A Guide to Inclusive Recruitment

Inclusivity not only helps people who need extra support, but everyone. It makes the hiring process streamlined and reduces stress in candidates. There are several practices you can implement into your recruitment process to open your company up to a wider talent pool, providing a competitive edge and fostering a progressive work environment.

The importance of a diverse and inclusive workplace

Before we delve into inclusive recruitment practices, it is critical to recognise the importance of a diverse workplace; the result of inclusive recruitment.

Fairer processes attract a wider pool of candidates which increases your chance of finding the best candidate for the role. Also, people who might be overlooked in traditional recruitment processes but are highly qualified now have the opportunity to be hired.

Having a workplace with people from varying backgrounds and experiences is beneficial when it comes to problem-solving and innovation as people will contribute different perspectives and ideas. Inclusion also fosters a work environment where people feel safe sharing new ideas. This can also create a competitive edge as companies who are more equipped to innovate can adapt better to market change which secures financial performance.

A safe workplace is a huge contributor to employee satisfaction and retention as employees feel valued and included. This reduces turnover, saving the organisation time and money. This also further contributes to employer brand and reputation. If your organisation is known to be progressive and an inclusive place to work, people will be attracted to work with you or engage with your product.

Job Description

The advert and job description are the first things a potential candidate will engage with. It is vital to get it right and not turn people off from your role with inaccessible language or requirements.

Avoid using gendered language, especially for roles that are typically associated with a gender. For example, use they instead of he/she and effective instead of strong.

In a similar vein, the use of company or sector jargon can exclude people trying to break into the industry and make reading more difficult to comprehend, especially for those with reading difficulties.

Think about the essential requirements for the role, are they necessary or preferred? Aspects like a driver’s license for roles where travel is not an essential part of the job’s duties exclude people with disabilities and those who cannot afford a car. Instead, state reliable transportation is preferable as it includes all forms of transport.

It is also great to add in the job description that accessibility needs can be accommodated during the interview and include your inclusion and diversity statement. This puts the onus on the recruiters and not the candidate.

When reviewing applications and CVs try removing identifiable information such as names or educational institutions, this ensures you are focused on their skills and qualifications in an unbiased manner.

Interview

Be prepared to offer accommodations. Think about wheelchair and non-step access, sign language interpretation, and providing multiple dates/times.

An easy accommodation of letting the candidate sit where they feel most comfortable can make a big difference in someone’s performance. Take into consideration, lighting, noise and how busy the space is.

Providing the questions beforehand benefits everyone, interviews should not be a test of memory and thinking on the spot but a showcase of experience and personality. This can be especially helpful for neurodivergent candidates as it removes an added layer of anxiety and stress processing unseen questions.

To avoid internal bias, a scoring rubric can be helpful as everyone is marked against the same criteria. Be mindful of bias triggers such as accents, religious or cultural dress, or communication differences, for example not holding eye contact and not shaking hands.

Post Interview

Providing constructive feedback is very important to candidates, it can highlight to them areas in which they can improve or desirable skills they could attain. It can also take the guesswork out of job seeking, knowing for sure the outcome of an interview and not being left waiting for a reply.

Feedback is also valuable the other way around. Allow candidates to review you, tell their experience and highlight ways you can improve. This is a great way to get a perspective on your recruitment process different from those on the hiring team.

Resources

To hear from neurodiversity experts on steps recruiters can take to support neurodiverse jobseekers, watch our webinar “How recruiters can support neurodiverse candidates”.