Inclusive hiring, or inclusive recruitment, is hiring candidates through understanding and valuing diversity. It takes into account your organization’s DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) initiatives, overriding unconscious or hidden biases and prejudices that can limit the pool of candidates considered for a position.
How can you practice inclusive hiring?
Reconsider your job postings
While different industries may lean towards specific channels to advertise job postings, take a second look at where you’re seeking applicants. While some job seekers rely heavily on job boards and employment websites, others may still prefer print ads and job fairs – widening where you advertise will lead to more diverse candidates.
Another area to consider is how inclusive your job descriptions are. The focus should be on language – use sensitive, inclusive, and non-discriminatory language. It may sound obvious, yet according to Forbes:
“…a majority of job ads unintentionally use language that is aggressive, gender-specific and discriminatory due to them being outdated. As a result, qualified candidates are reluctant to apply because the language in the company’s job description is telling them they’re not an inclusive workplace.”
Avoid any language that is masculine or feminine, and focus instead on essential skills or job responsibilities. It’s also a good idea to avoid industry-specific jargon if possible, as technical wording can intimidate job seekers and discourage them from applying.
Establish a diverse hiring/interview panel
One of the most effective ways to avoid (or minimize) bias is by setting up a diverse team. Having multiple people on a hiring panel will automatically eliminate hidden biases that can arise from having a single recruiter. In addition, forcing the hiring decision to be a collective process across multiple decision-makers fosters a better, more inclusive environment.
Depending on the size of your organization, there may not be a formal, established panel, but a group interview will still be more effective than a single one-on-one hiring session.
On a related note, consistency is key to having a balanced, fair hiring process. Standardizing the interview process will ensure objectivity on your organization’s end and give candidates equal opportunity to prove why they may be suitable for the job.
A few different aspects can be standardized – establish a set length for the interview, provide the same information about the job, and most importantly, ask them the same questions across the board.
Scorecards are an excellent option to evaluate all applicants objectively. Questions to focus on should revolve around a candidate’s skills, strengths, and weaknesses, and not factors like salary history.
Monitor and measure your hiring process
As with any other initiatives your organization undertakes, the only way to understand if your hiring process is improving inclusivity effectively is to measure it. So how do you measure inclusivity and see if your efforts are being rewarded?
Data, of course. In this case, human resource data is the easiest way to track your results, but it involves setting metrics that you can use to measure improvement. For instance, you can track employee retention by groups – say, gender or ethnicity.
Monitoring which employees are more likely to leave your organization can highlight areas of improvement, as they may be facing challenges that other groups don’t feel as strongly.
Performance reports and feedback are both tools that can’t be implemented enough! Keep an eye on remote and hybrid workers, as they are more likely to feel isolated and struggle to fit in with the company culture.
Your hiring process should be continually updated and adjusted as you take these measurements. Setting up a diverse hiring panel may not improve inclusivity within a week, but you should see change over time as you tweak your process.