Promoting equality and diversity in recruitment

How do you advertise your vacancies?

Might this affect the type of person applying for positions at your firm? If the readers who view the publication or website where you are advertising are not very diverse, this will be reflected in the candidates who apply.

What types of schools, colleges and universities do you have contact with?

Consider how this might this affect the type of student you engage with and who might apply to work at your firm. Students who attended state schools are significantly under-represented at some universities. For example, just under 57% of students at the University of Oxford went to state schools – Facts and Figures, University of Oxford, 2014.

By what criteria do you judge your applicants?

Think carefully about the skills and experience candidates will need to perform the role. Exclude factors which are not really required and might limit the range of people who can apply. Do you need to insist on certain ‘A’ level grades? Do you recognise other equivalent qualifications?

Contextual recruitment will help you select the most able candidates by understanding the context of their achievements. This is particularly useful when you are faced with a large number of candidates with the same high level of qualifications or experience.

Ernst and Young has just reviewed its academic requirements – EY will no longer require students to have a 2:1 degree and the equivalent of three B grades at A level to be considered for its graduate programmes.

Are you aware of your unconscious biases?

We sometimes make decisions unconsciously informed by stereotypes. For example research has shown that many employers are unintentionally less likely to invite applicants to interview if they have a typically African or Asian name. (Syal, R – Undercover job hunters reveal huge race bias in Britain's workplaces, The Guardian, 2009)

Training on unconscious bias can make your recruitment processes fairer. Free resources are available, such as the Five (5) Points for Progress Toolkit- Know Yourself Unconscious Bias Tool, produced by Business in the Community. 'CV blind' recruitment will help you judge candidates on merit without making assumptions.

What other factors could be creating bias in your recruitment process?

Research has shown that men are more likely to 'self-promote' than women. If your recruitment process places high value on this trait, you may deter or disadvantage female candidates (Yakowicz, W – How to remove gender bias from the hiring process, Inc Magazine, 2014).

How do you decide on initial salaries and might this disadvantage certain groups?

There has been a lot of research into the gender pay gap in the legal profession. It is a sensitive area but a transparent approach which is applied consistently will help your staff understand what they have to do to secure a pay rise. If you base initial salary on a person’s previous salary, and their individual negotiating power, you may be introducing unfairness and reinforcing existing pay discrepancies, based on gender or ethnicity.