Disability Friendly

10Talent Acquisition Through Outreach and Recruitment

For many years, the recruitment and hiring process at organizations has remained relatively static. Channels for recruitment, from job fairs, colleges, referrals from current or former employees, etc., lead to a process by which hiring managers, armed with what they believed were the characteristics to look for when selecting candidates, filter through résumés and screen calls to discover the “top” candidates. Of course, this process is riddled with bias, almost by design. Qualities such as eagerness, an outgoing and friendly personality, and so on, optimized to fit into the existing workplace culture, are prized. Those who relate to others differently, whether due to culture, race, socioeconomic status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or disability are often removed from consideration based on this prioritization of “fitting in.” The new paradigm that must be considered is how can the workplace be structured so that qualified individuals fit in, rather than trying to recruit those who fit the mold? This should be a business imperative for every organization in a rapidly globalizing society where our collective values are that difference is good, and necessary.

Role of Technology in Hiring

One of the biggest shifts in hiring has been the exponential increase in the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) screening and interviewing technologies to sort through candidates. From the organization's perspective, it helps human ...