Interviewers: You are Missing Out!

Before the Pandemic, the Delvers had a brilliant opportunity to support Breakthrough UK, a Manchester based organisation who support disabled people to work and live independently.  We hosted some mock interviews for people on a pre-employment programme, providing participants with authentic interview experience as well as some motivational coaching.

We found out people’s strengths, career aspirations and passions. However, for some people we had to delve a bit deeper than the standard interview questions about why they wanted to apply for the role and what they could bring.  Once people opened up, we found out about an amazing range of skills, attributes and experience that if we had stuck to the script wouldn’t have been revealed to us.

Disabled people have to apply for 60 percent more jobs than non-disabled people to secure a role. Only 50 percent of applications result in interviews, compared to 69 percent for applicants without disabilities, according to research from disability charity Scope in partnership with Virgin Media.   Not only this but people with disabilities in the UK have a 7.3 percent unemployment rate, compared to 3.4 percent for non-disabled people.

So how can we make our selection processes more inclusive?

For some disabled people, an interview might not be the best way to demonstrate their skills. Some may be nervous about interviews, particularly if they have been unemployed for some time. They may have the skills to perform the job but not interview well so if you can, offer alternatives such as a work trial or having a support person with them during the interview.

It’s important to take a consistent approach with interview questions for all candidates.  However, think carefully about the questions and make sure they are focused around the essential job requirements. Behavioural questions allow applicants to demonstrate how they gained their skills and abilities, regardless of the context.  This might be through college, voluntary work or personal situations, not just traditional employment.

For example, instead of asking “describe your experience working in a call centre”, ask “tell me about a time where you’ve solved a problem for a customer”. This will allow an applicant to demonstrate they have the skills required for a customer service role.

Make sure you speak in a straightforward way and really check understanding of the question.  Don’t ask complex questions.  Be patient and give the person time to think about their answer.  If they are finding it difficult to answer, encourage them by asking the question in a different way.  Don’t just put a cross in the box and move on to the next question.

Rhonda McPhail, Pathways Coordinator at Breakthrough UK says, ‘For many disabled people who are often already navigating significant barriers to employment formal interview processes aren’t always inclusive. Questions are often focussed on past employment experience that they may not have, rather than encouraging candidates to talk about relevant skills and experience gained from outside the world of work. Allowing a level of agility within the interview process can enable the interviewer to get the very best from the interviewee. After all, it’s all about getting the right person for the job!’

Interviewing is a real skill, it’s not something where you can just rock up and ask a few questions, you need to go deeper than that if you want effective processes that bring out the best in people and enable you to recruit people who are truly aligned to your values.   The Department for Work and Pensions offer specific advice for recruiting disabled people and you can access their guide on their website.

Our call to action is for you to consider how inclusive your recruitment processes are, particularly at a time when virtual interviewing is on the increase.  Ultimately, the more inclusive your organisation is, the more attractive you will be to an untapped pool of talented jobseekers, who could really add value to your business!

Get in touch  at [email protected] if you’d like some support designing an inclusive selection process.