The Search Process for higher education professionals

What we do, when, and why

If you are selected as a candidate in one of our searches, we will contact you immediately. From there, you can generally expect the process to unfold as follows:

    • Confirm your interest and discuss details of the position in an introductory interview and gather additional information that the search committee may require. When we meet with the search committee to discuss the pool of candidates, it is important for us to understand your interest in the position, your background and skills, and why you believe you are a good fit for the position.

    • If you are selected by the institution as a semi-finalist, a formal interview will be conducted. Interview methods may include video conferencing, telephone, and person-to-person meetings. Interviews may be conducted by SJG or the search committee directly. The interview will likely consist of specific questions regarding your credentials, experiences, behavior, and skills.

    • Confirm your references. Whenever possible, we ask that you notify your references that we will be calling.

    • Conduct calls with your references. This process usually consists of six to eight questions developed by SJG and the client.

    • Prepare a report for the client with the results of the references and/or interviews. While not a verbatim transcript, the report is an accurate and thorough representation of our conversations or meetings.

    • The client determines which candidates to bring to campus. Institutions carefully review all the information provided to make a decision about which candidates to invite to campus.

    • You are notified of your standing in the search. Remember, if you are not a finalist in this search, you remain on our confidential database to be notified of future opportunities.

    • Campus interviews are scheduled. Your visit to the campus is your opportunity to share your skills and talents. Make it worthwhile by being prepared.

    • After securing your signed release, we perform a formal background check. This process falls under the auspices of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, under which you have several rights and responsibilities.

    • If you are the candidate of choice, an offer will be extended by the institution. Congratulations!