Talent Acquisition, Permanent Resourcing and DE&I.

Hi there, my name's Cat and I work as a Talent Partner for Axiologik , a growing digital delivery consultancy in Leeds. I am a Women in Tech Mentor and a STEM Ambassador. I am driven to advance DE&I initiatives and champion this agenda because I strongly believe in it and so does Axiologik.

Since joining Axiologik in April this year, I have implemented DE&I into our recruitment and hiring processes, coached hiring managers on their interviewing techniques, and ensured we continue to build DE&I into our Axiologik DNA when bringing high quality talent into the business, across perm and contract.

I've been attending events on DE&I through Leeds Digital Festival, Women in Tech Events and TA Roundtables, as well as joining The Talent Community online. I’ve learnt a lot and have started using some of the key takeaways here at Axiologik.

I wanted to start conversations and learn from others by sharing what we are doing with our own permanent resourcing and interviewing processes:

Before Resourcing

• I created and built a standardised interview structure with the hiring managers which is rolled out consistently amongst the practices and company which caters to DE&I purposes (whilst having the flexibility to consistently adapt to the candidate).
• I and the Practice heads have implemented key interview questions for each practice that can be moulded / amended based on the role. These are based on technical skills and relevant experience, but also personal values, likes and dislikes and culture-adds. It’s not just about what candidates can do well, it’s how they learn and respond to mistakes, how they look after their mental wellbeing, how self-aware they are, how they like to be supported by their organisation, manager, and team, what they think is important in their career, why they are looking to leave etc.
• If communicating over email or LinkedIn to set up a qualification call, ask about reasonable adjustments and pronouns ahead of the call taking place.

During Resourcing

• I like to set the agenda before the qualification call, in writing so they can refer to it if needed and know what to expect. I usually spend 45 mins to an hour on the phone qualifying permanent candidates.
• I make sure I ask what reasonable adjustments (if any) need to be made ahead of the call and as part of the interview process, as well as preferred pronouns.
• The best part of my job is finding out about the person themselves – it’s about building relationships, short-term, and long-term, but I remember that they will also be interviewing me – first impressions count, and they stick.
• I make sure I am realistic about the company and role – don’t overpromise and under deliver.
• I manage their expectations on the interview process and timelines (I also do this with the hiring manager – being transparent helps everyone and makes my job A LOT easier). I’m a big believer in doing what I say I’m going to do – how will people trust me if I’m not following through? It’s a two-way process.
• I anonymise the CV before sending it to the hiring manager – I use initials, remove (or make generic) the location, any personal details etc. I don’t give my own thoughts or rankings / favourites as this may provide an unconscious bias / positive discrimination. We’ve had great feedback on this so far from our hiring managers and this is definitely something we intend to keep doing.
• I like to get CV feedback from the hiring manager F2F or virtual rather than email. I write everything down and feedback to the candidate. It's a lot more personable for both parties. I get to find out more about the manager I’m hiring for, and it gives me the opportunity to push back if I think they or I have missed something key. The hiring manager also gets to see the work I put in from my side as their Talent person. It’s in this meeting where I give my thoughts and notes if needed.

Before Interview

• I set up Teams, offsite and onsite interviews depending on what the candidate and hiring manager thinks is best for the situation and person.
• I include in the invite as part of the agenda, our candidate pack, our website, the job spec, the department head, and Axiologik LinkedIn info – whatever information I think will be helpful.
• For F2F interviews, I also send instructions on how to get to the office complete with pictures.
• As part of the follow up, if a candidate is going forward to interview, finding out how they like to be interviewed is key – we want to play to their strengths and make them comfortable. We’re not here to trip anyone up and it’s not an exam, so let’s ensure we’re getting the best out of that person.
• Ask about reasonable adjustments again – I’m building up a relationship with this person and they might not have felt comfortable telling me the first-time round.
• I ensure I prep the candidate AND the hiring manager i.e., what to draw out and mention in the interview, what to look out for or be mindful of i.e., behaviours or ticks, stutters, can’t make eye contact etc. I’ve had it from both sides where a candidate struggled to make eye contact and the hiring manager had a stutter, so making them aware of each other’s behaviours really helped and it was a successful hire!
• Allow extra time for questions and overspill – I include this in the agenda ahead of interview.
• On the day of the interview, call the candidate – has anything changed? Do they have last minute questions etc? Can they still get to the office alright? Is their WIFI still up and running etc?
• If candidates haven't been successful in going forward to interview, a phone call is the best way to let them know. I always want to have good experiences with people, regardless of the outcome. The best way for me to do that, is over the phone. I've had plenty of referrals and recommendations come through from candidates who weren't successful with us. They recommend people with the qualities or skills that were missing. They enjoyed how I interacted with them and think other people would have a positive experience with Axiologik if put forward. The tech community is huge, and the reputation of myself as a Talent Partner as well as the business I work for are equally as important as each other.

