Ask the Expert: A Conversation on Recruiting Staff and Faculty in Higher Education

In this Ask the Expert episode, HR expert Kathleen Hermacinski and Matt Trainum, vice president with the Council of Independent Colleges, respond to questions from listeners about the use of recruiting for roles in higher education.

The questions they explore include how in-house and outside recruiting firms work at colleges and universities. 

Hermacinski said that outside firms search on behalf of the institution. Based on her experience as the head of human resources at Eureka College, she said they typically only use search firms for C-suite leadership positions, including president. Trainum said candidates must jump through a few hoops with the outside firm before talking with a decision-maker. That means they must create quick takeaways and concise pitches that can be easily relayed to on-campus contacts, he said. 

Hermacinski is the head of human resources at Eureka College. She recently took part in CUPA-HR's Ignite program, which is sponsored in part by HigherEdJobs. The program connects a select group of early-career higher ed HR professionals with CUPA-HR, and key leaders in the association and the higher education human resources profession.

Trainum is the vice president for networks and strategic partnerships with the Council of Independent Colleges.

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