Over 160 search committees conducted interviews at the AHA’s 126th annual meeting this January, holding steady from last year and showing a continued recovery from the nadir of 115 in 2010.

Fifty-nine searches interviewed at tables, while 45 reserved rooms through the annual meeting Job Center. In addition, we received information about 51 searches in privately arranged suites, greatly helping candidates find the correct room in time for their interviews. The Job Center Information Booth acts as a central hub for information about searches being conducted during the annual meeting, and we encourage all committees to report their locations to us as soon as they check in.

With technology easing the process of advertising for positions, obtaining c.v.’s from candidates, and making prearranged appointments, fewer searches are using the c.v. collection service to arrange interviews during the annual meeting. While only 28 positions scheduled interviews this way in Chicago, this service provides a useful option for committees whose positions were approved late or those who wish to see a wide variety of candidates.

We received some valuable feedback from surveys distributed at the annual meeting, and we encourage candidates and search committees who didn’t get a chance to fill one out in Chicago to tell us about their experience. We are constantly evaluating the services and making changes to make the Job Center as useful and smooth as possible. We’ll report on the survey results in a future blog post.

This post first appeared on AHA Today.