As a leader in your organization, you want your company to be as inclusive as possible. Because you understand the benefits of having diverse employees, you want them to feel as supported as possible.

Part of creating an inclusive culture involves your interview process. The more your process shows support for candidates of different backgrounds, the more likely you are to hire candidates with different ideas, strengths, and abilities. This aids in innovation, making your company even more competitive.

These six methods can help make your interview process more inclusive.

1. Develop Inclusive Job Postings

Use a tool such as Textio to make sure your job postings are free from biased language.

• Avoid words such as “ninja” or “rock star,” which tend to attract more male applicants, or “supportive” or “nurturing,” which tend to attract more female applicants.
• Include only the minimum requirements to be successful in the role.  
• Share whether accommodations such as flexible hours or remote work are possible.  

2. Train Your Interview Team on Unconscious Bias

Provide regular training to reduce unconscious bias among your interviewers.

• Your interview team must keep in mind that hiring decisions need to be based on the role requirements and applicant qualifications.
• Although finding common ground is important, the candidate hired for the position must be equipped to fulfill the job duties and responsibilities.

3. Diversify Your Interview Team

Your candidates want to see employees like them represented at all levels of your organization.

• Having women and people of color in leadership roles shows candidates they can move up in your company.
• Candidates are less likely to interview with your organization or accept a job offer if your employees appear to be homogenous.

4. Unify Your Interview Questions

Develop a list of interview questions to ask each of your candidates.

• Include situational and behavioral questions so your candidates can showcase their skills.
• Have a list of the information you are looking for in each answer.
• Include a scoring rubric with room to take notes.

5. Engage in Regular Candidate Communication

Keep your candidates informed about where they are in the interview process.

• Include which stage the candidate is at, what the next steps are, and when to expect to hear back from you.
• Keep the interview process as short as possible.
• Extend a job offer as soon as possible.

6. Send a Candidate Survey

Email all of your candidates a survey to determine how inclusive they felt the interview process was.

• Your goal is to continuously update the interview process to make it as fair and consistent as possible.
• Focus on simple steps and transparent actions that encourage candidates to move forward in the interview process.

Looking for HR Talent?

The more inclusive your interview process is, the more innovative your company is. Hiring candidates with different ideas, strengths, and abilities helps keep your company competitive.

When you need to add to your HR team, turn to Arlington Resources. Find out how we can help you today.