Strengthening social justice through inclusive recruitment.

3 steps you can take towards inclusive recruitment.

1. Diversify job descriptions and advertisements.

• Avoid gendered language and biased terminology: You can avoid using language that refers explicitly or implicitly to only one gender and ensuring, through inclusive alternatives, the use of gender-sensitive and inclusive language. Here’s a useful toolkit on gender-sensitive communication.
• Showcase your commitment to diversity and inclusion. What are your public views and statements on this, and are they prominent in your materials?
• Highlight the value of diverse perspectives in achieving the organisation’s mission. Sharing the personal stories of your staff (with permission of course!) can be a really effective way of connecting your audience with your values, attracting a more diverse candidate pool and fostering an open internal culture.

1. Create inclusive interview processes.

• Standardise interview questions to ensure consistency and fairness across candidates. If you are working with an executive search partner, they will assist in the development of these.
• Train interviewers on inclusive interviewing techniques. We work closely with our clients to ensure that they assess candidates based on job-related criteria, that’s adapted to the needs of the role and needs.
• Ensure equal opportunity access to the interview process. Offering accommodations for candidates with disabilities or specific needs is just one example of ensuring equality in the interview process. It’s important to have a contact who applicants can trust for an informal conversation around adapting the process to specific needs is highly important too.

1. Cultivate an inclusive organisational culture.

• Foster an environment where all employees feel valued, respected, and included.
• Provide opportunities for professional development and advancement for individuals from underrepresented backgrounds.
• Encourage open dialogue and feedback regarding diversity and inclusion initiatives and be responsive to employee concerns.