A key strategic aim for Skills Development Scotland (SDS) is to foster an inclusive organisational culture where diverse voices shape decision-making and improve organisational effectiveness.
It’s known that disabled people can face recruitment barriers. In a bid to continue to trial ways to increase the diversity of its workforce, SDS now issues interview questions in advance to all Young Talent programme and Trainee Careers Adviser applicants. The approach is highlighted as best practice by a number of organisations, including the Chartered Institute for Professional Development (CIPD).
SDS hopes that it will give all applicants more time to prepare their answers, help reduce stress on the day, and allow candidates to focus on putting forward their best selves during interview.
The idea originated from discussions within SDS’s Diversability group. This is an employee-led engagement group made up of disabled colleagues from across the organisation, and is sponsored by SDS’s Director of Human Resources, Carolyn Anderson.
Carolyn said: “We’re passionate about our role as a leader in inclusive growth within the public sector and aim to ensure equality and fair work principles are at the heart of everything we do.
“As part of our equality outcomes it’s been a priority for us to trial ways to best address recruitment barriers for under-represented groups.
“Sending interview questions in advance is the most requested reasonable adjustment we receive. By sending questions in advance to everyone, it means disabled applicants don’t need to ask for this adjustment when they apply for a job and we hope that the approach improves the recruitment experience for all candidates, and particularly for people who are neurodiverse.
“Because our application forms are anonymous, this may also help reduce unconscious bias during the selection stage.”
SDS’s next step is to gather feedback on the approach. If successful, it could become a standard part of how they recruit, continuing to demonstrate their ongoing commitment to fairness, equality, and listening to its people.
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