Abstract
In an effort to examine the fairness of academic job postings, advertisement sources (e.g., APA Monitor on Psychology, Higher Education Jobs, Indeed, the Chronicle of Higher Education) for academic positions (e.g., assistant professor, chairs, deans, presidents) were reviewed to identify examples of the “required” and “preferred” qualifications associated with particular academic positions. “Required” qualifications are generally defined as being inherent to the performance of the job (e.g., a doctoral degree) and are under the control of the applicant. This article argues that “preferred” qualifications are under the control of the institution advertising the academic position and that, in some cases, they should not be emphasized because they are unnecessary, unconnected to the environmental context or to the nature of the job, discriminatory, and invented. In addition, there are also scenarios where a given preferred qualification would be critical to performing the job, and would in fact be a required qualification for that job. This article describes these types of qualifications in more detail and provides real world examples of their use in academic job listings.
Highlights
Advertisement sources (e.g., American Psychological Association (APA) Monitor on Psychology, Higher Education Job, the Chronicle of Higher Education) for academic positions were reviewed to identify examples of required and preferred qualifications associated with the particular academic position
In an effort to examine the fairness of academic job postings, advertisement sources (e.g., APA Monitor on Psychology, Higher Education Jobs, the Chronicle of Higher Education) for academic positions were reviewed to identify examples of the “required” and “preferred” qualifications associated with particular academic positions
Because not all microbiologists have this type of expertise, the academic institution would have to make clear in the job description that, in addition to meeting required qualifications, expertise in bioterrorism is a preferred qualification expected from anyone applying to the particular job
Summary
Advertisement sources (e.g., APA Monitor on Psychology, Higher Education Job, the Chronicle of Higher Education) for academic positions (e.g., assistant professor, chairs, deans, presidents) were reviewed to identify examples of required (or basic) and preferred (or desired) qualifications associated with the particular academic position. Examples of these qualifications include having a doctoral degree, evidence of teaching and research activities, a record of publications in peer-reviewed journals, expertise with a particular technique (e.g., atomic and molecular spectroscopy), and having a license to practice in the state where the candidate is applying. Academic institutions generally include guidelines that search committee members are expected to use when they use the terms “required” and “preferred” during the interview process. Such guidelines are developed in response to the principles of equal employment opportunity (EEO) as demanded by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission [2]. This paper focuses on the use of preferred qualifications when screening candidates; and argues that, in some cases, the preferred qualifications listed in job descriptions are unnecessary, unconnected to the environmental context or to the nature of the job, discriminatory, and invented
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