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Advertising and Outreach

A group of adults work together at a board table. They are looking at a piece of paper together.

Each new hire at TMU is both a substantial investment and an opportunity to strengthen the university’s ability to reach new heights. Committees at TMU understand this and actively strive to attract and recruit top talent. 

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Process for ads

Template ads

The following job ad templates (external link)  are available and must be used when submitting job ads for approval to facultyads@torontomu.ca. If you do not find a suitable template for the vacancy you are recruiting for, please email us at vpfa@torontomu.ca for sample job ads.  

Approval process

Ads are to be submitted to the Office of the Vice-Provost, Faculty Affairs (OVPFA) at facultyads@torontomu.ca for feedback and approval. Please note that Department Hiring Committees (DHCs) will be asked to confirm that departmental consultation on the ad has occurred prior to submission to the faculty ads account. A  (google doc) template on departmental consultation (external link)  can be found here.

Upon receipt of the ad, feedback will be provided in a Google doc. 

Upon approval of the ad, the OVPFA will coordinate postings on the TMU careers page, CAUT and University Affairs. All other advertisements and outreach efforts are handled locally by the committees and their respective departmental staff. 

Inclusive job ads

In this video about recruiting Indigenous scholars, Dr. Hayden King talks about the importance of respectful and inclusive language in job ads. He also emphasizes several strategies (mentioned below) that have been effective in the DHCs he has served on or supported.

Do’s and don'ts for language

Here are a few do’s and don’ts to consider with respect to language in the ad:

  • Do communicate enthusiasm about your department, including exciting teaching, scholarly, research and creative (SRC) activities and partnerships underway as well as your department’s strategic priorities. At each step of the way, remember that prospective applicants are searching for a sense of belonging, so showcasing (on your website, in meetings, etc.) whatever diversity you have in your student, faculty and staff population is key. 
  • Do include language that will appeal to a broad applicant pool. When you engage in departmental consultation, ask your colleagues to give you feedback not just on the substance of the ad, but the tone and language in the ad and how it might be interpreted by different audiences. 
  • Do ask applicants to include a diversity statement in their application, demonstrating their experience and commitment to inclusive practices in teaching, SRC and service and how they would bring and apply these values at TMU. 
  • Do review the qualifications you mention in the ad very closely as they will form the basis of your rubrics/selection criteria and removing any vagueness at the outset will prevent misinterpretations and disagreements over candidates later on in your process.   
  • Do encourage applications from certain groups that your department is particularly interested in hiring from based on what the diversity data is telling you about current representation across your faculty (and student) population.

  • Don’t narrow the field so much that certain applicants with strong potential would be deterred from applying. 
  • Don’t write a “replacement” profile/ad for a departing colleague (unless it aligns with the needs and strategic priorities of the department). 
  • Don’t use language that is vague or superlatives such as “exceptional”, without linking these to more specific outcomes or performance indicators; for example instead of asking for “exceptional teaching skills”, consider something along the following lines:   
    • Exceptional teaching skills as demonstrated by, but not limited to, awards and accolades in teaching, strong teaching evaluations, creative practices in pedagogy, effective use of classroom technology, experience serving diverse learning needs and other relevant achievements.

Generating a strong applicant pool

Committees must be foresightful and strategic when looking to generate a strong applicant pool. In their videos, Dr. Dogan Tirtiroglu (external link)  and Dr. Lori Schindel Martin (external link)  talk about some of their strategies. 

Here are some additional tips to consider:  

  • Always be on the lookout. Whether or not you are recruiting, always be attentive to when you hear about strong, high-calibre people in your industry, whether they are still a student, pursuing postdoctoral work or working in industry. 
  • Strive to build diverse networks over time that will aid in finding diverse candidates. 
  • Use your networks and ask if they might know someone suitable for the position.  
  • Reach out to your colleagues within the department and across the university. Perhaps they have contacts from their previous institution of work or study. 
  • Toronto Metropolitan University has various community networks. Reach out to them with a copy of your ad and they may be able to suggest contacts or places to advertise. 
  • Promote the vacancy at professional events and conferences and through any listserves or job boards.  
  • Explore LinkedIn or other online forums, social media and discussion groups to promote the position. When promoting the opportunity on X (formerly Twitter), use the most relevant hashtags such as #higheredjobs, #highered, #cdnpse. 
  • Remember to also consider your timelines carefully as other institutions will be in the market at the same time. Consider whether you can start early.
  • Review and assess your applicant pool in the recruitment portal at regular intervals in order to determine whether additional advertising or outreach is necessary. 

Additional advertising options 

A few additional advertising options are mentioned in the below list. The options offered are general guidance and hiring/appointments committees are advised to develop an advertising and outreach strategy appropriate for the vacancy they are recruiting for. 

FAQs

How long are we required to advertise for?

Where the DHC expects to receive and consider applications from international candidates, the minimum length of time for advertisements is 30 calendar days.

Are group ads acceptable?

Group ads allow for the simultaneous advertisement of multiple vacancies within a department or Faculty however, they typically do not allow for the full extent of details that are required in ads to meet collective agreement obligations as well as immigration requirements to permit foreign hires. For these reasons, we do not recommend using group ads.

What support is available with posting our ad?

In order to assist DHCs meet their obligations under the Collective Agreement and facilitate the process for a potential foreign hire, Human Resources has assumed responsibility for coordinating the postings on CAUT, University Affairs and the Toronto Metropolitan University careers page.

Postings in any additional outlets are carried out locally through the department/school administrative support.

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