Commissioning Guide 9
How to commission an inclusive recruitment review
An inclusive recruitment review examines where barriers may exist within the recruitment process and what changes could improve fairness, accessibility and candidate experience.
1. What is this service?
It can cover attraction through to onboarding.
2. When might you commission it?
- workforce representation is not changing
- candidate feedback identifies barriers
- applications are diverse but appointments are not
- candidates drop out at particular stages
- managers use inconsistent recruitment practices
- reasonable-adjustment processes need reviewing.
3. Before you commission
Ask:
- Where do we think the problem is?
- What recruitment data do we have?
- What does candidate feedback say?
- Which roles or stages are most affected?
- Are there accessibility barriers?
- What changes have already been attempted?
4. Define your brief
Specify:
- attraction
- job descriptions
- advertising
- application
- shortlisting
- assessment
- interview
- reasonable adjustments
- offers
- onboarding
- data.
5. What to ask providers
- How will you diagnose barriers?
- What data will you analyse?
- Will you review candidate experience?
- How will you involve recruiters and hiring managers?
- How will you distinguish systemic issues from individual decisions?
- What changes would you prioritise?
- How will success be measured?
6. How to compare proposals
Assess:
- recruitment expertise
- analytical methodology
- candidate perspective
- accessibility knowledge
- practical recommendations
- implementation support
- measurement.
7. What good looks like
- where the barrier occurs → who it affects → what evidence supports it → what could change → how you will know whether the change worked.
8. Things to watch out for
- assuming diverse advertising solves recruitment inequality
- focusing solely on unconscious bias
- no recruitment data
- no candidate voice
- recommendations that recruiters cannot realistically implement.
9. What should you receive?
- recruitment journey map
- evidence review
- barrier analysis
- recommendations
- revised materials where appropriate
- manager guidance
- implementation plan
- measurement framework.
10. After commissioning
Agree:
- applications
- progression
- selection
- candidate experience
- offers
- acceptance
- onboarding.