Recruitment FAQs

Grant-Paid roles and Postdoctoral Fellow positions will proceed as they normally do.  Research grants and contracts come from outside of Dalhousie’s operating budget. 

Part-time academic, teaching assistant, marker and demonstrator positions identified for the 2024-25 academic year will proceed as planned but may be subject to change, at the discretion of the Faculty’s dean.

The recruitment of the Dalhousie Diversity Faculty Awards (DDFA) and Canada Research Chairs (CRC) will also continue, as we work towards the federal government’s targets.   

The Student Employment Program will continue.

All other exceptions will be required to go through the Exception Request Process [login required].

Jobs posted on dal.ca/careers are either exempt from the hiring freeze (see "Who is exempt from the hiring freeze?") or the hiring team is pursuing an Exception Request Process. 

You are welcome to apply to job postings. You will be notified by email if there is a change to the status of a competition to which you applied.  

All applicants will be notified by email if there is a change to the status of a competition to which they have applied. Unless otherwise notified, your application will be reviewed in alignment with Dalhousie's usual recruitment practices. 

Yes, you will be notified by email if there is a change to the status of a competition to which you applied.  

All applicants, including those contacted for interview, will be notified by email if there is a change to the status of a competition to which they have applied.

Searches that are engaged in the reference check stage are permitted to continue to completion. Your references will continue to be checked in alignment with Dalhousie's usual recruitment practices.

Yes, all job offers will be honoured and we look forward to having you join the Dal team!

Human Resources remains available to support job seekers and applicants. 

For academic and staff competitions, please contact careers@dal.ca.

For grant-paid competitions, contact grantpaid@dal.ca.

The Talent Pathways program will remain open, and your application will be reviewed and considered for any temporary positions that are exempt from the hiring freeze.

• New applicants: Yes; all new applicants need to create an account to apply to a position. See How do I create an account? for further instruction.
• Previous Applicants: Yes; if you had applied to a position at Dal anytime before April 29, 2019, your previous login credentials from CareerBeacon are no longer valid, and you will need to create a new account. See How do I create an account? for further instruction.
• Current Employees: No; if you are a Dal employee you should not create an account. Instead, faculty and staff should log in using their NetID credentials. See How do I log in? for further instruction.

• Select Create Account in the left-hand navigational menu of the Applicant Portal at www.dal.ca/careers

• On the next page, click the Create Account green button. Follow the prompts to create your username, password etc.

• External Applicants: Select Log In in the left-hand navigational menu of the Applicant Portal (www.dal.ca/careers).

On the next page, enter your username and password, then click the Log In green button.

• Current Employees: Select Log In in the left-hand navigational menu of the Applicant Portal.

On the next page, select Current employees select this link to log in. You will then be redirected to a new page.

On the new page, select Click here to log in with your NetID & Password, and log in with your NetID credentials. You will then be automatically redirected back to the Applicant Portal in a logged in state.

Note to employees: If you receive an error when trying to log in, you may not be currently registered with a PeopleAdmin account. Please contact Talent Management at careers@dal.ca.

• If you require any support for the purpose of accommodation, specifically to reduce or remove barriers to equitable candidate assessment, please do not hesitate to contact Talent Management at careers@dal.ca.

• Dalhousie University takes privacy and confidentially of candidate information seriously. The information you submit will be viewed and used by Dalhousie University staff and faculty involved in the hiring process. 
• Human Resources employees and associated support teams will see your application as well as the search committee and other personnel involved in the decision-making process for a search. 

Please contact Talent Management at careers@dal.ca for help. Please allow 2 - 3 business days for a full response.

Candidate care means providing the best attention and support for job seekers considering joining us.

At Dalhousie we endeavor to provide the best possible candidate support, consideration, and respect. We acknowledge the time and effort job seekers have committed through the application process.

Candidates are important to us whether you are offered the job or not. If you are not chosen in a given selection process you remain a potential employee, volunteer, board or community member and we need to treat you with respect. 

