In this blog, we will explore why the impact of diversity and inclusion efforts matter to your recruitment process and workforce, actionable best practice points you can start to embed, and how ICAEW Training Vacancies can help.
Impact Matters
Embedding techniques that aim to realise the value of diversity and inclusion into your internal and external recruitment process will ensure everyone has an equitable chance to succeed.
The benefits of having an inclusive recruitment approach are numerous as your employees feel more seen, heard, and reflected in day-to-day initiatives.
An exclusive benefit to ICAEW Authorised Training Employers, our trainee recruitment platform, ICAEW Training Vacancies, allows you to access and recruit from a large pool of diverse candidates, and it’s completely free of charge. This provides you with early support in your recruitment process to focus on, embed and really make impactful changes in your diversity and inclusion efforts.
Best practice
Every organisation’s diversity and inclusion recruitment efforts look different. But there are some key areas that will need your attention.
Data and reporting
Evaluating and analysing your data creates an important foundation for a recruitment process that encourages diversity and inclusion. By looking at your data you can start to paint a picture of any over or underrepresented groups in your recruitment process when compared to organisation benchmarks, as well as practices that might be outdated or equally not targeted enough.
Communication: Intent vs impact
Sometimes, without realising, the language and terminology that you use in your recruitment communications may not be inclusive. For example, some job adverts may use unnecessary gender-coded language or ableist descriptions that could deter candidates.
Before releasing any communication during the recruitment process, think about how it might impact everyone. Ensuring your communications not only include inclusive language, but are shared through a variety of sources, as well as being accessible shows your potential hires and employees that they are seen and heard. Be prepared to provide documents in alternative formats if requested for accessibility. This will help make potential candidates feel more at ease and included, and show your organisation has really considered its target base.
Unconscious bias
Unconscious bias is a split-second judgement that affects our decisions and actions both long and short term. This unconscious bias can creep up at any stage of the recruitment process. We may make positive or negative judgements about a person’s performance or suitability for a role based on our own biases, without realising we are doing so.
To tackle this, consider unconscious bias training for all those involved in recruitment, including recruiters, interviewers, and those responsible for sifting through applications. This education piece can start to ensure hiring managers are focused on diversity and inclusion throughout the recruitment process. You could also consider techniques like anonymous recruitment, a method of recruiting where candidates' personal information, such as their name, gender, age, race and other identifying details are concealed during the early stages of recruitment. Introducing workflows to ensure there’s a diverse mix of applicants and having a standardised process for reasonable adjustments for disabled candidates will also help.
Expanding your search
Standing on your doorstep and asking people to come inside for an interview wouldn’t get you very far. Well, the same goes for just posting your vacancy locally - it would only reach a small proportion of society. This drastically limits your potential to attract and recruit a more diverse workforce. Recruiting from a range of areas and other sources means you’re more likely to attract talents from a diverse pool. For example, placing job adverts on disability specific websites is a great way to attract more disabled candidates.
Using ICAEW Training Vacancies, you can promote your vacancies to a large pool of diverse candidates with ranging demographics. You can even take advantage of our CV search functionality, allowing you to search and reach out to engaged potential trainees from our Training Vacancies database.
Being an ICAEW Training Vacancies featured employer or being showcased in our job of the week series can expand your roles even further. Discover how to get involved in this guide.
Ready to make an impact?
Introducing an inclusive recruitment process means you can foster a more diverse team, one that is overall more commercially competitive and can aid your organisations efforts to better its ESG investment (environmental, social and governance). Diverse teams are more productive and likely to advocate that your organisation values inclusion. This in turn will position you as a standout employer. Remember, recruitment should always come down to merit.
Every step you take in your diversity and inclusion journey will impact the next. Using this best practice advice and taking advantage of ICAEW Training Vacancies will ensure your efforts during recruitment return a positive outcome and you recruit the best candidate for your roles, whoever that may be!
Next steps
Already authorised to train with ICAEW? Register today and begin posting your roles to a diverse pool of potential trainees, reaping the benefits of curating a more inclusive workforce, increasing productivity and boosting motivation. Take a look at this helpful step-by-step guide to find out more.
If you are not yet an ICAEW Authorised Training Employer, start the quick and easy process with these three steps, allowing you to train ACA students and utilise the Training Vacancies platform to recruit your first trainee.