Recruitment strategies are an important element of the organisation’s human resource management activities. Recruitment strategies, where the primary focus on the recruitment activities on the job vacancies for which job seekers can apply are often not suitable for neurodivergent persons. Due to the shortage of labour the companies are more encouraged to expand their recruitment effort to include non traditional and underrepresented segments of the labour market and to use a variety of internal and external recruitment sources to fill in job vacancies.

 

Many neurodivergent persons fail already in the beginning of the recruitment process. To include more neurodivergent persons, the recruitment process need to be more inclusive and more accessible.

 

For that the creating an inclusive workplace is of great importance.

Attention need to be given at:

• Inclusive recruitment: Employers should ensure the their recruitment process is fair from bias. This can be achieved by training interviewers on legal options and objective interview practice, removing bias through testing the words of job adverts, and checking what tests are valid, reliable and objective. The recruitment process should be redesigned to reduce the influence of bias and discrimination while getting the most suitable candidate for a job.

• Diversity recruitment plan: This plan can include expanding recruitment channels, utilizing blind resume screening, implementing training for better usage of diversity metrics, creating a diverse hiring committee, using inclusive interviewing techniques, and offering diversity and inclusion for new hires.

• Inclusive job descriptions: Employers should write inclusive job descriptions that avoid gendered language and focus on essential skills required for the job.

• Widening search: Employers should widen their search to include diverse groups and pools of talent.

• Inclusively designed application process: Employers should design an application process that is inclusive. This can be achieved by making sure that the application process is accessible to all candidates, including those with neurodiversity.

• Fair short listing: Employers should make short listing fair by using that all candidates are assessed against the same criteria.

• Reasonable adjustments at interview: Employers should allow for reasonable adjustments at interview to ensure that all candidates have an equal opportunity to demonstrate their skills.

  

Specific strategies in favour of neurodivergent persons are:

• Hiring neurodivergent talent: Organisations can make an extra effort to recruit, retain and nurture neurodivergent workers. This can lead to increased diversity in skills, ways of thinking, and approaches to problem-solving. Hiring neurodivergent professionals can help employers turn the tide on the current labour shortage and bring valuable ways  of thinking and problem-solving to their companies,

• Broadening the lens on diversity, equity and inclusion: Diversity, equity and inclusion is not just about people of colour, race, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and physical disability. It also includes neurodiversity.

• Formulating policies for neurodiversity: Companies can consider setting targets for hiring neurodivergent talented employees .

• Creating an inclusive work environment: Employers can take steps to encourage neurodivergent job applicants by removing potential “friction points”” in the hiring process. They can also support their staff by providing necessary accommodations and support.

• Training and awareness: Employers should raise awareness of neurodiversity in the company.

• Adjusting recruitment practices: Employers should make job adverts and job descriptions simple and accurate. They should ask applicants what they need during the interview/ assessment process. Providing information on the work environment.