We hope that you engage positively with Dalhousie and if you are not a Dal employee today, you may become one in the future. We are responsible to provide you with honest, constructive, and timely feedback throughout the application process.

Candidate care is for every job applicant. Focusing on equity-deserving groups is essential for us at Dalhousie. We understand the historic marginalization that excluded certain groups from accessing employment at Dalhousie and we work to reduce those barriers.

We have developed and have been implementing a number of strategies and plans to address such barriers including our Employment Equity Plan.  

A job offer is just that – an offer. Candidates can negotiate some aspects of the offer, including pay, start date, and potentially other details depending on the employee group agreement under which they are hired.

Remember that as a candidate, you are interviewing employers as much as you are interviewing them. Dalhousie is looking for you and your expertise. And you need to make sure you will be compensated fairly for the work you will do. Here are a few tips to help you: 

• Determine value. Be sure to consider education, related and lived experience, skills, licenses/certifications, leadership abilities, and current salary.
• Research the market while understanding that you will be paid within the salary range as specified in the posting you are considering.  Beyond salary, consider the total compensation including benefits such as pension, health and dental plan, health spending account, professional development and educational opportunities.
• Prepare an outline. Be specific on talking points, leverage details/numbers related to achievements, experience, and skills.
• Practice your conversation. Rehearse the conversation and try to anticipate questions that may be asked.
• Remain confident. Show confidence and belief in qualifications, skills, and experiences.

Learn more about offer negotiation.

We have a comprehensive Employment Equity Plan and staff dedicated to its implementation. We have resources, time and we regularly work to improve the recruitment and retention processes for equity-deserving employees. Some specific examples of support already in place include:

• Talent Pathways is a program that aims to reduce barriers to employment for job applicants who identify as members of equity-deserving groups. Dalhousie defines equity-deserving groups as Indigenous persons (especially Mi’kmaq), racialized persons including Black/African with African ancestry (especially African Nova Scotians), persons with a disability, women, and persons belonging to the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. 
• Career development opportunities through the Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development where we encourage and support career development and personal growth through our Tuition Assistance Programs. This can include tuition waivers for Dalhousie courses as well as reimbursement for non-Dalhousie credit programs or nationally recognized certifications. The tuition waiver program also extends to spouses and children of eligible employee groups for 50% of tuition fees for qualified undergraduate programs.
• Comprehensive benefits including compensation, health benefits, enhanced mental health benefits, and pension. 
• We provide support for new employees with onboarding and orientation with available resources   
• A broad range of educational opportunitiesfor faculty and staff on equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility 
• We are working to ensure that all benefits including the Employee and Family Assistance Program are more inclusive of the needs of equity-deserving groups.
• We have a dedicated Accessible Employment team that administers the Employee Accommodation Policy to provide a workplace that supports the full participation and engagement of members of the university community.
• The Dalhousie University Accessibility Planaims to make Dalhousie a more accessible and equitable employer that empowers candidates and employees to request accommodation needed to ensure an accessible and equitable work environment and practices. Examples of accommodation candidates can request include: additional time to read, comprehend and answer interview questions; frequent breaks/ stretch periods; adaptive technology devices; ans specialized equipment, such as monitor glare guards, or an ergonomic mouse or keyboard.

• Within the Dalhousie campuses there are several groups for equity-deserving employees to reach out to for information, resources, events, comradery and relatedness etc. These include the Dalhousie Black Faculty & Staff Caucus;  the Indigenous Advisory Council; the dis(ability) Caucus for Faculty and Staff (and the Queer Faculty and Staff Caucus.

