Friendly reminder that Privilege DOES play a part in recruitment outcomes.

I've seen some posts on LinkedIn recently commenting on being able to see someone's bed behind them on Zoom or a recruiter encouraging candidates not to wear hoodies to virtual interviews because it looks unprofessional. 🫣

I was even told this week by a recruiter that there is no bias in salary offers and that candidates are "ignorant" if they do not do their research and know their worth.🤯

Privilege could look like:

👉 access to the funds to attend an interview

👉 access to the funds for 'interview appropriate' attire

👉 no caring responsibilities that impact the time or day that you are available for an interview

👉 having a quiet space to interview that isn't your bedroom

👉 access to a computer

👉 a Neurotypical brain that doesn't place you in a disadvantaged position for a conversational interview process

👉 an abled body that doesn't require any accommodations or adjustments to the interview process

👉 the knowledge that you can negotiate without the threat of not meeting next month's rent or bills

👉 the ability to negotiate without triggering memories of being previously told that you're not worth that amount

👉 not returning from an involuntary career gap which has damaged confidence or self-esteem

👉 a person or role model in your network who can coach you throughout and especially at the offer negotiation stage

This list is non-exhaustive - what else would you add?

#privilege
#recruitment
#inclusiverecruitment
#licreatoraccelerator

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Would you expect someone to put an offer on a house without knowing the asking price? 🤔

Probably not. How could the individual possibly know where to pitch their offer.

Yet, candidates are frequently expected to volunteer their salary expectations during their job search without knowing the salary range.

👉 Most recruitment software is configured to collect ‘salary expectations’ at application stage, yet most companies do not advertise a salary range on their posts.

👉 And this is where the cycle of pay inequality starts. 😩

Stay tuned for Part Two of this post. I'm currently doing fascinating research into this for our next edition of The Inclusive Hiring Digest.

#recruitment
#salarytransparency
#paygap
#inclusivehiring
#inclusiverecruitment

You are not entitled to know a candidate's current salary

It's not an indication of

✅ their worth
✅ their seniority
✅ their potential

Nor should it influence their offer in any way. What should affect the offer is

✅ their expectations
✅ the internal salary band
✅ parity with the same or similar roles in the company

Using current salary as a basis for a job offer is a known factor influencing pay gaps (Ethnicity, Disability, Gender), yet it's still common.

Recently I happened across a viral post on LinkedIn where an executive recruiter had put out a poll asking.

"So you are in a salary negotiation, and the candidate requests a higher offer based on their current package.

Is it okay to ask for evidence?"

It was concerning that around 30% felt that the candidate should provide evidence in the spirit of transparency. Bear in mind that there is a massive problem with salary transparency in the UK, with the majority of jobs advertised WITHOUT a salary.

Even more concerning was that so many comments were on the wrong side of the debate. It was all about whether the candidate was trustworthy or had they lied to boost their salary.

Fortunately, plenty of comments supported the notion that the candidate's current salary was irrelevant and to pay what they're worth.

But I can't stop thinking about the THIRTY PERCENT that felt it was the candidate's responsibility to provide evidence of their current salary - even though there are so many factors beyond their control (such as their identity, caring responsibilities, physical health, mental health, disability) which could have led to them being paid way below their market value and peers.

I'm also dedicating the next edition to The Inclusive Hiring Digest to Pay Equity and Equality. I already have some great individuals lined up to interview - including a CEO who has recently published all of their salary bands internally in a move towards complete salary transparency with their employees 🙌

But I'm looking for others to interview for this edition.

❓Do you have a salary negotiating experience you'd be willing to share
❓Do you have an alternative perspective?

I'd love any views on this topic to add to the digest.

Sign up to the End Salary History campaign

#salarytransparency
#payequity
#payequality
#genderpaygap
#recruitment
#inclusiverecruitment

Confessions of an ex-recruiter

All the suggestions about Inclusive Recruitment I put on here come from a judgement-free place. 🙏💜

How can I be sure? Because I've made every unintentional mistake there is as a recruiter. And caused barriers to under-represented candidates without meaning to.

👉 I've failed to signpost effectively to the offer of adjustments or support

👉 I haven't adjusted my interviews for Neurodivergent or cognitively different candidates

👉 I've let my affinity bias allow me to form connections with candidates that have nothing to do with their skills

👉 I've gone into confirmation bias mode during interviews on a mission to prove the initial impression made

👉 I’ve been overly influenced by what others think of a candidate and gone into Conformity bias mode

👉 I've believed that Gut Feel and Intuition are my secret weapon as a recruiter

👉 I've used the phrase “not quite the right fit” when deciding not to move someone forward in the recruitment process.

👉 I've looked for candidates to fit into a company culture rather than add to it

👉 I've let female candidates and other under-represented groups undersell themselves at the offer negotiations stage

👉 I've allowed a candidate to be negotiated down on their fair salary expectations because the Finance Director isn't comfortable with them having more than a ten per cent increase on their current salary

👉 I've thought that the ‘best candidate’ will be hired for the job, no matter where they came from.

#confessionsofarecruiter
#recruitment
#inclusiverecruitment
#inclusivehiring