Human Resources

Recruitment Equity Advocate

Human Resources, working with the Office of Inclusive Excellence and Sustainability and the Title IX/Prevention of Discrimination, Harassment and Retaliation Office, invites participation in the pilot Equity Advocate program. This innovative program will include training of a team of state-side employees to support campus efforts to recruit and retain a diverse university community. 

If you are interested in participating:

  1. Please write a paragraph describing your interest/qualifications and send it to your Dean/Appropriate Administrator
  2. Each Dean/Appropriate Administrator will be asked to submit the names of individuals who have either self-nominated or who are willing and recommended to contribute to this important new role.
  3. Selections will be based on the pool provided and will consider length of service, relevant experience, and balanced representation across the campus.
  4. Participants should submit their paragraphs to their Dean/Appropriate Administrator.
  5. Deans/Appropriate Administrators should submit their selections to hr@csumb.edu.

Definition

Equity Advocate (EA): One who advocates for an equitable recruitment process for all identities by promoting the most inclusive search possible, providing additional expertise, facilitating the existing knowledge and commitment of the Talent Selection Committees, and assisting Human Resources with the established recruitment process.  The Equity Advocate role is a consulting, non-voting role within a Talent Selection Committee, working with the expertise of both the committee members and UP to facilitate outcomes that meet legal and campus goals and requirements.

Responsibilities of the Recruitment Equity Advocate

  • Promote the most inclusive search possible by acting as a non-voting member of the talent selection/search committees.
  • Balance the University’s compliance obligations with informed advocacy for diversity and inclusion of all identities.
  • Actively engage in each stage of the search process, partnering with UP to ensure an equitable, inclusive, and open recruitment consistent with the AAP utilization goals established at the onset of the process.
  • Facilitate thoughtful exchanges with the TSC in support of the campus’ mission, vision, and values for an inclusive learning environment, committed to an equitable and diverse campus community. 
  • Lead discussions and integrate training knowledge to advise Hiring Manager and TSC Chair on outreach to create a diverse and inclusive pool that could lead to attracting and hiring all identities.
  • Assist the committee in self-scrutiny about potential (implicit) biases or assumptions that detract from an objective assessment of the knowledge, skills, and experiences of the applicants.

REA Duties 

  • Attend all established training
  • Prior to the Request to Recruit (RTR) submitted to UP, meet with the hiring manager and OIES to:
    • Draft an inclusive position announcement; 
    • Propose specific outreach strategies; 
    • Consult about composition of TSC
  • Once the RTR is approved, meet with the TSC to assist in
    • Informing on inclusive and diverse outreach efforts and solicit any other outreach opportunities
    • Developing tools to evaluate every candidate on established criteria
    • Drafting questions for candidates at each stage of the selection process
  • Throughout the process,
    • Be vigilant in identifying concerns related to bias, prejudice, stereotyping, inequities, accommodations, and compliance 
    • Timely communicate any identified concerns to TIX/DHR
    • Meet with TIX/DHR regularly to discuss the status of the recruitment and to document suggestions made.
  • At the conclusion of the process, complete  written confirmation that verifies:
    • University guidelines were followed and included good faith efforts to meet affirmative action goals.  
    • Talent Selection Committee was fully trained and understood the purpose of the search.
    • Job Announcement was accurate, inclusive, encouraged diverse candidates, and met legal requirements.
    • Outreach and networking efforts were widely disseminated to broad geographic regions.
    • Interview questions were vetted for non-discriminatory impact and developed prior to a release of applicants to the TSC.
    • TSC objectively assessed the knowledge, skills, and experiences of candidates.
  • As this role develops, formulate plans to continuously improve the process, including supporting the creation of a database of recruitment sources for each type of position, and developing a toolkit for equity and inclusion in the recruitment process, institutionalizing the knowledge and experience developed through this process.

Qualifications:

  1. A commitment to attend all trainings, committee meetings, and candidate interviews, and if requested, candidate reference checks.
  2. Understand and be committed to CSUMB’s workforce utilization goals
  3. Demonstrated willingness to work collaboratively with the Chair of the talent selection committees (TSCs) or faculty search committees, the hiring manager, OIES, TIX/DHR, and UP.
  4. Pre-approval from the Appropriate Administrator to serve as an REA.  Note that there is no additional compensation provided for this role, so Appropriate Administrator approval for the time required is essential.
  5. Full-time state-side employee; a preference is for REAs with at least three years of service to CSUMB.

Training

The onboarding curriculum will include the following:

  • 30-minute eLearning: Searches and Recruitment in CSU
    • The Search Committee
    • The Position Announcement
    • Inclusive Recruitments and Proactive Outreach
    • Unconscious Bias Awareness
    • Effective Screening
    • Reference Checks
    • The Recommendation
    • This course provides information on hiring considerations we use here at the CSU. Topics in the course include but are not limited to:
  • 45-minute eLearning: CSUMB Equity Advocate Fundamentals
    • Equity Advocate Roles and Responsibilities
    • Approved and Prohibited Interview Questions
    • Workforce Diversity
    • Implicit Bias
    • Confidentiality 
    • Discrimination Case Studies
    • The course design supports the Equity Advocate with information needed to guide the Talent Search Committee regarding fairness, equity, and diversity principles during the candidate selection process. Topics in the course include but are not limited to:
  • 60-minute instructor-led workshop: Equity Advocates in Action

Recruitment Equity Advocate FAQ

Recruitment Equity Advocate FAQ