There is a demand for better workplace diversity, and this is only possible if businesses embrace inclusive recruitment. Diverse workforces are hugely beneficial for a business, as those with diversity in the workplace are more likely to be financially successful than those without. Workplace diversity leads to better problem solving, shared viewpoints and increased creativity. All of these help a business to outperform competitors. To create a diverse workforce, you need to be inclusive throughout the recruitment process. This guarantees a wide variety of staff and the best choice of candidates.
According to a McKinsey report, the gap between businesses with a diverse recruitment strategy and those without is continuing to widen. Luckily, there are things that you can do to ensure your recruitment process is as diverse as possible.
How to Make Your Recruitment Process Inclusive
● Make Your Job Descriptions Inclusive - When you write a job description, you need to be clear about what the role is and the skills required. Avoid using jargon and slang used by your business specifically, as this immediately puts outside candidates at a disadvantage. The description needs to make sense to those who aren’t currently working in your industry or sector.
● Be Fair When Shortlisting Candidates - If you have been clear with your desired requirements for the role, shortlisting candidates should be a relatively easy task. When you are shortlisting, make the process as fair as possible by having at least two people working on things. This makes it a lot easier to challenge any assumptions that are made. Also, assess CVs without too much personal information, as this will help you to remove any unconscious bias against diverse applicants. Things such as names, schools, date of birth and locations give a way a lot about someone’s background, and unfair assumptions could be made.
● Widen Your Search to Include Diverse Talent - You need to think about where you are placing the advertisement, and that a wide range of people will see it. Placing your job advert on websites such as LinkedIn and Indeed will ensure that it’s seen by people from every sector, niche and industry. But, you can also use social media posts and networking groups, which could help you to tap into a wider candidate pool.
● Make the Application Process Inclusive - Throughout the application process, make sure all forms and language are easy to navigate. The entire application should be designed in a way that is accessible to everyone, and it shouldn’t be likely to confuse or frustrate applicants. The more people that are able to apply thanks to inclusive recruitment, the more talent that you’ll have to choose from.
● Prepare for an Inclusive Interview - Take the time to prepare for an interview that is inclusive and embraces diversity. This will stop you from making assumptions about candidates, and help you to approach the interview based on evidence. Beforehand, agree on the questions that you will be asking and how the applicant’s answers will be scored. It’s also important to have a number of people carrying out the interview, as this will reduce the impact unconscious bias from one person could have.
There are a lot of things that you can do to ensure inclusive recruitment, and this will help to boost diversity in the workplace. Small changes such as preparing ahead of time for an inclusive interview and removing personal information from CVs can make a big difference.
