In the first meeting already, the appointment committee devises criteria according to which the selection of the applicants is to take place. These selection criteria objectify the decision-making process and define binding criteria. The criteria cannot be deviated from during the entire procedure; they bind the committee as a whole, i.e. also (possibly external) committee members, the reviewers and all others involved in the selection decision.

The following are always central and indispensable, among other items:

• outstanding and relevant academic achievements (or outstanding artistic achievements in case of artistic subjects),
• peer-reviewed publications in recognized national and international journals with quality assurance,
• the willingness to commit oneself to the research goals of the department and the university,
• the potential for excellence in teaching,
• the willingness to participate in academic self-administration as well as
• social and leadership skills.

In addition to these criteria, depending on the corresponding procedure, there are a number of other criteria such as acquisition of third-party funds or the willingness to acquire them, or the submission of an outstanding research and teaching concept.

At all stages of the appointment process, care is taken to ensure that persons of any gender with comparable qualifications are also given equal opportunities. This equality of opportunity is promoted, among other things, through equality quotas for professorships set for all departments, and the appointment committees play a decisive role in achieving these quotas. Therefore, as a matter of principle - and while always maintaining professional competence - not only are the appointment committees composed on a gender-parity basis, but the reviewers are also selected accordingly. Particularly in subjects with underrepresentation of women, the appointment committees are also required to exhaust all possibilities to include as many female applicants as possible in the selection process and to actively encourage them to apply.

Further information on measures to ensure equal opportunities in appointment procedures can be found on the page Equal Opportunities.

Appointment procedures are subject to the regulations on the documentation of administrative procedures. For this reason, the decision-making process of the appointment committee is presented in the respective (meeting) minutes in a way that is comprehensible in terms of content, and it is made clear on the basis of which facts and objective arguments the committee reached its decisions.

Applicants must be absolutely certain that their application or personal data will not become public. Likewise, committee members as well as all other participants in the meetings must be assured that their opinions as well as all committee decisions will not be leaked during and after the conclusion of the procedure. For this reason, all meetings of the appointment committee and all application documents, names of reviewers, and the reviews are confidential. The members of the appointment committee and also all other participants in the meetings are instructed accordingly by the chairperson at the beginning of the first meeting or when participating in a meeting of the appointment committee for the first time.

In addition, the Appointment Commissioners of the Rectorate also work to ensure that the confidentiality of the process is maintained.

In order to implement the principle of best selection, TU Dortmund University ensures that all persons participating in the procedure are in a position to form an objective and independent opinion of the applicants. In order to make this possible, no persons may participate in appointment procedures who are to be excluded from participation in the procedure due to actual bias or apparent bias. This results from Sections 20 and 21 of the Administrative Procedure Act NRW (Verwaltungsverfahrensgesetz für das Land Nordrhein-Westfalen, VwVfG NRW).

An apparent bias can be identified if there are objectively ascertainable reasons that are likely to raise doubts about an impartial and unbiased decision (Section 21 VwVfG). It is therefore irrelevant whether the respective persons are actually biased or not.

For this reason, the members of the appointment committee as well as all other persons participating in the procedure are obliged to check whether bias exists according to Section 20 VwVfG or one of the following constellations:

• ongoing or recognizably planned close scientific cooperation,
• scientific competition with own projects and plans,
• institutional connections (e.g. affiliation with the same department or research institution, holding a substitute professorship at the same department),
• participation in mutual reviews/assessments (also in doctoral and habilitation procedures),
• economic interests or economic interests of relatives,
• dependency in official business affairs or a supervisory relationship (e.g. teacher-student relationship including the postdoctoral phase),
• close personal ties or personal conflicts.

All appointment procedures at TU Dortmund University are accompanied by the Staff Unit Appointment Management. The respective staff members support the departments personally and directly from the preliminary meeting to the appointment proposal up to the first phase after the appointment itself.

In addition, each procedure is accompanied by an Appointment Commissioner who, as an outsider of the subject area of the appointment committee, oversees the entire appointment procedure and supports the committee in making transparent and fair decisions. For more information on the duties of the Appointment Commissioner, please refer to the page Appointment Commissioner.