?During Interview

• I sit off or on camera depending on how many people are present so as not to overwhelm the candidate, to take notes and observe both candidate and the hiring manager (I include this in the agenda).
• The interview itself is not an exam or test – the candidate can bring whatever material they like if they find that it helps (it helps me) – we want to see the people play to their strengths and be the best version of themselves!
• As the observer, I take notes on both candidate AND the hiring manager to feedback to both. It’s important that we are all developing ourselves, especially when it comes to interviewing, and it shouldn’t just be the candidate getting feedback. How does the hiring manager evolve their interview technique and style? How do they do stop, start, continue? I make it a positive experience for them just as much as the candidate. It also gives me a chance to highlight anything that was missed or needs expanding on and gives me the opportunity to get fast live feedback from the manager, so I can go back to the candidate quickly.
• I call the candidate after for feedback – always in the same day if time allows so it’s fresh in their mind. I do my usual questions but include ones like: Was there anything we could do better next time to improve the candidate experience? Would they change anything from their perspective in terms of how we interviewed? Did they feel comfortable / confident?

Next Steps (if progressing to final stage - I'm working to a two stage process)

• Asking the candidate how much time they need to prep is important. At this stage there may be a presentation, a ‘tech check’ exercise or a portfolio of some kind to present, depending on the level of the hire, so I want to give the candidate as much time as possible. I then send the agenda with the information to everyone in the invite.
• I consider with the hiring manager where would be best appropriate to do the interview and in what format, with the candidate in mind. I tailor this back to the candidate also as we move through the process to ensure everyone is happy and comfortable with the process.

Methods of Interview and factors to consider:

• Panel Interviewing.
• Transparent Interviewing.
• Having an observer present to take notes.
• Anonymise CVs and personal information to avoid unconscious bias and positive discrimination.
• Avoid ranking / stating your favourite etc with the hiring manager ahead of getting feedback.
• Be open with the hiring managers and the candidates as to why you're doing this process - it's to make us better - we're not looking to catch anyone out - we want to improve the experiences for both sides and ensure we're doing everything we can to cater towards DE&I.
• ?Welcome factor – if the interview is in the office – make sure staff are aware so if they see someone new, they welcome them - it can be pretty daunting for people, so we want to make them feel at ease. Ensure we have a space available if the candidate is early or if the interview overruns.
• Virtual, in office, offsite preference – check what the candidate is comfortable with and if it works as an interview setting.
• Dress Code – does everyone know what to expect. I now advise candidates to wear smart casual attire, anything with a collar is good and something that they are comfortable being interviewed in.
• Attend events and sessions on DE&I practices gathering information and learn how to evolve the process. I always think, ‘Can we implement this at Axiologik’? ‘Would this be helpful in our processes’?

This is my first ever article, hopefully it's made sense reading! I know it’s a little long but honestly there’s so much to cover and DE&I can never be a ‘finished’ piece!

I’m always open to feedback and suggestions so please do feel free to reach out if you have any. Hopefully you found this useful!

Articles I have in the pipeline for you to look out for: Contractor Resourcing and Interview Process (DE&I), Onboarding Processes (Contract and Perm), Offboarding Processes (Contract and Perm), The Bench (Perm).

Thanks for your time :)