• Dalhousie University is committed to fostering a collegial culture grounded in diversity and inclusiveness and correcting historic disadvantage by ensuring opportunities for underrepresented groups. 
• Dalhousie's Employment Equity Policy establishes the university’s commitment and outlines how employment equity will be implemented throughout the hiring process.
• Dalhousie’s Employment Equity Policy states Dalhousie's commitment to employment equity and instituting active measures to eliminate discrimination and to reverse the historic under-representation of Indigenous peoples (especially Mi’kmaq), members of racialized minority groups (especially historic African Nova Scotians), persons with disabilities, women, and persons belonging to sexual orientation and/or gender identity (SOGI) minority groups within its workforce.
• Dalhousie’s Policy is consistent with the Government of Canada Employment Equity Act and the Nova Scotia Human Rights Act.
• Please visit Fair Hiring Practices for more information.

Priority considerations for currently faculty and staff members vary by type of position and employee group or union. Please refer to the Application Consideration section of the job posting for information related to a specific search.

• Click on the gold buttons labelled Faculty, Staff, Postdoctoral Fellows or Part-Time Academics to find positions within those categories. Positions with our Facilities Management group (Trades, Security, Custodial) and Grant-Paid opportunities fall within the Staff category.
• You may search all positions by selecting click HERE to view all postings at the top of the screen or Search Jobs in the left-hand navigational menu. There is also a search function available within each category.

• Learn more about an advertised opportunity by clicking View Details on a posting of interest.

• Review the position details in full. To apply, click Apply for this Job at the top of the screen. Follow the prompts to upload your application documents, complete the self-identification questionnaire and submit your application. A confirmation code will display onscreen when your application has been successfully submitted. 

• Dalhousie University is unable to accept applications outside of the online Applicant Tracking System. Completion of a workforce questionnaire is a required element of the application process which all applicants must complete. The questionnaire provides an opportunity for applicants to self-identify as member(s) of equity-deserving group(s) so that Dalhousie’s Employment Equity Policy can be applied during the hiring process. As well, Dalhousie requires direct consent to collect applicant information. Both the self-identification form and consent certification are built into the online submission process, therefore the online application system must be used.

• Application requirements vary by type of position. Please refer to the Documents Needed to Apply section at the bottom of each job posting for required and optional documentation needs. You will be prompted to attach these documents during the application process. An application cannot be submitted without the required documents.

• You will receive a confirmation email following successful completion of the application process.
• You can also confirm the status of your application through your account. Click Your Applications in the left-hand navigational menu. This next screen will list all your saved and submitted applications.
• Submitted applications will appear in the Completed Applications section and will list a confirmation number. You can also view the job posting, your submitted application and withdraw from the competition should you choose.
• Applications that need further action appear in the Applications to Complete section. Such applications require further action and have not been submitted.

• You can edit your application if it has not yet been submitted. To do so, click Your Applications in the left-hand navigational menu. 
• Click on Application in the Application Materials column beside the relevant job title to edit the application. Be sure to submit the application prior to posting close date.
• If you have already submitted the application, it cannot be edited. In special circumstances, it may be appropriate to contact Human Resources to request a change (e.g. to update your contact information).
• You can withdraw your completed application at any time. Please see How can I withdraw my application? for more information.

• Consideration may be made in consultation between Human Resources and the search committee under exceptional circumstances. 
• For unionized staff positions, late applications are not accepted. 
• Please contact Talent Management at careers@dal.ca for further guidance.

• Click Your Applications in the left-hand navigational menu and then find the competition you applied to in the Completed Applications section.
• You will see the headings Confirmation Number, Posting Number, Status, Application Date, and Application Materials. The status of the competition will be listed under the Status heading.

• Click Your Applications in the left-hand navigational menu.
• Find your application in the Completed Applications section.  
• Click Withdraw Application and follow the steps. 
• When complete, you will see the Status change to Withdrawn in the Completed Applications section.
• Please note that if you withdraw from a competition you cannot re-apply to the same competition.

• Dalhousie University sincerely appreciates the interest and efforts of all applicants. However, due to the volume of applications received, only applicants invited to interview will be contacted. Invitations for interviews may be extended several weeks after a position closes.

All interviewees will be notified of the status of their candidacy after the hiring decision has been finalized.