Inclusive Hiring Strategies for Success
In today’s work environment, inclusive hiring practices are becoming increasingly vital to an organization’s success. Inclusive hiring recognizes the diversity and embraces a wide range of perspectives that candidates bring to the organization.
In today’s work environment, inclusive hiring practices are becoming increasingly vital to an organization’s success. Inclusive hiring recognizes the diversity and embraces a wide range of perspectives that candidates bring to the organization. More than recruiting people from different backgrounds to check a box, inclusive hiring practices provide an even playing field for all applicants. This process is free from biases for or against a group of candidates. It’s a hiring process based on performance to find the best possible candidate to provide an equal opportunity to all regardless of background.
Inclusive hiring strategies for your organization
1. Write inclusive job descriptions
Start by using inclusive language for hiring. This includes leaving out gender-based language and terms and industry jargon. When choosing the job title, leave out any gender or industry preference hints. Use short sentences and brief paragraphs instead of italics or underlying words to explain the position. Emphasize responsibilities rather than requirements, including removing degree requirements when they are not essential.
2. Optimize your website for accessibility
Even if you’re not listing open positions on your website, you should optimize it for accessibility. Make sure language is inclusive throughout the website. Instead of stock photos, use authentic images of your team (with permission). Also, use dyslexia-friendly fonts and different types of content to be as inclusive as possible. Work with your web development team to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) when optimizing your website.
3. Expand where you advertise job openings
Inclusive hiring strategies also depend on where you’re advertising job openings. Many candidates still seek employment using print ads, social networks, or tier mobile devices to find job openings. Use different places for seeking new employees to open up the chances of recruiting from a more diverse group. Some job listing websites focus on attracting diversity and inclusivity; make sure to look into these options to help expand your pool of candidates.
4. Establish a diverse interview panel
Beyond the job postings, how you handle interviews can help promote inclusivity throughout the hiring process. Having a diverse interview panel can help reduce bias. Depending on your organization, you can implement different interview requirements to create a diverse board that includes people from different backgrounds. If this isn’t available, gather the best on your team to conduct a group interview – the more different personas, the better.
5. Standardize the interview process
Lastly, to ensure all your inclusive hiring strategies work, you must standardize the interview process. Use an interview guide and prepare a script with questions specifics about the role. Create interview scorecards and assess candidates on job-related categories. Having a standard process will remove some of the bias and focus on performance. Avoid asking questions about salary history as this is not an indicator of a candidate’s abilities. The same goes for personal or family-related questions, as this can lead to bias assessments of candidates.
Why is inclusive hiring important?
From a business perspective, inclusive hiring practices strengthen company reputations, which can help attract valuable talent in a competitive market. Inclusivity sets the foundation for a more diverse workforce as well. Overall, having inclusive hiring practice is perhaps one of the most ethical ways to build a business; it helps companies avoid adverse impact and disparate treatment claims that can damage your organization. Even if you can’t overhaul your entire hiring process, incorporating these small changes can help work your way to a more inclusive hiring system.
