Conducting an unbiased interview ensures fairness, inclusivity and equal opportunities for all candidates. Removing bias benefits employers and job seekers alike. As an employer, you have the power to create a positive and equitable experience for candidates, fostering excitement about a potential future with your organization. 

Getting started: Review job descriptions 

Job postings play an important role in recruiting talent and often provide the first impression of a company’s culture. Take care to include: 

  • Accessible and inclusive language (choose simple, concise and understandable wording for people who grew up without English or French as their first language and for neurodiverse individuals, and use gender-neutral word choices) 
  • Accessible forms, fonts, font sizes, colours and contrasts (consider applicants who may use assistive technologies or live with visual impairments)
  • Specific qualifications that may be less common or accessible for more marginalized communities (for example, expensive certifications, restricted to locally available qualifications)
  • Level of communication skills required (how this is assessed and what this implies for diverse applicants) 

Advertise the job 

  • Share job ads with community partners
  • Conduct outreach recruitment
  • Accept resumes and applications in multiple formats (mail, email, online application)
  • Communicate about available adaptations and how to access them
  • Advertise for a minimum of 3 weeks 

Prepare for the assessment 

  • Identify the selection criteria
  • Set the pre-screening criteria
  • Determine which criteria will be assessed in the interview and throughout the testing
  • Develop interview questions (including tests to assess the candidate's diversity competencies)
  • Develop the marking guides (include the questions, the ideal responses, and the maximum score for each question)
  • Develop an overall scoring sheet 2
  • Gather the interview panel and ensure to include people from equity-deserving backgrounds and communities (including your external partners)
  • Prepare the interview panel members 

Pre-screen the applicants 

  • Assess each applicant against the pre-screening criteria to identify who to invite for an interview
  • Conduct pre-screening interviews to further narrow down who will be interviewed
  • Invite those shortlisted to the interview, asking if they require any accommodation for the interview or test 

Assess candidates 

  • Prepare interview panel members to ensure a bias-free interview
  • Conduct the interviews, recording each candidate’s responses to the questions
  • Appropriate open and close each interview
  • Score candidate’s responses to each question
  • Review all interviewer scores and develop the overall score for each candidate
  • Administer the test to each candidate under the same conditions, leaving flexibility for any needed adaptation. Mark each test using the marking guide
  • Include the test scores in the candidate’s overall score to calculate the final score
  • Identify the top candidates
  • Apply a diversity lens (as appropriate) to make the hiring decision 

Conduct the background check (as appropriate) 

  • Check references
  • Verify credentials 

Make the job offer 

  • Negotiate compensation package and start date
  • Prepare the written job offer
  • Provide feedback to unsuccessful candidates 

Start the new employee off right! 

  • Develop and use your onboarding plan