Equality, diversity and inclusion from both perspectives

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The success of any business depends on its people. By capitalising on what is unique about individuals and drawing on their differing perspectives and experiences a client can add real value to their operations by widening the talent pool in which they are fishing. And, as recruitment consultants are often the first touchpoint a candidate has with a client company, getting the equality, diversity and inclusion right from the outset is paramount if we are to eliminate bias from the process.

Striving for equality, diversity and inclusion should be the basic tenet of any recruiter, choosing the right candidate based on their skills for a particular job should be the start point, not a retrospective review of a box-ticking exercise. We’ve all read examples of how unconscious bias has eliminated the best person for a job, and that’s where we, as recruiters must make a stand. By helping our clients to recruit and develop talent from the widest possible talent pool we can help them to benefit from different cultures and groups where everyone has an equal chance to succeed.

We, as recruiters must understand our responsibility to embrace and support this vision and we must continue to challenge behaviour and attitudes that prevent us from achieving this. Using fair, objective and innovative selection practices, our aim should be to ensure that:

  • All candidates are treated fairly and with respect at all stages of their contact with us and our clients
  • All candidates have the right to be free from harassment and bullying of any description, or any other form of unwanted behaviour, whether based on sex, trans-gender status, marital status, civil partnership status, pregnancy, race, disability, age, political or religious belief or sexuality

Even just by putting in place a blind resume process, recruiters are taking that first step in eliminating bias. And, by anonymising data in candidates’ resumes we immediately eliminate the unconscious bias that may be present in the recruitment process from the client perspective too. And, finally, by opening up recruitment advertising across third-party websites which reach a much wider demographic than traditional networks, we are taking steps to get in front of the candidates that best fit the profile for the job, regardless of their personal circumstances.