20 DIVERSEability Magazine www.diverseabilitymagazine.com
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION
E
ffective recruitment and outreach are nec- essary to improve an organization's pipe- mjof! pg! rvbmjfe! bqqmjdbout! xjui! ejtbcjmjujft/! FBSOt! fwbmvbujpo! pg! uif! sftfbsdi! mjufsbuvsf! uncovered important implications in a number of areas, including: online messaging, outreach and recruitment, application processes and ac- cessibility and establishing partnerships to broaden talent pools. The following is a sum- mary of research-based practices and elements of online outreach that increase the likeli- hood of attracting individuals with disabilities during the job application process.
Online Messaging
Website features and approaches to online sfdsvjunfou!qmbz!bo!jnqpsubou!spmf!jo!jovfod- joh! kpc! tfflfst/! Pgufo-! b! dpnqbozt! xfctjuf! nbz!cf!uif!stu!tufq!up!gpsnjoh!qfsdfqujpot!pg! qfstpo.pshboj{bujpo!u/!Xfctjuf!nfttbhjoh!dbo! affect how job candidates perceive and respond to online application/selection tools such as personality tests, work samples and situation- al judgment tests. The perception of bias can even dissuade applicants with disabilities from applying to positions. Early-stage reactions to a company's disability messaging can also jovfodf!fnqmpzff!efdjtjpot!up!ejtdmptf!uifjs! disability to the employer. Their comfort-lev- el in doing so can serve as an informal indi- cator of an employer's success in achieving a supportive and inclusive workplace culture. Bqqmjdbou!sfbdujpot!dbo!jodmvef!qfsdfqujpot!pg! fairness and justice, feelings of anxiety, levels of motivation and a range of other experiences. Increasingly, researchers have been applying a justice lens to applicant reactions, looking at how interaction with online application/selec- ujpo!qspdfttft!jovfodf!gbdupst!mjlf!fnqmpzfs! attractiveness, applicant intention to accept the position and whether an applicant would recommend the employer to others. There is growing evidence of additional relationships between applicant reactions and hiring out- comes, including acceptance of job offers, per- formance on selection tests and possibly even job performance. B!dpoufou!bobmztjt!pg!45!dpsqpsbuf!tpdjbm!sf- sponsibility reports from organizations nation- ally recognized for their disability inclusion ef- forts found that four practices were commonly
Online Recruitment of & Outreach to People with Disabilities:
Research-Based Practices
used to promote disability inclusion efforts: Ejwfstjuz!boe!jodmvtjpo!tubufnfout! Employee resource groups Supplier diversity initiatives Targeted hiring and recruitment plans Corporate social responsibility plans, in themselves, often highlight publicly desirable pshboj{bujpobm!qsbdujdft!boe!bsf!vtfe!gsfrvfou- ly for the purpose of marketing and recruiting talent. B!tuvez!uibu!bobmz{fe!uif!xfc!dpoufou!pg!41! randomly selected Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 companies - rating them for perceived openness to employing people with disabilities - reported that several companies exhibited: Message inconsistency B!mbdl!pg!ejtbcjmjuz!bxbsfoftt! Weakly navigable, inaccessible websites Ejgdvmu!up!mpdbuf!bddpnnpebujpot!jogps- mation and diversity statements Web-based recruiting constraints that ex- clude or alienate potential applicants with disabilities
Outreach & Recruitment
Ejtbcjmjuz.gpdvtfe!sfdsvjunfou!qmbot!qmbz!bo! important role in advancing workplace inclu- sion and overcoming discrimination or bias in the job application process. Recommendations from the literature focused on developing more sophisticated career websites that highlight the organization's hiring goals, including employ- ee testimonials give potential recruits deeper insight into the company's values and policies. Researchers suggest personalizing recruitment processes by allowing candidates to build per- sonal accounts on the website that go beyond an application form or procedure, and engag- ing in applicant tracking that involves recruit- ers and other collaborators, rather than relying tpmfmz!po!bmhpsjuinjd!mufst/!Sfdsvjunfou!qsbd- ujdft-!dpsqpsbuf!bewfsujtjoh!boe!sn!sfqvubujpo! bmm!ibwf!ejsfdu!fggfdut!po!bqqmjdbou!qppm!rvbo- ujuz!boe!rvbmjuz/!Pshboj{bujpot!xjui!dpnqbsb- tively high existing levels of advertising and reputation, such as more detailed recruitment ads and employee testimonials, are more im- pactful at broadening applicant talent pools. Technological practices, such as social media sfdsvjujoh-!dbo!bmtp!mjnju!ubmfou!qppmt!cz!mufs- joh!pvu!rvbmjfe!dboejebuft!xjui!ejtbcjmjujft/! In one study of job seekers with disabilities, 50 percent of respondents reported using social media as part of their job search process, but of those, 40 percent experienced accessibility or usability issues, such as features they could not access at all or that were not user-friendly. Sftfbsdi!bmtp!tipxt!uibu!pshboj{bujpot!cfofu! gspn!gsfrvfoumz!bvejujoh!uifjs!ijsjoh!qsbdujdft! for continuous improvement and inclusivity, but this practice does not often occur.
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