Accessible Hiring and Recruiting

In the United States, businesses are legally obligated to have an inclusive and accessible hiring process. However, creating an inclusive environment also extends to developing a workplace that values everyone’s differences. Making accessibility a priority allows you to reach a wider talent pool and foster a culture that encourages innovation, equity, and mutual respect. Here, the team at AMNY Recruitment Marketing provides strategies and insights into how to build accessibility into your hiring and recruitment processes.

Accessible Recruiting Strategies

Hiring the best team members should be a priority for your company. A lack of accessibility in your recruiting strategies could cause you to omit some of the brightest and most qualified individuals from your candidate pool. Luckily, there are several steps you can take to help ensure your recruitment process is inclusive, including:

Evaluate Existing Systems

Equitable hiring goes beyond offering jobs to people with disabilities. You need to value and support the professional growth of existing employees with disabilities. To determine how inclusive your company is currently, ask your leaders the following questions:

  • How would we describe our current culture?
  • What can we do to accommodate and support the career growth of employees with disabilities?
  • How does creating an inclusive hiring process align with our goals?

Once you honestly answer these questions, you can define what inclusivity means to your company. Then, you can set goals and clear targets and integrate them into your hiring practices.

Partner With Community Organizations

When recruiting talent, look to local organizations that help individuals with disabilities find jobs, such as the Workforce Recruitment Program. Partnering with these organizations allows you to reach strong candidates who might not utilize traditional recruitment methods. Checking in with these recruiting partners regularly provides you with a pipeline full of diverse and highly skilled talent actively seeking employment.

Update Job Descriptions

According to the Department of Labor, your job descriptions should use inclusive language that doesn’t pigeonhole the job to a particular candidate. When looking at the job and writing a posting, include only what is necessary for the role instead of focusing on how the candidate should complete the job.

For example, do employees need to lift 20 pounds? Or do they need to be able to move things if necessary? Do they need to be great at oral communication or just communication in general?

Make Applications Accessible

For some people with disabilities, accessing job listings and online applications is the biggest challenge. Is your website easy to navigate through voice search? Can applicants access a hard copy of your application materials? If it’s not easy for people to view your job posting or apply, they will look elsewhere.

Inclusive Interview Strategies

Now that you’ve altered your recruiting process and found diverse applicants, you must do the same with your interviews. Some strategies include:

  • Accessible interviews: You need to conduct your in-person interviews in a place that is wheelchair accessible. For digital interviews, use a platform that promotes inclusivity through video, captions, or ASL translation.
  • Accommodations: Sometimes, you may need to make interview accommodations for your candidates. In the invitation email, include specific information about how to request accommodations, such as written questions beforehand.

While accommodating special needs in an interview is important, it’s only part of the interview process. You also need to train your hiring managers on your policies regarding ADA-compliant and ethical questioning. By reducing hiring manager bias during the interview process and including people with disabilities on your hiring panel, you can increase your diversity, creating a welcoming environment for every candidate.

Strategies for Creating a Supportive Work Culture

Recruiting and interviewing are only part of cultivating an accessible environment. You also want to create a supportive and accommodating work culture.

Make a Competitive Offer

When anyone accepts a job offer, benefits, pay, and perks are the biggest factors they consider. These considerations are especially important for people with disabilities. Comprehensive benefits packages allow your employees to maintain their mental and physical health. Meanwhile, the ability to work remotely gives them access to the modifications and accommodations they already have at home.

Flexible work options, competitive pay, and comprehensive benefits aren’t just beneficial to your employees—they’re a positive for your company too. Employees who feel supported are more productive, engaged, and loyal.

Be Accommodating With Help From AMNY Recruitment Marketing

Inclusive and accessible hiring and recruiting means more than just ticking off boxes. Integrating both into your company means developing a transformative strategy that strengthens your workforce, cultivates innovation, welcomes diversity, and values equity. If you’re unsure where to start, AMNY Recruitment Marketing can help.

Our tools and capabilities help you reach diverse populations and create content that is inclusive and accessible for everyone. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you achieve success.