“…The obvious wisdom resulting from your experiences as accomplished educational leaders provided much credibility and great comfort...as you both know the qualities and traits necessary for leadership and it is quite obvious that you were able to tailor this search to meet the demands of our growing and unique school…”
Find Faculty Search Process
Develop Leadership Profile
ISS engages deeply with the client to become knowledgeable of the School and its strategic priorities, and develops a Leadership Profile of the qualities required in the new Executive.
- ISS’ search consultant meets with or Skype’s key constituents to better understand the ethos and priorities of the School. The ISS consultant conducts school-community facilitations, engaging in a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) analysis.
- Leadership Profile is developed based on a review of the School, its key documents, literature, accreditation reports and the personal interviews with the stakeholders. Stakeholders include: staff, administrators, the incumbent Head or Principal, the Search Committee, students, parents, business leaders, city officials (if applicable) and of course the Board.
- Written results including SWOT analysis and the ‘Desired Qualities’ is presented to the Board for action. This forms the basis of the Leadership Profile against which candidates are assessed.
- ISS works with the client to recommend the very best candidates who meet the Leadership Profile, and who are committed to the Mission of the School.
Establish Recruiting Requirements
Discussion points with Board or its representative(s) include:
- Desired profile of candidates suitable for the post, including but not limited to qualifications, qualities sought and experiences desired
- Competitive remuneration package and key benefits for candidates
- Agreement on the best advertisement options and strategies: ISS’ website, emails sent to all ISS member schools and ISS administrators’ database, postings in national and international periodicals and websites, along with higher education, business and independent schools journals.
- Key elements to be included in the vacancy notice
- Issues facing the school short-term and long-term, including strategic priorities and challenges
- Time schedule, confidentiality and stakeholder outreach
- *Whenever possible and at the client's discretion, ISS Executive Search Team Leader is available to meet with the client's Search Committee and/or Board via Skype or conference call.
Candidate Vetting & Final Selection
ISS makes initial contact with applicants and screens to a long-list of candidates or semi-finalists, based on the Leadership Profile. The pace of the process is rapid and qualified, screened candidates are forwarded to the Search Committee as they are vetted. When the right candidates are identified, the process will move to on-site visits with stakeholder review and feedback.
Applications
To help our clients in its selection process, consistently formatted dossiers are presented, which include:
- ISS application form and procedures
- Letter of application/interest
- Current curriculum vitae/resume
- Statement of philosophy and personal statements
- Three current, confidential letters of reference from immediate supervisors
- A list of 3 confidential reference contacts
ISS Initial Screening
Vetted candidates with completed applications are interviewed via Skype or conference call by the ISS search consultant. Each interview is approximately 45-60 minutes and the School will receive notes and/or audio of each candidate interviewed.
Semi-Finalist Candidates
ISS narrows the candidate pool to a long-list (six to eight) of highly qualified candidates. ISS then conducts reference and validation checks of semi-finalist candidates, matching their stated achievements with their application information.
- Candidates are required to submit three current written references of those who have acted in a supervisory capacity. Through extensive reference checks, utilizing the team’s extensive network of contacts in overseas schools, an in-depth assessment of the candidates’ qualities is validated.
- Reference checks are thorough and go beyond the three written recommendations of the candidate dossier. Reference checks are shared with the Board.
- Further reference and background checks are conducted once candidates emerge to the finalist stage. Results of telephone interviews and reference checks are the property of the board.
- The Search Committee is now ready to interview key and highly qualified candidates
Finalist Candidates
Finalist candidate(s) are invited for a site-visit to the school. ISS recommends that stakeholder voices are heard in the process.
- With assistance from ISS, the client plans and advertises on-site forums for finalists
- Finalists go through a comprehensive schedule of meetings with teachers, students, community members, parents, administrators, support staff, city officials and business leaders (if applicable)
- Feedback forms are developed based upon the Leadership Profile. This approach results in candidates assessed against criteria rather than one another—thus avoiding a win-lose perception among stakeholders.
Final Selection
Finalist candidate(s) are invited for a site-visit to the school. ISS recommends that stakeholder voices are heard in the process.
- Feedback forms are collated and shared with the Board and used in the final decision. The Board is now prepared to select the new School Executive.
Transition Support & Our Warranty
ISS offers additional services of transition management, including:
- Developing a mentoring program for the appointed candidate for a period of one year from the date of his/her appointment
- Setting the criteria for performance evaluation
- Ongoing leadership coaching and consulting
- Other critical "bridge" activities.
Previous clients have commented on how beneficial this transition work is in helping excel the performance and induction of a leader into the school and community so that they can “hit the ground running” and most effectively apply their leadership to the school’s most pressing issues. The nature, scope and cost of the services will be determined on a case by case basis.
Important Considerations:
1. Searches that do not result in a new Head or Principal
ISS is committed to the success of the search it starts and will take extraordinary measures to ensure the client is satisfied. In the unlikely event that a search does not result in a successful conclusion, ISS will assist with another search at no further costs other than expenses. If it is too late to consider another new search for the coming academic year, ISS will assist with the search and selection of an interim Head or Principal and then will begin a new search, once again at no further cost other than expenses.
2. Warranty
ISS, as a service organization to its member schools throughout the world, will not jeopardize its longstanding commitment to high quality service for its members and offers a warranty for its services. ISS shall guarantee client satisfaction with the process and the result. This shall be assessed by the selection and hire of the new Head or Principal. Should the successful candidate not complete the first 2 years of the initial contract, ISS will conduct another search at no further cost other than expenses.
For further guidance or more information, contact Dr. Paul DeMinico via email at pdeminico@iss.edu or phone 1-603-520-2783; 1-609-452-0990 ext. 307.