How can I ensure my hiring process is equitable?

If you haven’t already, check out our tips on preparing a position that is inclusive and accessible – there are things you can do before you start the actual hiring process.

The following are the various stages of the hiring process and how you can ensure that each is equitable. Each of these points is also included in our Inclusive WIL recruitment planning guide (PDF).

Job Posting
  • Does your job posting use inclusive language? 
  • Does it explicitly state your willingness to consider students with disabilities as well as your commitment to inclusivity and diversity?
  • Is the job posting itself provided in an accessible format?
  • Check the criteria you are listing to ensure none of them create unnecessary barriers to applicants (for example, do you actually require a driver’s license or do you require a candidate to have a reliable means of transportation to a location not on a bus route?). 
  • Avoid colloquialisms, metaphors, and other wording that may not make sense cross-culturally.

Pre-Screening
  • If possible, have someone remove identifying information from résumés before you review them. Researchers have shown that we tend to be unconsciously biased against names we can’t pronounce and towards people who are most similar to us in gender, age, and ethnicity. Refrain from Googling the person (and potentially seeing a picture of them) until after you’ve read and ranked their application. Learn the advantages and disadvantages of conducting a blind review process.
  • Prepare criteria in advance and judge all applications by that same criteria so that you can faily rank them.

The Interview
  • Inform applicants of the interview format in advance including whether they will be required to demonstrate abilities or perform tasks during the interview.
  • Describe how candidates can seek an accommodation.
  • Choose an accessible interview location.
  • Reframe interview questions to be accessible.
  • Standardize the interview by asking every candidate the same questions and using the same ranking system.
  • Review the laws around what you can and cannot ask.
  • Try to evaluate the interview answers themselves more than body language.

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