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the individual to be able to undertake the role ( for example , CeMAP being required for Mortgage Advisers ) and importantly , this allows lived experience and unconventional career paths to be considered . As diverse candidates come with diverse backgrounds and career paths , you will have to identify the experience or skills that you value in a candidate , and decide , which are really necessary . The tendency has been to select candidates from similar backgrounds and with similar skills , but such familiarity inhibits building a diverse team , with potential and skills you do not already have within your firm .
Ensuring a balanced ( and diverse ) panel of interviewers will ultimately improve decision making and over time , will eradicate hiring on gut instinct , minimizing the impact of unconscious bias , whilst ensuring a more welcoming process for candidates with diverse characteristics . Moreover , this should then be the process for all internal applications too .
WIDER AUDIENCE
Thereafter , recognising you may have traditionally hired people from similar backgrounds necessitates working with groups that connect with a more diverse community . You will definitely reach a wider audience of people by engaging with job sites that are specifically targeted at individuals from different demographic backgrounds . Advertising in specialised community networks can enable you to reach applicants who might not normally have applied , but are nonetheless qualified and have the potential to be ideal candidates .
If you use recruitment agencies in your firm to filter potential candidates for you , you need to interrogate them about their sourcing strategy and be very clear about the fact that you want to be provided with a diverse list of candidates .
For example , you want at least 20 % of the candidates to be from underrepresented groups , where the general rule is that the diversity of your company and leadership should reflect the demographic composition of the country or city or areas you or your firm are then operating in .
Whatever you choose to do in this area , there is one standard that can be applied immediately which improves both internal and external facing selection processes , namely , transparency about your recruit-
Peter Gwilliam is a Director of Virtus Search and has worked closely for many years with intermediary mortgage lenders as a head-hunter representing their opportunities and proactively finding the talent that will succeed when changing their career .
With a deep knowledge of mortgage lending and the technicalities of the intermediary distribution channel , alongside a demonstrable track record of success , Pete is highly respected for the value consistently delivered to clients and candidates alike and is acknowledged as someone working for the good of the sector .
Where you are on the journey is best tested by asking about the equality and diversity policy in the staff handbook . Explicitly publishing this emphasises both commitment to it and the openness your firm has ...
ment process . Be transparent about how the final decisions are made , what the evaluation criteria are , who the interview panels consist of , and so on . This builds trust in the organisation among candidates , especially diverse candidates . It also reduces the possibility of any bias impacting the process .
Meanwhile , there is a continued emphasis on working models .
HYBRID WORKING
Hybrid working really helps encourage working parents , removes barriers for those with disabilities a it ’ s easier to accommodate additional needs in their home environment and likewise , it can be easier for those with caring responsibilities . Clearly it also helps reduce the financial burden of costs of the previously daily commute to work offices .
Where you are on the journey is best tested by asking about the equality and diversity policy in the staff handbook . Explicitly publishing this emphasises both commitment to it and the openness your firm has to inclusive hiring practices . Where there is no such policy , remembering that it is not a strict legal requirement , it suggests that you haven ’ t got inclusivity in the way you treat people at the top of your agenda .
Virtus Search is available by visiting www . virtussearch . co . uk or by contacting 0845 643 9833 .