Inclusive Recruitment Guide

by Maureen Andrade

A diverse workforce positively impacts employee engagement, reduced turnover, better decision-making, and increased productivity when organizational cultures are characterized by equal pay, opportunities to voice one’s perspectives and participate in decision-making, and open communication (Rocio et al., 2018). Barriers to achieving diversity include lack of prioritization, metrics, and time on the part of leaders (Affirmity, 2023).?

Worker attitudes toward the value of DEI (diversity, equality, and inclusion) initiatives vary with few ranking it as very important, women viewing it as more important than men, and more than half of respondents in a U.S.-based national survey feeling that their organizations pay sufficient attention to it (Pew Research Center, 2023). However, most respondents also agreed that success is easier for those who are White and male compared to those who are women, Black or Hispanic.?

Organizations can attract a more diverse applicant pool, and consequently, build more innovative organizations by implementing effective hiring strategies.?

Gender-neutral job descriptions?

Gendered-coded words impact who applies for a job; women may not apply if a posting has masculine-coded language (Gaucher et al., 2011). They may feel the position is not a good fit or that they will not be competitive. In contrast, the impact feminine-coded language on men is less pronounced. It does not lessen the appeal of the job or create feelings of not belonging. Examples of masculine-coded words are leadership, analytics, determined, and decisive. Feminine-coded words include responsibilities, support, connect, and cooperation.?

Gender language decoders for job advertisements can help resolve this issue. Employers can copy and paste their postings into a decoder and receive a report of masculine- and feminine-coded language. They can then adjust their postings to invite a broader range of applicants. A few such tools are highlighted below:?

• Gender decoder - lists male- and female-coded words
• Ongig – identifies gender bias and gender-coded words and suggests replacements identifies complex sentences and vocabulary, jargon, biases, and content omissions
• Totaljobs Gender Bias Decoder – identifies male- and female-coded words
• UInclude?– identifies gender and racial biases and aspects of tone that may be too formal
• Applied - ?identifies gender, racial, and educational biases; provides a readability score

For further information, see:

How to Create Gender Neutral Job Descriptions: 5 Helpful Tools for You to Use

Mitigating bias in interviews?

Biases in the interview process need to be identified and avoided. Common, but often unrecognized, biases include the following:?

• Stereotyping
• Asking different questions of different candidates
• Drawing conclusions based on first impressions
• Assuming a person has additional positive traits based on evidence of a single positive trait – the halo effect
• Being unduly influenced by a single negative trait - the horn effect
• Not recognizing when candidates are answering to impress rather than being candid
• Forming impressions based on body language
• Comparing candidates to each other rather to a standard
• Feeling affinity for candidates similar to oneself
• Finding fault with all candidates?

(Society for Human Resources Management, 2023)

Bias-free interview processes include the following practices:?

1. Forming diverse hiring committees with members who will provide a range of perspectives and insights on the candidates; or conduct multiple interviews led by people who have expertise related to the job duties.
2. Avoiding unstructured interviews; ask a standard set of questions of each candidate to allow for comparisons and prevent unconscious bias.
3. Using a rubric that lists required skills, typically the same ones posted in the job advertisement. This helps avoid hiring based on gut feelings or intuition.
4. Taking notes during the interview to capture impressions; use a standard format for each candidate.
5. Minimizing small talk and connecting with candidates on a personal level as this can result in affinity bias.
6. Focusing on job requirements rather than political issues or candidates’ personal views.
7. Administering a practical assessment related to the job duties such as a writing sample or data analysis task.
8. Finding new job posting sites; broadening the geographical area in which you post.

For further information, see:

Academy to Innovate HR

Robert Walters Group

Society for Human Resources Management

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