candidate’s name; but DON’T ask their age, birthplace, race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation; and DON’T ask questions designed to ascertain this information.

Category	Acceptable Questions	Unacceptable Questions
Disability	Only ask if applicant is able to perform essential job duties with or without accommodations.	Any further questions are not relevant to the selection process.
Citizenship	Only ask if the applicant is authorized to work in the US—ask every candidate or none.	Any questions about whether the applicant is a natural-born citizen or a naturalized citizen or about the citizenship of spouse are not relevant to the selection process.
Arrests and Convictions	Questions about convictions specific to the qualifications of the position are acceptable.	No inquiry may be made into arrests that did not result in convictions.
Education	It is acceptable to ask about degrees and the nature and extent of academic, professional, or vocational training.	Don't ask questions that would reveal nationality or religious affiliation of the schools where training occurred.
Relatives	It is acceptable to ask if any relatives are NMI employees.	Except for nepotism policy concerns, the applicant's relatives are not relevant to the selection process.
Organizations	Questions may be asked about memberships and offices held by the applicant if relevant to position qualifications.	Don't ask questions about memberships, office, or organizations that would reveal race, color, religion, sex, nationality, disability, age, political affiliation, sexual orientation, parental status, genetic information, or ancestry of the applicant.
Military Service	When military service is relevant to the job qualifications, questions concerning the service may be asked if an applicant indicates an affirmative Veteran status.	Avoid questions about military service in any country other than the United States. Do not request military records. Do not ask questions concerning military discharge.
Work Schedule	Questions about the applicant's willingness to work the required job schedule may be asked.	Don't ask about things that might interfere with the applicant's willingness to work, such as parental status.

Answering Candidate Questions

You can answer candidates’ questions, even if it is inappropriate for you to ask them questions regarding a topic.

Example:

You should never ask a candidate about their religion, however, if a candidate asks if there is a Muslim community in the area, you can and should provide information, or help the candidate discover the answer to her/his question. You may share from your experience and not your opinion. Be wise in what and how you share information.

Avoid lengthy conversations about prohibited topics. Connect candidates who would like to have conversations about sensitive personal matters to individuals who have no responsibility for the selection process who might address these concerns.

Protected Classes Include:

Age

Color

Disability

Gender Identity

Marital Status

Genetic Information

National Origin

Parental Status

Political Affiliation

Race

Religion

Sex

Sexual Orientation

During the Interview

Ensure that candidates feel welcome during their interview.

Remember that all time spent with an applicant, including social functions, is considered part of the interview process. During social functions, do not initiate conversations about topics that should be avoided.

If a candidate shares personal information it does not give you permissions to ask additional probing questions.

You can share personal information and or experiences. Do not use this as a way to ask personal information of the candidate. (My children have enjoyed their experience in the school system) Be wise and mindful.

Post-Interview

Reinforce to the candidates that if they have any questions once they return home, they should feel free to contact the search chair.
Continue the dialog with candidates after their visit.

Convey how glad you and others in your department were to meet them, or how interested people were in some aspect of the individual’s work.
Be careful not to make promises regarding employment until decisions are made.

Connecting with candidates on a personal level makes it more likely that they will accept positions if offered.

Making an Offer

The manner in which an offer is presented and discussed can have a huge impact on a candidate’s decision to join us and on the likelihood that they will stay.

Even if all requests are not granted, candidates who feel that staff and school leaders are honest and open during contract negotiations will be more comfortable accepting offers of employment and recommending NMI to other staff members.

Orientation and Retention

Initial impressions contribute to staff retention.

Make sure that new staff feel welcome.

Staff should regularly communicate with new hires to answer questions and help them to make the transition to their new role.
Encourage directors to send emails to new hires, welcoming them to the institute.
Inform new staff about resources and policies at NMI.
Encourage all new staff to invite other staff, program directors, and academic directors to observe their teaching and engage in conversations about teaching and other staff responsibilities.
Treat the person who is hired as if he or she was the only person considered for the position.

The first few days and weeks is a time when new employees and their family members are likely to feel isolated and alone, and they may question their decision to join us. Reach out and provide support and assistance.

Challenges to Retention of Diverse Staff

Strategies that Promote Retention

Diverse staff may:

feel isolated.
feel that they have been hired only as a symbolic effort (Tokenism).
detect a lack of professional respect.
feel occupational stress.
feel that they are expected to handle all affairs of the group they might represent.
sense systematic inequality (Institutional ism’s).

Follow through on all hiring promises.
Develop a mentoring system.
Clearly state procedures and standards for annual evaluation and advancement.
Showcase talent and celebrate accomplishments.
Promote a family-friendly environment and work-life balance.

Five Fundamentals to Remember:

To Enhance Staff Diversity We Must

Create a climate in which staff diversity is valued; there must be a shared understanding of how staff diversity helps us to achieve our specific educational goals.
Develop a diverse applicant pool.
Appreciate diversity when screening applicants; gather and use information that is relevant while working within the boundaries of employment law.
Encourage candidates who will enhance our diversity to accept our employment offers.
Retain excellent staff.

IMPLEMENTATION

This policy is provided to all individuals involved in the employee hiring process. This includes but is not limited to: the Executive Director, other NMI directors, staff, Search Committee members, and Owners of the institution.

CONTINUING EVALUATION AND ADJUSTMENT

This Employee Recruitment Policy will be subject to periodic review and adjustment. Continued administration of the development, implementation, and maintenance of the plan will be the responsibility of the Executive Director.

Date	Type of Change	Updates since last Change
August 30, 2021	Major	Initial policy created.
August 16 2024	Minor	Updated template of policy.