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Active recruitment
Active recruitment as a personnel development tool
Active recruitment is a personnel development tool that has been in place in many areas for a long time to increase the pool of women applicants for a position and to attract (internationally) proven women experts. According to Jutta Allmendinger, president of WZB Berlin Social Science Center, 80% of women who have been actively recruited with success state that they would not have applied for the position without being approached directly.
Active recruitment specifically involves doing targeted research into potential women applicants for professorships, other academic positions, or other management positions. After the search has been conducted through relevant networks, databases (see below), or professional associations, the potential candidates are approached directly.
Tips on the specific process
To further increase the proportion of women professors in particular, the standard operating procedure at Philipps-Universität Marburg as a part of the appointment processes is to approach qualified academics and scientists and invite them to apply. This applies in particular if we expect that only a few women* will apply when a call for an open professorship is put out. The wording of the job announcement itself should also be as specific as needed and as open as possible. The Gender Decoder from TU Munich helps avoid stereotypes. Ideally, promising women scientists should be approached at the start of a hiring process – even before the call deadline. A customizable cover letter template in English and German can be used to support the process of contacting women candidates.
If the number of applications from women only decreases over the course of a process (e.g., after reviewing the applications or sending in the documents), additional women candidates may also be approached at any later point in time.
We recommend always logging activities done to recruit women as a part of staffing or appointment processes in the applicable documentation (selection notes, minutes of meetings, etc.). This has a positive effect on the evaluation of the processes from the perspective of transparency and gender sensitivity and clarifies the commitment of the applicable selection committee. Overall, active recruitment helps minimize the influence from (often unconscious) bias effects or “unconscious gender bias.”
Unconscious biases – Online tutorial, e-training and short-video
Unconscious biases?
A short overview on the topic of Unconscious Biases is provided by this 2 minute video of the University of Cologne (low barrier version with audio transcription).
If you would like to delve deeper into the topic for a job filling procedure or an appointment committee, we recommend the online tutorial on gender biases in the appointment procedure by the University of Heidelberg (3 audio modules of approx. 15min each) as well as the approx. 3-hour e-training "Unconscious Bias "Recognise and reduce prejudices and stereotypes" by the Central Training Hessen (after registration).
Mitigating Bias in Scientific Evaluation and Decision-Making Processes – Video and online dossier by DFG
No person is to be prevented or excluded from pursuing an academic career because of non-scientific factors
Science-led and therefore discrimination-free processes are essential to the funding activities of Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation). The DFG therefore promotes the avoidance of bias (both conscious and unconscious prejudices). To this end, a five-minute film on “Unbiased Review” was produced in German and English. An accessible version is due to be published soon. The film provides a brief introduction to the topic and introduces reviewers and researchers who speak about their experiences and approaches for mitigating bias in their activities.
In addition, information in German and English on mitigating bias in scientific evaluation and decision-making processes can be found in an online dossier on the DFG website. This dossier includes concrete recommendations for action, an outline of the general conditions of the respective review, evaluation and decision-making processes of the DFG, and background information about the film.
Supporting databases to search for suitable women candidates:
You can find further useful information at CEWS on the topic of antibias. Original content and opinions on active recruitment in English can be found on AcademiaNet and in the associated brochure.