Guidelines for Applicants for Academic Positions at the Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University

These guidelines are designed for anyone wishing to apply for an academic position at the Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University. The guidelines explain what applications must contain and how to upload applications via the online application form at the bottom of job advertisements on Aarhus University’s job portal.

1. Rules for recruitment process

A range of national rules and formal guidelines apply to job advertisements, assessments and appointment procedures at the Faculty of Arts, Aarhus University.

The current rules regarding job advertisements and the form and content of assessments are stated in:
The ministerial order on the appointment of academic staff at universities

The qualification requirements and job content for each category of position are stated in:
The job structure 

2. Applications and appendices

A complete application consists of the application itself and a variety of appendices. Applications must be submitted electronically by the application deadline using the online application form at the bottom of the job advertisement in question. 

Applicants are responsible for ensuring that the correct appendices are uploaded. Applications received after the closing date will not be assessed.

Applications must be uploaded under the point called “Applications” in the online application form. 

2.1 Content of applications

Applications must contain your motivation for applying for the position in question as well as an account of your academic qualifications in terms of research, teaching, talent development and knowledge exchange.

This means that applications, based on the wording of the job advertisement, must contain sections explaining your:

1. Research qualifications in relation to the wording of the job advertisement.
2. Research plan for the upcoming years, including (when relevant) the organisation of research seminars, symposiums and conferences.
3. Teaching qualifications and experience, as well as any experience of developing degree programmes and coordinating degree programmes or courses.
4. Experience of teaching and supervising PhD students.
5. Any other relevant university experience, for instance organisational coordination and management, responsibility for research seminars and conferences, funding for research projects and internationalisation activities.
6. Activities relating to research communication and knowledge exchange.
7. Periods of leave (if any).

Applications must be drawn up in the language (or one of the languages) required in the job advertisement (normally English or Danish).

Professional references or recommendations should not be included in applications. Applicants who are selected for a job interview may be asked to state professional references.

2.2 Appendices and documentation

The wording of the job advertisement will stipulate which documents and appendices should be enclosed with your application. The following documents are normally required:

1. Curriculum vitae, including any experience of research organisation, PhD supervision, research communication/knowledge-exchange activities (lectures, academic visiting lectures, conference contributions of a communicative nature, exhibitions etc.)
   Please upload under “C.V.”
2. Relevant documentation of educational qualifications: copies of exam certificates, PhD certificate, documentation of relevant courses and continuing education in research management (for instance).
   Please collect and upload under “Exam certificates”.
3. A complete list of publications specifying the place and year of publication Works that are enclosed should be marked with an asterisk (*). There should also be a numbered list of the enclosed academic publications, stating the author, title, and year and place of publication. Please collect and upload under “List of publications”.
4. Academic production: For positions at professor and associate professor level, a maximum of eight academic publications should be uploaded. For positions at assistant professor and postdoc level, a maximum of five academic publications should be uploaded. The status of each publication must also be stated (published/being published/in manuscript form respectively).
   Please upload individually under “Publications”.
5. Any co-author statements for the enclosed publications must also be enclosed (download co-authorship statement form).
   Please upload under “Co-author statement”.
6. Documentation of any contractual research collaborations with companies, organisations or public-sector institutions.
   Please collect and upload under “Exam certificates”.
7. Teaching portfolio. Please see below for a detailed description of the content.

A teaching portfolio is a cohesive description (with documentation when relevant) of your teaching experience. The following elements may be included, but the portfolio should not exceed a total length of 15 pages including documentation of:

• Completed teaching of relevance to the position in question (number, types and levels of courses).
• Experience of supervision (at Bachelor’s and Master’s level).
• Continuing and further education activities.
• Courses completed in university pedagogics or other pedagogical courses.
• Experience of working in teams of teachers, collegial supervision etc.
• Experience of degree programme management and coordination as well as degree programme development, including continuing and further education.
• Contributions to the development of subject areas, subjects or disciplines.
• Contributions to textbooks or teaching material.
• Other experience in the area of teaching and university pedagogics.
• Examples (including comments) of teaching plans, teaching material used and guidelines.
• Evaluations by students (from at least two different classes, if possible).
• Other areas which can be used as a basis for assessment include experimental and development projects, teaching-related research projects in collaboration with other institutions, work on new methods of working or forms of examination, cross-disciplinary collaboration, IT, internationalisation, internships, continuing education courses and general institution development of relevance for teaching.

Please collect and upload under “Teaching portfolio”.

3. Further assessment process and final decision

The academic assessment is performed by an assessment committee of experts, the majority of whom are not affiliated with Aarhus University. Applicants will be informed of the identity of committee members. The assessment committee is charged with producing an assessment report on each applicant which states whether or not the applicant is qualified for the position in question. The assessment is not expected to exceed two or three pages – no matter what category of position is involved. A copy of the assessment report will be sent to each applicant electronically by way of information. 

A final decision can be expected no later than six months after the application deadline.

December 19 2014