Your Career: Partner Hiring for Staff Members Is on the Rise

Good staff members are at a premium these days, and you should do everything you can to hire and retain the best. ADVERTISEMENT [Your Career Logo]( Did someone forward you this newsletter? [Sign up free]( to receive your own copy. Good staff members are at a premium these days, and you should do everything you can to hire and retain the best. When we talk about spousal and partner hiring in higher education, everyone naturally assumes we mean professors. But increasingly, these dual hires involve staff members. Most colleges and universities have some formal operating procedures that come into play when a dual hire involves two faculty members (even if it’s a “no can do” policy). However, accommodating a staff partner of a faculty hire, or a staff partner of a staff hire, tends to be relatively unregulated and case by case. Here’s how to be better prepared to handle this type of partner hiring: - Build a network of contacts around the campus so you have a general idea of who to call — or at least who to ask about who to call — for different types of staff positions. - Get a sense of the types of staff positions that have higher turnover than others, and thus, more frequent openings. Note: Your institution’s list of high-premium positions it can’t fill is changing all the time in these peculiar years of the early 2020s. So if your information about staff hiring is two or three years old, it’s time for a refresh. - As the old saying goes, “If you want help, be helpful.” Make sure to alert your network when you have staff positions open in your college or department. Be flexible when assisting other units with staff accommodations. Continue reading: “[Admin 101: Partner Hiring for Staff Members]( by David D. Perlmutter Share your suggestions for the newsletter with Denise Magner, an editor at The Chronicle, at denise.magner@chronicle.com. If you’d like to opt out, you can log in to our website and [manage your newsletter preferences here](. ADVERTISEMENT SUBSCRIBE TO THE CHRONICLE Enjoying the newsletter? [Subscribe today]( for unlimited access to essential news, analysis, and advice. Latest Career Advice, Opinion, and News ACADEMIC WORKPLACE [More Than Half of Campus Staff Members Are Thinking About Quitting, Survey Finds]( By Megan Zahneis [STORY IMAGE]( But they’re not all set to leave higher ed. SPONSOR CONTENT | K16 Solutions [Ithaca College Finds a More Viable Solution for Migrating to its New Learning Management System]( ADVERTISEMENT ADVICE [We Need to Talk About Retirement]( By Kevin Dettmar [STORY IMAGE]( Academics value age and experience. We call it “wisdom.” But an important component of that is knowing when to call it quits. 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