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This guidance is intended to support departments, programs, and search committees in managing searches that involve internal candidates, defined here as any faculty member with a current or recent appointment in the College of Arts & Sciences. Because internal candidates may create actual or perceived conflicts of interest within the hiring unit, these searches often benefit from careful planning and thoughtful attention to process. These guidelines supplement Â鶹Æƽâ°æ’s Faculty Search Guide by highlighting considerations specific to searches involving internal candidates. Their purpose is to ensure that internal candidates are treated fairly and consistently, without receiving either preferential treatment or undue disadvantage because of their existing affiliation with the institution.

Department chairs and program directors are often aware when internal candidates intend to apply for a position. In such cases, they should plan proactively for a fair and transparent search by identifying and addressing potential conflicts of interest, considering committee membership and leadership, and communicating expectations regarding confidentiality, candidate interactions, and other aspects of the search process before recruitment activities begin. Departments and programs may find it helpful to share this guidance with internal candidates, search committee members, and other faculty participants early in the process to promote a shared understanding of relevant considerations. Early consideration of these issues can help departments and programs proactively address potential challenges and support a fair, transparent, and well-informed search process.

Key Considerations in Searches Involving Internal Candidates

• Internal Candidate Participation: To avoid an appearance of impropriety and maintain confidence in the fairness of the search process, internal candidates should not participate in any aspect of the search. This includes serving on the search committee, attending search committee meetings or candidate-specific events, participating in candidate deliberations, or otherwise influencing recruitment or selection decisions. This recusal should remain in place throughout the duration of the search, even if the internal candidate is no longer under consideration.
• Conflicts of Interest: Because internal candidates are more likely to have mentoring, collaborative, supervisory, or personal relationships with faculty members involved in the search, searches involving internal candidates may heighten actual or perceived conflicts of interest. As with all searches, department/program members are expected to disclose any actual or perceived conflict of interest as soon as they become aware of it. Examples of circumstances that may warrant recusal are provided in the Faculty Search Guide. To the extent possible, departments/programs should identify and address potential conflicts of interest before the search begins and before search committee membership is finalized, though conflicts that arise after the search begins must also be addressed. Departments/Programs should consider whether relationships between candidates and search committee members or other department or program members could affect, or reasonably appear to affect, the impartiality of search committee members or other department/program participants. Departments/Programs should carefully consider whether individuals with such relationships should participate in candidate evaluations, interviews, deliberations, voting, or other candidate-specific aspects of the search. If not, recusal is appropriate and recommended. Departments/Programs should consult the university's Faculty Search Guide and applicable university procedures when addressing recusal questions. If necessary, the final determination will be made by University Human Resources.
• Confidentiality: Searches involving internal candidates may present additional challenges in maintaining confidentiality. Everyone with knowledge of the search is expected to maintain confidentiality throughout the search in accordance with university policy and should not discuss candidate evaluations, committee deliberations, or the status of the search with internal candidates outside the formal recruitment process. Departments/Programs should take reasonable precautions to ensure that internal candidates are not inadvertently exposed to confidential information about the search or the identities of other candidates. This includes avoiding casual discussions of the search in shared spaces, excluding internal candidates from any department/program correspondence related to the search, and ensuring they are not included on calendar invitations or communications regarding external candidates' interviews or candidate-specific events. In many cases, this may mean that department or program faculty listservs are not the most appropriate mechanism for communicating about the search.
• Evaluation and Interview Process: Internal and external candidates must be evaluated using the same criteria and evaluation rubric consistent with W&M’s Faculty Search Guide. Moreover, departments and programs should provide comparable interview experiences and opportunities for all candidates to meet with faculty, administrators, students, and other relevant stakeholders, consistent with the university’s commitment to fair and equitable hiring practices. During interviews, departments and programs should take reasonable steps to limit informal interactions between internal and external candidates.
• Social Interactions: Because internal candidates are already part of the academic community, faculty should be mindful of situations that could create actual or perceived advantages for these candidates during the search process. While routine professional and collegial interactions may continue during the search process, faculty should be mindful of situations that could create actual or perceived advantages (or disadvantages) for these candidates. For example, in situations in which more than one internal candidate is applying for a position, departments or programs may wish to avoid social gatherings, dinners, or other informal interactions involving some, but not all, internal candidates while the search is active. Thoughtful and consistent approaches to candidate interactions can help maintain confidence in the fairness of the search process.
• Communication of Search Outcomes: Because internal candidates remain members of the department or program regardless of the outcome of the search, departments and programs should communicate the outcome of the search directly to internal candidates before making any public announcement.

In closing, searches involving internal candidates require particular care because their effects may continue after the hiring decision has been made. By communicating clearly, applying expectations consistently, respecting confidentiality, and treating all candidates with fairness and dignity, departments and programs can help preserve collegial relationships and maintain a constructive departmental climate once the search concludes.