Conscious or not, discrimination in hiring is still far too present in the French workplace. Yet, we live in a multicultural society. This is why today, inclusion and diversity play an important role in the world of work. Inclusive recruitment is therefore essential to ensure that everyone has the same chance of getting a job. Discover some key elements for a more inclusive recruitment method.
What is inclusive recruitment?
In 2021, IFOP proposed a study on discrimination in hiring in France. According to this study, 1 person out of 5 has felt discriminated against during a recruitment process. In fact, with equal qualifications and skills, some candidates are sent 4 times more CVs to get a job interview.
However, it is well stipulated in the Labor Code (Law n° 2008-496 of May 27, 2008) that no employee may be discriminated against at work or when being hired. This law takes into account about twenty criteria such as age, gender, origin, disability and sexual orientation.
Thus, inclusive recruitment aims to ensure equal opportunities for all job seekers during all phases of the recruitment process.
Inclusive recruitment: a lever for companies?
In addition to guaranteeing the same opportunities to all talents, this approach is committed to a societal issue and offers a larger pool of candidates to companies. It would even make it possible to reach atypical or unexpected profiles. This is a real asset in the case of jobs under pressure, for example.
Another interesting point is that it allows for the creation of diverse teams composed of employees of all ages, with disabilities or from various backgrounds. The result: a rich team that is representative of the company.
Good practices
1 – Use inclusive writing when writing your ad
The text of your job offer must be written in such a way as not to discriminate against certain candidates. Thus, we advise you to take care not to use terms such as :
- “Young and dynamic”, which implies that seniors are not dynamic;
- “From a prestigious school”, whereas universities offer equally reputable degrees;
- “a baker” or “a plumber”, which induces discrimination on the gender of the candidate.
💡 Keep in mind that your recruitment should be open to as many people as possible and every candidate should be able to project themselves.
2 – Diversify your sourcing
Is your job posting inclusive? Now it’s time to post it. To do this, we recommend that you vary the channels in which you publish your ad as much as possible. This way, you will open up to candidates from all backgrounds and promote diversity. You can, for example, opt for :
- Associations that promote diversity;
- Local missions;
- Schools and universities located in priority neighborhoods;
- Integration companies;
- ESAT (Establishment and service of help by work);
- Neighborhood associations…
💡 This method avoids what is called “cloning syndrome”. This is because by posting your job offer on the same sites every time, you will receive applications from the same type of profile every time.
Also, don’t hesitate to rely on other recruitment methods:
- Street sourcing ;
- Recruitment without CV ;
- Co-optation ;
- Social networks…
3- Focus on the skills required for the position
This is the mistake many recruiters make: making an endless list of skills that are not always relevant to the position in question. On top of that, many put too much emphasis on points on the resume that are not ultimately relevant to the position.
👉 To avoid doing the same thing, it’s ideal to create a rubric with key competencies that will allow you to treat candidates equally.
💡 You can obviously rely on soft skills.
4- Select candidates without prejudice
The processing of applications should be as neutral as possible. For example, you cannot require unnecessary information for the processing of applications, such as a photo or the age of the applicant. The anonymous CV is an excellent tool to avoid prejudices in the selection of talent. At the same time, it allows you to focus on the required professional experience and skills only.
👉 Of course, this neutrality should be maintained during the job interview. The ideal is again, to prepare an evaluation grid to proceed with a fair recruitment.
5 – Make your teams aware of non-discrimination
Another essential element of inclusive recruitment is training your teams in non-discrimination. Whether or not they are involved in your recruitment process, this key step will allow you to reinforce your corporate culture. In addition, it will facilitate the integration of new recruits.
💡 You can, for example, offer specific training to your employees.
Finally, making diversity a strategy will strengthen your employer brand! In addition, you will be contributing to diversity in our company.
