Inclusive Hollow Words

Hiring Disabled People is more than hollow, inclusive words written on job adverts.

"We hire people of all backgrounds."

"Diverse People make our business."

"We welcome applications from all communities."

These statements, despite at times being written with the best intent, can appear tokenistic.

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Let's consider your recruitment process, how accessible and inclusive actually is it?

Have your hiring teams had AAA training?

Accessibility, Adjustments/ Accommodations, and Ableism Training. What about Neurodiversity training? This means going beyond legal requirements and considering the person behind the application and what actions your team should be taking accountability for, such as bias, communication, language, etc.

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Are your job adverts written to include or are they excluding us before we've even hit apply?

Must hold a licence. – Unless I am applying for a role that requires us to drive, this is exclusionary.

Must be able to sit/stand for long hours. – Unless I am a statue, this is exclusionary.

Thrives in a bright, energetic environment – Although this might sound engaging, it's potentially a Neurodivergent person's worst nightmare.

Consider the language of your job advert. Keep it jargon-free, use clear language, and avoid exclusionary comments like above.

Have you taken steps to ensure your website and job adverts are accessible?

We tell candidates to do their homework on a company and know who it is they're applying for. But how can we do that if your website and application are not accessible?

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Do you offer alternative formats for applications?

Remember, PDFs, unless they're made accessible, are not compatible with assistive technology.

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What about CVs?

Does your team hire for toxic "culture fits," or do they recognize the importance of transferable skills and accomplishments? And do they follow up with questions about gaps in employment, rather than making assumptions? It is important to consider many Disabled people face barriers to employment and retaining employment due to inaccessible toxic work cultures, our CV will not tell you about our past discrimination and traumas with employment.

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Are your team aware of their own unconscious bias?

What are you doing to address this? How are you removing bias from your recruitment process?

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Are you providing an equitable experience for everyone, or do you still rely on a one-size-does-all approach?

Not everyone thinks, learns, or communicates the same, stop seeing difference as a way to reject applications.

Can a candidate request an adjustment/accommodation at any time?

And do your hiring team know what to do with this information? Are you also reassuring candidates that this information is confidential?

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Do you ask candidates their preferred way to communicate?

Or are we relying on everyone being able to communicate the same way?

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Are you providing interview questions ahead of time?

Make this the standard. We want people to bring their best selves to the interview, why wouldn't we want them to feel prepared?

Are you being Flexible?

Some candidates might need additional time, questions reworded or they might need short breaks during interviews.

Do you offer alternative ways to interview?

In-person, on Teams / Google Meets/ Zoom, or with a Sign Interpreter.

Are your interviews inclusive?

Are you judging candidates on body language, eye contact, and other neurotypical conditions? Do you provide a distraction-free environment and can candidates get in the building (if in person)?

Are you relying on assessments and testing to measure a candidate's suitability?

Not everyone tests well. These assessments and tests don't prove suitability for a role, they will only identify people who think a certain way.

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We have questions for you too.

Remember, you aren't just interviewing us, we are interviewing you too. Can your hiring team answer questions about Employee Resource Groups/Networking Groups within your organisation? Can they answer questions about accessibility, adjustments, or specific Disability Policies?

Oh and please be sure to provide constructive feedback if we are not successful. Being ghosted only creates doubt that it was our Disability and/ or Neurodivergence that was the problem.

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Adding an inclusive statement to your job advert seems like good intent. But behind this intent, there needs to be accountability to remove and reduce barriers that hollow inclusive statements do not hide or negate.

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There needs to be action and continuous improvement to ensure that Recruitment Processes are equal and equitable for everyone.

#MondayMotivation #Ableism #DisabilityInclusion #Recruitment #NDEAM