Successful academic searches, where high caliber college faculty and administrators are recruited and retained, are critical to the vitality and sustainability of every institution. In higher education many faculty and administrators are thrust into the role of academic search with little preparation other than their own experience of being interviewed. Typically search committees also have to manage the process in the context of already heavy workloads. This manual provides faculty members, department heads, chairs, deans, and members of search committees with a straightforward ten-step process, using proven strategies and systematic planning, designed to facilitate group dynamics while members seek out and identify high caliber candidates and reach consensus on the best one for the institution.This book concisely lays out everything committee members need to know, replete with real life examples from diverse institutions, sample forms, timelines, and checklists. The process begins with the composition of the committee, understanding its charge, and the responsibilities of the chair and its members. It then leads the committee through the steps of drawing up the position description using input from all stakeholders, publicizing the position, evaluating resumes, planning and conducting interviews, narrowing the pool, to the final selection and negotiation processes. Throughout, the authors attend to issues of diversity and inclusion, aligning the hire with institutional goals, and avoiding legal pitfalls. Equally importantly, they set out a framework for welcoming, acclimating, and retaining new hires to ensure the return on the institution's substantial investment of time and expense to recruit them.