Recite Me & Guidant Group create digital inclusion guide for recruiters

Recruiters can now learn how to make their recruitment process more accessible for disabled jobseekers thanks to a new guide, produced in collaboration between Recite Me and Guidant Group.

 

The disability employment gap (the difference between the employment rates of disabled and non-disabled people) is over 30 per cent. However, many more disabled people are facing barriers that are stopping them from entering the workplace.

 

They form a large pool of relatively untapped talent for employers which should be tapped into at this time, when so many organisations and industry sectors are reporting skills shortages.

 

The Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI)’s disabled jobseeker candidate survey 2017 RIDI candidate survey of 200 disabled job seekers, conducted in conjunction with VERCIDA, shows inaccessible online and digital communications stop disabled jobseekers flourishing in the recruitment process.

 

Their findings include:

• 75% of the disabled jobseekers surveyed find their condition has an impact on their job search
• 54% find hurdles at multiple stages of the recruitment process
• 28% find online assessments challenging

 

Today’s recruitment processes rely heavily on digital technology, from online job adverts on both websites and social media platforms, to online application forms and skills assessments.

 

There is clearly a need to educate and support recruiters to make the recruitment journey more accessible and allow them to tap into the pool of disabled talent. The guide to digital inclusion for recruiters by Recite Me and Guidant Group addresses this need.

 

The guide is now available on Recite Me’s website.

 

It will help recruiters understand how to make the digital and online parts of the recruitment process more accessible for disabled job seekers.

 

The four page guide begins by explaining the current situation and urges recruiters to act now if they don’t want to miss out on disabled talent.

 

It goes on to explain that recruiters should use inclusive design and meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) Level A (lowest) standards as a minimum requirement for all digital and online communications.

 

The guide also shows recruiters how they can make their social media profiles as accessible as possible by using the accessibility settings on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

 

It then goes on to explain how recruiters can add web accessibility software like Recite Me to their websites to ensure that the widest possible audience can access the entire recruitment process online.

 

The final part of the guide describes how recruiters can carry out user testing of the online and digital parts of their recruitment process. This is crucial to get feedback and make the necessary changes to ensure the whole recruitment process is accessible to as many disabled jobseekers as possible.

 

Ross Linnett, Recite Me Founder and CEO said:

 

“The research shows that disabled jobseekers often find barriers in the recruitment process.

 

“These barriers include inaccessible websites that stop jobseekers doing basic tasks like viewing and applying for job vacancies, but this needs to change now.

 

“This guide will help recruiters take the necessary steps to get digital inclusion right in their recruitment process to tap into the wide pool of disabled talent in the UK.”

 

Simon Blockley, Managing Director of Guidant Group, said:

 

“Guidant Group has taken a proactive approach to promote disability confidence within our own organisation and within the wider recruitment sector.

 

“Helping recruiters make their recruitment process more accessible to disabled jobseekers helps to create a more disability confident and inclusive environment in recruitment.

 

“We believe this guide will help recruiters make their recruitment process accessible to the widest possible audience and open doors for disabled jobseekers.”