Recruitment hints and tips

Writing Welcoming Messages

You will want your e-recruitment website to clearly communicate your commitment to employing and developing disabled people. Past experience of discrimination and the unwillingness of employers to give them a chance, causes many disabled people to have low expectations of prospective employers, their understanding of disability and of their willingness to make adjustments.

Welcoming information on your website, such as equality and diversity statements, information on reasonable adjustments and examples of how disabled employees have succeeded in your company, will both attract disabled applicants and help build your reputation as a responsible employer.

More than 50% of job seekers have become interested in working for a company based on a visit to its website and nearly one quarter have rejected a company because of a website visit. ¹

85% of visits to corporate websites are to careers sections: 4 out of 5 do not return. ²

To ensure your messages are welcoming to disabled applicants:

Check adverts for discriminatory language and negative assumptions - Write advertisements that describe what has to be done (e.g. travel), not how the task must be accomplished (e.g. drivers license required). Ensure your description of the person you seek is based on a well-framed specification, not stereotypes
Publish disability employment policies - Publish information on policies which govern recruitment and development of people with disabilities (e.g. highlight guaranteed interviews for qualified disabled candidates if this is your policy)
Communicate willingness to make adjustments - Give examples of how at different stages of the process, a range of adjustments can be made. Stress your willingness to be flexible, based on each applicants requirements
Include disability in frequently asked questions (FAQs) - Consider including a question on whether you welcome applications from disabled people
Cite workplace awards - Cite any workplace awards received in recognition of a disability friendly-workplace (e.g. BiTC Realising Ability Award, Remploy Leading the Way Awards)
Use employee testimonials - If you use testimonials, include testimonials from employees with disabilities which highlight the adjustments made by the employer and their experience of working with you
Consider using brand-building awareness raising marketing - Many companies have found awareness raising advertisements to be effective. These adverts provide information on a general approach to disability or diversity, rather than specific vacancies.

Who needs to know what?

Recruitment managers need to understand how important it is to ensure the messages on your website are welcoming to disabled people

Line managers with responsibility for recruitment need to know how to write inclusive job adverts and descriptions

Marketing and CSR managers should be aware of the benefits of communicating your commitment to equality and diversity

Business benefits:

Enhanced reputation

Improved standing with employees and job seekers - Employers who are seen to value diversity are more attractive to potential and current employees, including those who have disabilities.

Increased attractiveness to consumers through improved corporate image - Customers are more likely to buy from socially responsible employers, especially when they or their friends and family are members of a disadvantaged community. One in four people in the UK are disabled or close to someone who is. ³

Enhanced standing with Government - Employers who actively and successfully pursue policies promoting diversity and social inclusion tend to be viewed more favourably by public bodies.

Examples of welcoming messages:

"The Fast Stream is a graduate development programme that identifies individuals with the potential to progress to the senior Civil Service, regardless of age, gender, race, disability or sexual preference." Statement from the Civil Service Fast Stream website

"London Business School welcomes applications from people currently under-represented in the workplace. This includes people from ethnic minorities and people with disabilities." London Business School website

"We have now established the diversity of the BT workforce as a non-financial key performance indicator. This is reinforced by a strategic target that by March 2004, 25% of our employees should be women, 2.5% disabled not less than 8% should be ethnic minority employees." Statement from BT website

References

¹ Wetfeet, March 2003
² Euro Callen Beeley 2001
³ Extrapolated from Family Resource Survey 1999-2000 UK and Population Estimates, Office for National Statistics. Based on number of disabled people and number of carers