How to ensure your recruitment process is accessible
There are numerous benefits to having a diverse and inclusive workforce, however, persons with disabilities are often overlooked in this area and remain largely underrepresented in the jobs market. Persons with disabilities represent a large pool of untapped talent, with the potential to provide your organisation with unique skills and perspectives.
A key step in ensuring your workforce is diverse is ensuring your candidate search is reaching a diverse audience and that your interview process is inclusive and accessible to all potential candidates.
Outlined below are a number of considerations which should be made to ensure an accessible and inclusive selection and interview process:
- Advertising: To ensure your search for candidates reaches a diverse audience, consider how and where you advertise the role. Ensure it is obvious that you promote an inclusive workplace, and welcome applications from candidates with a range of abilities.
- Contacting: Appoint an individual within your organisation who will act as a point of contact to any potential candidates who may require further information on your recruitment process.
- Informing: Ensure candidates are provided the opportunity to inform you of particular accommodations or requirements they may have to facilitate their interview. It is also important that you allow your organisation sufficient time to meet any requests which may arise (i.e. the provision of an interpreter, the provision of any written information in large print format, etc.).
- Interviewing: It is important to ensure accessibility has been considered in the selection of the location for the interview. If you are holding interviews external to your workplace (i.e. a hotel) it may be worth performing a route appraisal from the entrance to the selected room. The availability and standard of accessible facilities, such as sanitary and parking facilities, that are provided should be confirmed prior to interviews being held. It is also worth considering whether a face to face interview is necessary – an interview via video-link may be more accommodating for the candidate.
- Testing: If it is necessary for a candidate to partake in a test at interview stage, ensure that they are accessible and do not place any persons with disabilities at a disadvantage solely because of their disability. For example; if a written test forms part of your selection process, and it is timed, it may place a person with dyslexia at a disadvantage. Consider if it is necessary to time the test, or whether suitability for the role can be demonstrated by the potential candidate in another way.
The above considerations will ensure your recruitment process is inclusive and accessible. In addition to the above, staff training should be considered in order to become a more inclusive, accessible and disability friendly workplace, as staff attitudes and awareness are key to providing an inclusive environment.
For further information about accessible and inclusive employment please find a manages guide in PDF format here.
For further information on staff training please click here.
Alternatively, if you need further information or advice in relation to accessible and inclusive employment please do not hesitate to contact one of our team on (01) 415 12 85 or e-mail [email protected].
