Let us begin by clarifying: The question in the headline isn’t ‘do you hire diverse talent?’ It’s ‘is your hiring process inclusive?’
There’s a big difference.
What is an inclusive hiring process?
An inclusive hiring or recruitment process not only recognizes the importance of hiring diverse talent but embraces the needs of diverse candidates. It goes beyond the tokenistic search for candidates of different races or genders and instead engages equitable hiring practices that overcome unconscious biases and make all candidates feel empowered to put their best foot forward throughout the recruitment process.
The benefits of an inclusive recruitment process
A diverse workforce brings a distinct mix of viewpoints and opinions into the business, but it takes an inclusive culture to really reap the benefits of those perspectives. So, doesn’t it make sense that this inclusivity begins from the candidates’ very first touchpoint with your company?
As candidates progress through the recruitment process, they want the opportunity to put their best foot forward. As an employer, giving all candidates this opportunity through equitable processes means great talent won’t be overlooked.
So, we’ve put together a checklist to make sure your hiring processes truly are inclusive.
☑️ Are your job descriptions inclusive?
To create a welcoming and inclusive environment in the early stages of your hiring process, it is critical to use inclusive language that invites candidates in. Job descriptions (along with all your other recruitment communications) should be written without gendered language, jargon, or idioms that can make potential candidates feel excluded.
The complexity of your job description also plays a role. Use short, simple sentences that emphasize the must-have skills for a candidate, rather than an exhaustive list of qualifications. Listing every possible qualification is not only intimidating, but when you really think about it, does the role really require them all?
For instance, if you consider a degree from a top university essential, think again. Elite universities are not known for their diversity. It’s much harder for people of color, those from lower socio-economic backgrounds, and those with disabilities to attend and excel at these institutions.
And does the candidate really need a driving license? Requiring a driving license when it isn’t essential restricts people with disabilities who might not be able to drive.
Finally, pay attention to your formatting. Italics and underlining can make it difficult for candidates with dyslexia or visual impairments to read your job posting. Stick to large fonts and bold words that you wish to emphasize.
We also recommend explicitly stating your company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion within job descriptions. Link to employee resource groups, codes of conduct, and other company-wide initiatives to help candidates understand how your organization supports its employees. Also include a reasonable accommodations statement that ensures candidates with mobility, vision, or hearing needs can participate.
☑️ Is your recruitment advertising inclusive?
In addition to writing your job descriptions carefully, it’s critical to make sure your careers site is accessible to all viewers.
Some of the most common difficulties job seekers with disabilities experience with careers sites include:
- Complex navigation: If your website isn’t programmed with accessibility in mind, it can be hard for screen readers to navigate.
- Keyboard accessibility: Can someone navigate your entire website without the use of a mouse?
- Poor screen contrast: Ensure that people with color blindness or low-vision impairments can use your website by testing design elements for proper color contrast.
- Video captions: If you have a video on your careers page, do you have transcripts and captions so hearing-impaired prospective applicants can still consume your content?
Beyond your own platforms, it’s also important to check if your sourcing strategies are too narrow for true inclusivity. If you only advertise in spaces that certain candidates will access, you’ll only get one type of candidate. By switching up the way you’ve always done things, you can connect with applicants who may not have seen your open job position in the past.
☑️ Is your shortlisting process inclusive?
When screening candidates, our biases around social interactions can come into play. It can be incredibly difficult for humans to completely eliminate bias, particularly if it is subconscious.
To avoid this, some organizations might use an AI recruitment tool to screen their candidates objectively. However, AI is not automatically free from bias either. So, if your process does include AI software, it’s crucial to ensure the software is enabled for customization. This way, not only can you adjust the tool to fit the unique and specific needs for each role, but you can also regularly check for any imbedded human bias.
For those who don’t use AI tools, it’s best practice to have at least two people shortlisting in a formal meeting setting. And ideally, the team should be made up of diverse team members. When people with varied perspectives filter candidates, the group can challenge each other’s biases.
Assessing CVs without including any personal information is also an effective way to remove any bias against diverse applicants. And scoring applications against objective criteria is an obvious must-do to eliminate bias and encourage merit-based shortlisting.
And if your shortlisting processes include role-specific tasks, avoid limited timed assessments. Many people with cognitive disabilities or neurodiversity or those using assistive technology require extra time to navigate a website and complete tasks.
☑️ Is your interview process inclusive?
Interviews are still the most popular selection method amongst employers. But to ensure an inclusive process, interviewers need to be careful that they allow candidates to properly demonstrate their skills and suitability for the role and avoid making an inappropriate snap judgement on the individual.
Look for ways to bring diverse team members into your hiring process. Part of setting the right interview tone is to have as diverse a panel as possible. This is a chance to actively demonstrate that you are a diverse organization reassuring candidates that you employ people like them.
While your job description might include a statement for reasonable adjustments, does your interview process proactively check whether the interviewee needs any of these adjustments?
As virtual recruiting has become the new normal, interviews will now often occur using video calls where the background may be the candidate’s home – and this invites new challenges to remain inclusive.
If you plan to use video interviews, set all your candidates up for success by providing video interview best practices in advance and including recommendations for lighting and audio.
Also, when conducting video interviews, it’s important to note that candidates may not have access to the latest technology at home or could be sharing living space with limited private or quiet areas. These factors do not impact how well a candidate could do the job. Being aware of how background visuals and noise impact your perspective of a candidate’s professionalism or organizational fit is critical and can help to address unconscious bias head-on by naming it.
☑️ Is your onboarding process inclusive?
Surveys have found that about 30% of jobseekers will leave a job within the first 90 days of hiring. A well-developed onboarding program for the first 90 days makes all the difference in the world when it comes to engagement and retention.
Within that first 90 days ensure there’s time allocated to introducing your new team members to the leads from your employee resource groups.
Adopting and promoting a flexible work policy will also not only assist in attracting diverse talent and fostering an inclusive workforce, but letting new recruits access this policy from day one is important too.
What it looks like when you get it right
Examples of inclusive hiring processes and testimonials for their benefits from our Endorsed Employers:
Have any of the employers from the examples above inspired you?
Be sure to see the other great work they’re doing in the diversity, equity and inclusion space by checking out their Endorsed Employer Pages: