are you looking to develop an inclusive recruitment strategy?

Diversity and inclusion ‐ they’re more than just current buzzwords. Applied correctly to your recruitment strategy they can help create a diverse team that better reflects your clients. Working with a diverse group of people helps with problem-solving by offering different perspectives. More diverse teams can be more creative too, with varied life experiences to draw upon for ideas.

So, we know why your next recruitment campaign should be inclusive. Let’s now explore how…

01 | set your goals.

Mission statements, recruitment targets, and company values aren’t just for big businesses and organisations, they can be really useful for smaller businesses too. It doesn’t have to be formal, but it is worth spending some time writing down how you would like your business to be seen in your community. As part of this task, setting goals for your recruitment is really useful. Does your team reflect the community and customers you are trying to attract? Are you confident a lack of diversity in your team isn’t putting off potential customers or stifling new ideas? If the answer is no you can take positive action in your next recruitment campaign to attract more diverse candidates.

02 | write an inclusive job advert.

The Oxford Dictionary defines inclusivity as: “The practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalised, such as those having physical or intellectual disabilities or belonging to other minority groups.”

In practical terms, this means making sure your job advert, application instructions, and job description clearly reference your commitment to attracting diverse candidates and making adjustments where they need them. Avoid using industry or in-house jargon. If you wish to attract a certain demographic to apply, consider asking someone with similar attributes to check the advert first to ensure it is enticing, and understandable, to them. Make sure your advert comes across as friendly and inviting and be sure to mention your company’s diversity and inclusion policy to make people feel welcome and encourage them to apply.

03 | make sure your job advert is seen.

Where you advertise your position can impact the type of people who apply. Large job websites and newspapers are great at attracting people actively looking for a job. Consider complementing these proven recruitment methods by posting your job advert on social media too – that way you have a greater chance of catching the attention of the talent who hasn’t thought of applying for a job yet. You could also post your vacancy on community pages and networking groups that work with under-represented groups.

04 | remove unconscious bias when shortlisting.

Hopefully, your new approach has resulted in applicants. Now you will need to choose who to select for the interview.

To make this as fair as possible it’s worth asking someone to go through the application documents, personal statements, or CVs to remove anything that may trigger an unconscious bias in the interviewers. This person should not be involved in the interview process. Asking them to remove names, schools, dates of birth and location is an effective way to ensure you have a fair and transparent shortlist.

Use a point-scoring system based on the job description so the shortlisting process is entirely transparent and fair, weighting the points against essential and desirable criteria.

05 | plan an inclusive interview.

Before you invite people to interview, ask them if they require any reasonable adjustments. This can include things like giving applicants longer to read or write, or allowing someone to attend the interview with them.

Before you disclose the location of the interview, make sure it is accessible to everyone. Consider the location of toilet facilities and access to parking. If you’re interviewing online, give people the opportunity to test their equipment ahead of time and give them clear joining instructions. Be sure to allow for technical difficulties on the day and explain at the start what to do should you get cut off – this will put the applicant at ease.

It’s best practice not to interview alone. Choose at least one other person and sit down with them to plan your roles within the interview. Come up with a broad range of questions and decide who is going to ask what. Schedule a break in-between interviews to allow you to assess the applicant’s responses. Take turns asking questions so one of you can avoid taking notes during the interview if you can and this helps you to actively listen to and engage with the candidate while the other person takes the notes.

At the start of the interview, introduce yourself and your team including job roles and a brief outline of what you do. This will help with nerves. Consider asking an ice-breaker question: not something to catch them out, keep it simple – ask what they did at the weekend or what their hobbies are. Focus on the applicant’s enthusiasm in their answers as well as the answers themselves.

Agree who you thought would best-suit your vacancy before you view their personal information. This final act will ensure no unconscious bias prior to your selection.

Finally, provide feedback to the unsuccessful candidates. This may feel like extra work, but it will really help the applicants and might just make them more determined to join your business in the future.

We can help if recruitment is on your 2023 to-do list. Our multi-platform recruitment solutions will amplify the reach of your job ads and attract the right people.

To speak to our recruitment team about your requirements click here to get in touch.