This page is intended to help supervisors, heads of units, and heads of divisions with the process of recruitment and appointment of PhD students.

It includes both the administrative process that you are required to follow as well as some hints and advice regarding recruitment, selection, and appointment.

Recruitment Process

The recruitment process is described in the following diagram. After the recruitment follow the admission process at the end of this page.

Recruitment process PhD student

*Must follow HR procedures in GU and Chalmers, respectively. Please consult HR.

Heads of division are responsible for the overall process, but will delegate significant parts of the work to the supervisor.

Some more explanations about the process:

Decision to open a position (Anhållan):
Fill the 'anhållan' form you find here (under 'Specifically for: Computer Science and Engineering'), detailing the motivation for creating the employment (grant) and intended duties. Notice that most PhD studentships are for 5 years and are funded 20% by teaching budget.
This form must be communicated by the head of division themself.
Approval:
This stage will include a financial check amongst other checks.
Recruitment:
Liaise with the HR representative to create an ad and an opening on ReachMee.
Some advice regarding distribution and handling of your announcement once it is available:
1. Advertise widely:
  colleagues, national and international contacts, social media, relevant mailing lists, MSc students (courses, student events), among others
2. Start scanning applications as soon as they arrive (it is possible to ask for daily mail updates from ReachMee). Get in touch with interesting candidates immediately and start checking them more thoroughly.
3. It is possible to extend the application deadline! So if you know what is the status of applicants you can make an informed decision.
4. At Chalmers, it is possible to add candidates to ReachMee even after the closure of the application. This is impossible in GU.
Choosing your candidate: (part of recruitment in chart)
See some advice below regarding how to select the student.
When you have a candidate that you want to appoint, you cannot formally give them an offer! You can tell them that you are starting a formal process for approving their position (and probably need some additional materials from them).
Discuss the candidate with your head of division and prepare the material required for formal approval of the appointment (see next).
Process description for approval by VprefPhd and HR:
The head of division needs to send a description of the recruitment and selection process. Preparation of the description can be supported by the supervisor.
How did you advertise? How many applied (genders, locations)? How many were shortlisted and why? What was the process following shortlisting? Supply a short explanation of how did your selected candidate pass this process and details about them that convinced you that they would be an appropriate student for this position.
Attach the candidate's CV, transcripts and degree certificates (BSc & MSc).
The head of division emails vprefphd.cse@chalmers.se, Robin Garnham (HR Chalmers)/Sanna Staf (HR GU) and phdadm.cse@chalmers.se for approval and administration.
Keep the division administrator informed about this.
Review eligibility for admission VPref:
At the end of the review process, your head of division will receive a decision, in the positive case an approval for the appointment of the PhD.
If you supply all the materials in an organized and easy to access way, the approval process will likely take only a few days.
Review the recruitment process HR:
At the end of the review process, your head of division will receive a decision, in the positive case an approval for the appointment of the PhD.
If you supply all the materials in an organized and easy to access way, the approval process will likely take only a few days.
Offer position:
The Head of Division (themself!) offers the position to the candidate. You can keep the candidate engaged throughout the process by telling them what you are doing and what is currently going on.
When the candidate accepts, the head of division is responsible for notifying all unsuccessful candidates. This is done differently in Chalmers and GU. The head of division (themself) needs to liaise with respective HR to follow the procedure.

Check out below the rest of the process

How to choose your candidate¹

Here are some advice regarding how to choose your candidate:

Monitor incoming applications in ReachMee (set it up to get email notifications when candidates apply).
Use a shared Excel file to have multiple faculty colleagues helping in the selection process for comments etc.
Have short (online) meeting with promising candidates, immediately after application (!) or as soon as possible.
Get in touch with references early. Try talking with references, rather than just collecting letters. Remember to ask permission from candidates to contact references (if they are leaving a place of work or similar).
Scheduling interview:
Holding interviews in place or remotely?
Some candidates might need a visa and this might affect how fast interviews can be held.
Here are two files with interview suggestions available from HR (it might be a good idea to ask them for updated versions): Recruitment of PhD students & Postdocs.pdf INTERVJUMALL Doktorander eng 160511 (SH).docx
Interview content:
1. Involve local PhD students / postdocs as shepherds for info before/during/after the interviews.
2. Present the graduate school.
3. Present the project, present the research area.
4. Seminars by interviewees attended by interview committee and others:
  1. Topic of their choice (show interest in them, ask for material beforehand).
  2. Assigned articles relevant to the research project.
    If holding physically, it makes sense that all candidates attend all talks.
5. Classic interviews with 2-3 additional colleagues.
6. Have a social program (incl. lunch(es), some dinner with shepherds)
7. 1-1 meetings with faculty
8. Hands-on assignment with candidates (1-1 or group?)
9. GET HELP from colleagues!

¹Acknowledging material courtesy of Marina Papatriantafilou.

Admission Process

Following the formal offer given to the candidate by the head of division the following has to happen:

Onboarding forskarutbildning CSE HT21.jpg

The head of division notifies VPref and PhD Adm that the candidate accepted. Add a copy of their passport (or valid European ID), supplement the proposed names of supervisor, co-supervisor, and examiner, and the suggested start date.
PhD Admin will prepare the admission decision.
Vice Prefect for PhD education approves and signs the admission decision.
PhD Admin will distribute the admission and other documents so that a contract can be prepared (by line manager and division admin/HR).
If the candidate requires a visa for PhD studies, PhD Admin will send all the required information to the candidate, who has to apply.
A few weeks before the start of the contract, PhD admin will register the student in Ladok as a PhD student.