How to hire an Adjunct Faculty

How to hire an adjunct faculty, step by step

Here's a step-by-step adjunct faculty hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an adjunct faculty job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new adjunct faculty
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an Adjunct Faculty do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The adjunct faculty hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them an adjunct faculty to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire an adjunct faculty that fits the bill.

   This list shows salaries for various types of adjunct faculties.

   Type Of Adjunct Faculty	Description	Hourly Rate
   Adjunct Faculty	Career and technical education teachers instruct students in various technical and vocational subjects, such as auto repair, healthcare, and culinary arts. They teach academic and technical content to provide students with the skills and knowledge necessary to enter an occupation.	$21-73
   Visiting Professor	Visiting professors are faculty members from an institution who must visit a host university to teach, lecture, or perform research on a topic they are knowledgeable in. These professors are required to create a positive learning environment among undergraduate students by inviting them to participate and engage in classroom activities, which can consistently enhance the learning process of their students... Show More	$26-115
   College Instructor	A certified veterinary technician is in charge of performing laboratory tests, participating in medical procedures, and performing clerical support tasks at veterinary clinics, zoos, and private laboratories. Their responsibilities often include collecting information from pet owners, studying patients' medical histories, gathering and analyzing samples from patients through various laboratory procedures, operating equipment and machines, and monitoring patients' conditions... Show More	$16-35

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Student Learning
   • Syllabus
   • Philosophy
   • Professional Development
   • Course Syllabus
   • Course Content
   • Mathematics
   • Learning Environment
   • Student Performance
   • Course Objectives
   • Blackboard
   • Social Work
   • Sociology
   • Course Curriculum

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead early childhood program initiatives.
   • Provide detail academic instruction for college students in anatomy & physiology, and medical terminology.
   • Prepare lectures, in-class exercises, and collect entirely new course materials to create a personalize syllabus
   • Inform students about course requirements, evaluation procedures, attendance and participation requirements in a course syllabus.
   • Facilitate teaching of online humanities course examining relationship between philosophy and ethics including issues relating to morality.
   • Provide instruction in accounting, economics, federal taxation, management, personnel and small business management.

   More Adjunct Faculty duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your adjunct faculty job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An adjunct faculty can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, adjunct faculties' average salary in oklahoma is 55% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level adjunct faculties 70% less than senior-level adjunct faculties.
   • Certifications. An adjunct faculty with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an adjunct faculty's salary.

   Average adjunct faculty salary

   $83,069yearly

   $39.94 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level adjunct faculty salary

   $45,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 21, 2025

   Average adjunct faculty salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	California	$129,611	$62
   2	New York	$110,542	$53
   3	Massachusetts	$108,012	$52
   4	North Carolina	$96,019	$46
   5	Florida	$91,957	$44
   6	Oregon	$86,709	$42
   7	New Hampshire	$84,979	$41
   8	New Jersey	$82,801	$40
   9	Pennsylvania	$81,717	$39
   10	Alaska	$80,007	$38
   11	Minnesota	$79,908	$38
   12	Virginia	$77,141	$37
   13	District of Columbia	$75,778	$36
   14	Arizona	$74,588	$36
   15	Nebraska	$73,385	$35
   16	Ohio	$70,134	$34
   17	Texas	$70,084	$34
   18	Kentucky	$67,671	$33
   19	Mississippi	$67,550	$32
   20	Georgia	$67,460	$32

   Average adjunct faculty salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Hca Hospital Services Of San Diego	$212,991	$102.40
   2	AdventHealth	$211,527	$101.70	29
   3	UnityPoint Health	$197,655	$95.03	22
   4	Geisinger Medical Center	$190,792	$91.73	12
   5	Central Maine Healthcare	$187,758	$90.27	13
   6	Lancaster General Health	$181,059	$87.05
   7	Roseman University	$172,862	$83.11	2
   8	Arnot Health	$168,209	$80.87	2
   9	Ohlone College	$165,503	$79.57
   10	Bon Secours Community Hospital	$161,454	$77.62	13
   11	Sotheby's Institute of Art	$156,189	$75.09
   12	Labouré College	$155,753	$74.88	4
   13	The Art Institute of Chicago	$152,967	$73.54
   14	BJC HealthCare	$151,426	$72.80	9
   15	New York University	$150,295	$72.26	149
   16	Franklin University	$149,940	$72.09	5
   17	Johns Hopkins University	$145,973	$70.18	122
   18	Community College of Rhode Island	$140,857	$67.72	12
   19	Massasoit Community College	$139,783	$67.20	16
   20	Commonwealth	$135,737	$65.26

4. Writing an Adjunct Faculty Job Description

   A job description for an adjunct faculty role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's an adjunct faculty job description:

   Adjunct Faculty job description example

   The Department of Computer Science and Information Security at Southern Utah University invites applications for adjunct faculty to teach computer science courses in the department. The preferred
   
   candidate holds a Master's degree or Ph.D. in Computer Science or closely related field. Graduate students with teaching experience or strong desire to teach are encouraged to apply.
   Duties and Responsibilities: Primary responsibilities include teaching undergraduate Computer Science courses for both majors and non-majors, use of effective teaching strategies, curriculum development, and support for the continuance
   of our accreditation efforts. Adjunct faculty are generally expected to teach face to face courses. Knowledge in Cybersecurity and/or Information Technology is a plus as there may also be opportunities to
   teach in these areas as well.
   Education and Experience Requirements: 1. Master's degree or Ph.D. degree in Computer Science or an appropriate discipline within the broad scope
   of Computer Science. 2. Commitment to quality teaching. 3. Good communication skills and the ability to interact positively with faculty, staff, and students.
   Documents Needed to Apply: 1. Resume/Curriculum Vitae 2. Cover Letter 3. Unofficial Transcripts 4. Contact information for at least 3 professional references 5. Statement of Teaching Philosophy 6. Statement of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
   Southern Utah University is committed to maintaining a community which recognizes and values the worth and dignity of every person; fosters tolerance, understanding, and mutual respect among its members; and encourages individual commitment to personal responsibilities in equal measure with personal rights. In pursuit of its goal of academic excellence, the University seeks to develop and nurture diversity. The University believes that diversity among its many members strengthens the institution, stimulates creativity, promotes the exchange of ideas, and enriches campus life. Southern Utah University does not discriminate against any member of the University community on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability status, veteran status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related condition, genetic information, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.
   
   Job Posted by ApplicantPro

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find adjunct faculties for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your adjunct faculty job on Zippia to find and attract quality adjunct faculty candidates.
   • Use niche websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit adjunct faculties, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new adjunct faculty

   Once you have selected a candidate for the adjunct faculty position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new adjunct faculty. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire an adjunct faculty?