21st Century recruitment considerations

Public servants face complex day-to-day challenges, reacting to issues affecting the communities they serve. Governments worldwide recognise the importance of hiring individuals with diverse perspectives and experiences, and research has shown that the more diverse a team is, the more efficiently they perform. When public services mirror the communities they represent, it leads to better quality, more equitable policies, improved outcomes, and helps to foster trust through modelling dedication to values such as inclusivity and fairness.

Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace requires deliberate recruitment strategies. Diversity refers to the representation of various backgrounds and perspectives, while inclusion ensures that these diverse individuals feel welcomed and valued. This article recommends some strategies for addressing known barriers to attracting high-quality, diverse talent into the public sector.

**Writing a job advert **

Ensuring clarity and inclusivity in job advertisements is a vital early step in any recruitment process. Carefully selecting the language used in a job advert can improve it’s reach, and appeal to a more diverse audience.

Research shows that consciously avoiding language that might inadvertently favour certain groups means that biases in the recruitment process can be mitigated. This approach not only makes the advertisements more accessible but also promotes fairer and more equitable hiring practices.

Some top-tips to consider include:

• Write with non-gendered language as much as possible. Check whether the language in a job description, or job title is gender inclusive using this gender decoder — a helpful tool for analysing language.
• Write job descriptions in simple language and use fonts that are easy to read
• Add videos, text, and a text-to-speech option on your job website.
• Avoid using confusing acronyms, technical language, or vague ideas. Make sure you only ask for skills and experience that are essential for the job. Long lists of skills can be too much for some people, especially neurodivergent candidates, who might take the list literally and not apply if they don't match every single skill listed.

Getting the word out

If you have the opportunity, look outside of your traditional recruitment channels to reach a more diverse pool of candidates. For example:

• Utilise online job platforms that cater specifically to underrepresented groups. These platforms often have a more diverse user base and can help you tap into a broader talent pool.
• **Focus on increasing the visibility of specific, or specialised, platforms and websites that advertise public service roles: **Increasing the awareness of these sites, particularly among underrepresented groups, can effectively broaden the talent pool. Consider engaging in targeted outreach and marketing strategies to promote these dedicated public service job platforms amongst communities where they may not be well-known.
• Employee Referral Programs: Encourage your current employees to refer diverse candidates and provide a simple way to submit them. Some ‘informal measures’ recommended include: asking underrepresented groups to recommend others in their networks, or asking employees to expand their network and reach out to individuals outside their usual professional and social circles.
• **Partnerships and Collaborations: **Establish partnerships with organisations and initiatives that focus on diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Organisations such as the The Emerging Leaders Foundation Africa (ELF-Africa) are a great example of this.
• Internship Programs: Develop internship programs that actively target students from underrepresented groups. Providing opportunities for students to gain experience within your organisation can lead to a more diverse pipeline of future full-time hires.
• Networking Events: Host networking events that bring together diverse professionals. These events can serve as platforms for building relationships with potential candidates and gaining insights into their career aspirations.

**Inclusive processes **

Government hiring processes can be long and complex, research shows that this risks putting off a lot of talented and diverse candidates. Not everyone has the patience or resources to stick through these lengthy processes, so it ends up limiting who applies.

To build an inclusive recruitment process, it's crucial to start by acknowledging the unique needs of individuals with conditions such as dyslexia, ADHD, autism, or physical disabilities like legal blindness — and seek to make adjustments to your hiring approach to ensure equal opportunities for all candidates. Some examples include

• Additional Time on Tasks: For candidates with dyslexia or ADHD, providing extra time for written assessments or tasks can level the playing field. This allows candidates to showcase their skills and abilities without being hindered by time constraints.
• **Written Tasks vs. Face-to-Face Interviews: **Instead of relying solely on face-to-face interviews, consider incorporating written tasks as part of the recruitment process. This approach can benefit neurodivergent individuals who may struggle with traditional interviews — as it allows them to communicate their skills and knowledge in a more comfortable format.
• Interactive and Adaptive Interview Techniques: Tailoring interview techniques to suit individual candidates can create a more inclusive and comfortable environment. For example, for candidates with social anxiety or autism, a more structured interview with clear expectations can be helpful. Similarly, offering a choice between virtual or in-person interviews can make the process more accessible to a wider range of candidates.
• Environment Considerations: The physical or virtual environment of the interview should be accessible to all candidates. This includes ensuring that interview venues are wheelchair accessible and free from unnecessary distractions for neurodivergent individuals.
• Large Print Materials and Written Communications: To accommodate candidates with visual impairments or legal blindness, it's essential to provide all recruitment materials in large print formats. Additionally, written communications should be accessible through electronically readable documents, ensuring that all candidates can fully engage with the content.

To learn more about how to make a recruitment processes more inclusive, read this advice from University College London: Guide to positive action and inclusive recruitment.

State and support your commitment to diversity and inclusion

When writing a job advert, it’s important that you explicitly set out your desire to hire diversely, your commitment to inclusive recruitment practices and clearly state how candidates can request accommodations in the hiring process.

It’s not enough to just state a commitment to diversity and inclusion in writing, public services also need to support existing employees in becoming agents of change. Offering existing employees training opportunities like unconscious bias training and mentorship programs are examples of valuable tools for addressing bias in the workplace and will ultimately lead to the creation of more equitable hiring processes and policies.

**Value driven recruitment & 21st Century Skills **

When hiring public servants, it's essential to look beyond technical skills. While these qualities are often referred to as 'soft skills’, there is a risk that this term diminishes the importance of possessing these skills. Other terms include '21st-century skills.'

Working within government means high-stress situations and emotional demands. This means that public servants manage their own emotions, understand others', and respond appropriately. By assessing 21st century skills alongside technical qualifications, it ensures that public servants are better prepared to provide effective and compassionate service to citizens.

Research from the University of Birmingham highlights how public servants in the 21st century should be assessed against key competencies and behavioural traits, such as compassion and emotional intelligence, as these are of significant importance in the role of a public servant. Elsewhere,research from the Czech Republic shows that demands for ‘soft skills’ within public administration are increasing and training in these skills is favoured by current employees.

There may be lessons elsewhere in the public sector; huge employers such as the NHS have placed more emphasis on personal values within recruitment strategies, as evidenced by the adoption of values-based recruitment practices —an approach which ‘attracts and recruits students, trainees and employees on the basis that their individual values and behaviours align with the values of the NHS Constitution’. Similarly, Health Education Englandadvises universities to incorporate a values-based assessment framework in the recruitment process of undergraduate nursing students.

It’s important to consider whether your recruitment practices get the right balance between 21st-century skills and technical skills. Take a look at our 21st Century Skills Matrix, for skills that we think are important for public servants to have.

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