Aalborg University distinguishes between assessment committees and experts in the recruitment of academic staff when posting job advertisements. Whether the departments should use assessment committees or experts depends on the type of position the department wishes to recruit for.

There are also different procedures depending on whether it is an assessment committee or experts:

• Assessment committees must be approved by the academic council. The assessment committee is also sent to hearing with the applicants, and finally, the assessments prepared by the assessment committee must also be sent to hearing with the applicants.
• The experts do not need to be approved by the academic council, and applicants are not heard about the appointment or the content of the assessments.

According to the new rules, the following types of positions are covered by assessment committees:

• Professor, associate professor in a promotion program, associate professor/senior researcher, senior advisor, permanent assistant professor employed in tenure track, and clinical professors.
• Other types of positions are covered by experts.

The difference from the old rules is that recruitments for postdoc and assistant professor/researcher positions previously had to be conducted with assessment committees, whereas they are now conducted with experts. This allows AAU to recruit significantly faster, especially for these positions.

The executive management has approved new compositions of evaluation committees and expert persons. For many types of positions, department heads have been given greater flexibility in the composition of the committees. Here are a few examples:

Associate Professor/Senior Researcher: The requirements for the composition of the evaluation committee have changed from an internal chair and two external members to a chair and 1-2 external members.

Assistant Professor/Researcher: Previously, the department head had to appoint an evaluation committee consisting of an internal chair and two external members. Now, the department head must appoint expert persons consisting of 1 internal chair and 1 external person.

Postdoc: Previously, the department head had to appoint an evaluation committee consisting of an internal chair and an external member. Now, the department head must appoint an expert internal chair and possibly an additional person, who can be external.

Diversity Requirements: For evaluation committees and expert persons for assistant professors/researchers, AAU requires diversity in the composition of the committees. For postdoc and PhD positions, we encourage diversity in the committee if more than one member is appointed.

The advertising periods follow the legislation in the area, which means that all positions must be posted for a minimum of 14 days. The executive management has decided that positions at the professor level must be posted for a minimum of 4 weeks, unless the department head decides otherwise.

Shortlisting will be moved
The management has approved that the department can shortlist applicants before any potential assessment committee is sent for consultation with the applicants.

According to the old rules, any potential assessment committee had to be sent for consultation with all applicants before shortlisting could begin.

Moving the shortlisting process has several advantages:

• The department can shortlist continuously during the advertisement period. This provides greater flexibility in execution and streamlines the task, especially for broad postings with many applicants.
• It should result in fewer delays in the recruitment process, as we expect to receive fewer objections to the composition of the assessment committees with this change.
• The department head and co-shortlisters will know early in the job planning process when to allocate time for shortlisting.

Who can shortlist?
The new rules state that the department head can appoint one or more members of the hiring committee to advise on shortlisting. This means that the hiring manager (e.g., section head, research group leader, etc.) can get closer to the recruitment process earlier than before. Previously, it was the chairperson of the assessment committee who advised the department head on shortlisting.

However, it can still be the chairperson of the assessment committee who participates in the shortlisting if they are part of the hiring committee.

New deadline for shortlisting
The management has decided that the indicative deadline for completing the shortlist has been changed from five working days to three working days.

For recruitments where the department must establish an assessment committee, we send the assessment committee in hearing with the candidates once the "Academic Council" has approved the assessment committee and the shortlisting is completed. The deadline has been changed from 5 working days to 3 calendar days. Once the hearing period is over and any objections have been addressed, the evaluation work begins.

The management has approved that the assessment committee should complete its work as quickly as possible and no later than within two weeks, or four weeks in situations where the department head expects many applicants to be assessed after shortlisting.

The department head can agree on a different deadline with the chairperson of the assessment committee.

According to the old rules, the assessment committee had different deadlines depending on the type of position and the number of shortlisted applicants. The new deadlines make job planning easier, and in most cases, the assessment committees will know well in advance when to allocate time to complete the assessments.

For recruitments where the department must establish an assessment committee, we send the assessments for hearing with the candidates. The deadline has been changed from 5 working days to 3 calendar days.

The management has approved a set of guidelines for the appointment and composition of appointment committees, the work of the appointment committee, and the conduct of job interviews.

The purpose is to ensure that Aalborg University always hires the best qualified applicant for the position – that is, the applicant who is both professionally and personally best qualified to perform the tasks required by the position. The purpose of establishing appointment committees and conducting job interviews is to provide a better basis for decision-making and to reduce unconscious bias.

Additionally, the guidelines ensure consistency across the university and contribute to professionalizing job interviews for the benefit of both AAU and the candidates.

The executive management has emphasized the importance of ensuring that the departments’ job planning is carried out in close collaboration with the HR department to support a quick and smooth recruitment process while addressing the challenges of converting the increasing revenue from research funds into appointments. Additionally, the consultation process in the academic councils has indicated that realistic job planning is a prerequisite for meeting the new assessment deadlines.

Job planning should support:

• Appointments occurring by the expected start date
• External research funds being realized in appointments faster
• Employer branding - applicants experiencing a professional, welcoming, and timely process.

Job planning does not have a one-size-fits-all model but must be adapted to the local needs and capabilities of the faculty/department.

Recruitment process until November 18 - Professors

A total of at least 17-20 weeks from publication until the department has conducted job interviews. Approval of the assessment committee by the Academic Council (1 week) typically runs concurrently with the advertisement.

Recruitment process from November 18 - Professors

• Advertisement: 4 weeks
• Shortlisting: 3 working days
• Hearing of the assessment committee with candidates: 3 calendar days
• Assessments prepared: 2 weeks
• Assessment heard with candidates: 3 calendar days
• Job interviews: 2 weeks (easier to plan with exact dates in advance, standardized guidelines)

A total of at least 9-10 weeks from publication until the department has conducted job interviews. Approval of the assessment committee by the Academic Council (1 week) typically runs concurrently with the advertisement.

Recruitment process until November 18 - Postdoc and Assistant Professor/Researcher

A total of at least 12-13 weeks from publication until the department has conducted job interviews. Approval of the assessment committee by the Academic Council (1 week) typically runs concurrently with the advertisement.

Recruitment process from November 18 - Postdoc and Assistant Professor/Researcher

• Advertisement: 14 days (minimum)
• Shortlisting: 3 working days
• Assessments prepared: 2 weeks
• Job interviews: 2 weeks (easier to plan with exact dates in advance, standardized guidelines)

A total of at least 6-7 weeks from publication until the department has conducted job interviews. The Academic Council does not need to approve the experts.