Best Practices for Adjunct Faculty Hiring:
A Guide for Departments at The College of New Jersey
The goal of this guide is to create a robust pool of talent to ensure selection of qualified
adjunct faculty to foster a teaching and learning environment consistent with the mission
and vision of The College of New Jersey.
STEP 1: Identification and Filling of the Vacancy
Identification of the vacancy should be indicated by April 15 for the fall term and November 15 for
the spring term. “Vacancy” refers to any course or section that needs to be staffed, but cannot be
taught by the faculty who has previously taught successfully at TCNJ. Once a vacancy is identified,
the Dean in consultation with Department Chair will determine whether broad recruitment is
required, the position can be filled via distinguished adjunct faculty hire procedure, or if the vacancy
is identified late, the position will be filled using the emergency hire process.
STEP 2: Job Announcement
The Department will create a job announcement using the attached template. This must occur for all
positions being filled.
STEP 3: Recruitment for the Adjunct Vacancy
In the case of broad recruitment, vacancies will be publicized for maximum exposure to qualified
applicants. Advertising of vacancies will be done centrally by HR in consultation with the Deans.
Suggested placement for adjunct vacancies are appropriate listings to target a diverse pool;
advertisements in appropriate local publications; appropriate Graduate College and University
placement offices, electronic job boards such as The College of New Jersey website, Higher
Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC), HigherEd Jobs.com and other high traffic job boards
for higher education or by discipline. Emerging digital resources can be utilized, as deemed
appropriate and cost effective.
Advertisements should be posted for a minimum of 2 weeks except in the event of an emergency
hire or targeted hire. Upon receipt of resumes/CV’s an automatic acknowledgment response will be
sent along with the EEO survey by HR.
In consultation with the Dean, Department Chair can also pursue a targeted hire and forego the
broad recruitment procedure. In this case, using academic networks and recommendation from the
experts in the relevant field, Department Chair can invite best qualified candidate to apply for the
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vacancy. The invited applicants will submit full application to HR and be considered for the position
by the Departmental search committee.
STEP 4: The Pool
The pool refers to a group of applications that have been collected for a specific discipline. The pool
is maintained and regularly updated centrally by HR. Applications are received and entered in to the
pool all year round. To be entered into the pool, all applicants must have submitted a complete
adjunct application and meet Minimum Qualifications or the equivalent. Applications from external
candidates shall be kept on file in HR for a minimum of three years.
STEP 5: Review of Pool to fill Position
The chair and another member of the faculty (“search committee”) should review the pool to
identify candidates for consideration.
The committee reviews the applications for minimum qualifications and completeness. If an
application is incomplete and there is sufficient time available prior to the committee reviewing the
applications, the chair will make every effort to inform the candidate as to items needed to complete
the application. However, the committee is not required to review incomplete applications.
There is no minimum or maximum number of candidates to interview. When deciding whom to
interview, the committee should err on the side of inclusiveness. HR will notify candidates who were
not selected for interview.
The Dean will work closely with the search committee to ensure that the recruitment process
exhibits the breadth and depth necessary to develop a diverse pool of qualified candidates.
STEP 6: Interviews
The applicants selected for interview shall be contacted and invited by the committee chair or
designee. Questions should be appropriate for the position being recruited (please review HR
regulations as to questions that can and cannot be asked of candidates) and each applicant must be
rated on the same criteria. A list of example questions that serve as a starting point for committees
to develop their own questions to ask each interviewee is available on the HR website. Follow up
questions that serve to clarify responses or probe further into answers are encouraged. The
outcomes of each interview must be documented, and reasons for the choice of the finalist must be
clearly articulated.
STEP 7: Finalizing the Selection (Including Reference Checks)
When the committee has identified the top-ranked finalist, the committee must conduct reference
checks. Reference checks shall be limited to position-related criteria.
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The committee chair recommends the selected candidate to the appropriate Dean for approval of
the committee recommendation. If the Dean does not approve the recommendation, the Dean will
confer with the committee chair and HR to reach a resolution.
After approval from the Dean, the Department Chair or designee offers the position to the selected
candidate, and receives his/her decision on whether or not he/she accepts the position. All of the
candidates should be notified of the outcome of the interview process. The committee chair informs
the appropriate Dean as soon as the candidate has accepted the position. The chair will consult with
the Dean to determine proper salary placement in accordance with the contractual terms for
compensation for adjunct instructors.
All of the committee’s paperwork, including resume/CVs, hiring forms and interview rating forms,
must be retained within the department for at least three years following the search in accordance
with NJ State Records and Retention requirements.
STEP 8: Emergency Hire Procedures
The need to hire adjunct faculty without sufficient notice sometimes occurs. A vacant position that
becomes known within 20 working days from the start of the assignment may be filled using the
emergency hiring procedures. If a candidate is not identified by July 1 of the calendar year, the
emergency hire procedure is also activated.
In an emergency situation, action may be taken to hire a candidate without going through the full
advertisement and screening process described above. The Dean must approve an emergency
adjunct hiring procedure before the Department begins a search. An abbreviated screening and
interview process may be used as determined by the search committee. However, adequate
references must be consulted.
STEP 9: Distinguished Hiring Procedure
The College and the Union have recognized the importance of “distinguished” adjunct faculty.
When such a person is identified in the hiring process, the Dean will work with the Department
Chair to establish a recruiting process that will meet the hiring goal.
Guidelines implemented starting January 2015.
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