Some candidates may be internal (have another position on campus) and may be known by committee members. Some external candidates may also be known by committee members. A committee member may have encouraged promising candidates to apply for the position. These situations are not problematic unless a search committee member in unable to evaluate the candidate fairly and in a professional manner

Whether the candidate is known or unknown by members of the DSC, follow all steps in the protocol. It is inappropriate to promise the candidate special consideration. For example, if you conduct a phone interview with semi-finalists, and one semi-finalist is a lecturer in the department, do not skip the phone interview. You may be well acquainted with the candidate’s background, but you may learn things you did not know. You will see how the candidate responds to the same questions the other candidates face. It is not necessary to ignore what you know about an internal candidate’s job performance in order to treat all candidates in a non-discriminatory manner, just as you would not ignore such information about an external candidate. The objective is to evaluate all candidates fairly and professionally. If a committee member cannot be objective, recusal may be necessary.