Call for Fair Recruitment Specialists

UCL’s recruitment policy is to select the best candidates for positions based solely on merit. Yet there is considerable research that shows aspects of a candidate’s identity, such as their gender and/or ethnicity, may differentially, but subtly shape the expectations and behaviours of a recruitment panel and consequently the selection outcome.

Diverse recruitment panels are regarded as a significant element in fair and effective recruitment.

It adds a variety of perspectives to decision-making, helps mitigate against ‘cloning’ and the perpetuation of current profiles, reduces the possibility of stereotyping, can improve candidate performance by reducing ‘stereotype threat’ and is a visible demonstration of UCL’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Feedback from departments has been that it is often difficult to have sufficient ethnic diversity on panels as Black and minority ethnic staff are under-represented in certain roles and grades at UCL.

To address this, we are now into the fourth year of creating and maintaining a pool of highly trained Fair Recruitment Specialists, who will bring valuable input into recruitment activity across UCL.

We have over 70 trained Fair Recruitment Specialists however only 20% of this pool identify as male staff. As a result, we are looking for male staff to become Fair Recruitment Specialists, although we will accept applications from all Black and minority ethnic staff.

The benefits of becoming a Fair Recruitment Specialist include:

• Playing an important role in decision-making at the University
• Being provided with high-level training (next training cohort May/June 2022)
• Building new relationships within other parts of UCL
• Demonstrating an ‘enabling’ activity that can be recognised in promotion
• Boosting your CV and profile at UCL
• Helping UCL meet its aspirations on equity, diversity and inclusion

We are specifically looking for staff who meet the following criteria:

• Are from a self-defined black and minority ethnic background.
• Are in a role that potentially has wide-ranging relevance across the institution, for example (but not limited to): programme administrators, administrative managers, admissions tutors, departmental tutors, pastoral staff, lab managers and central professional services roles that involve a lot of variety and cross-departmental working
• Can commit to being on up to 3 recruitment panels per calendar year

The role of the Fair Recruitment Specialists is to help select the best candidate possible whilst making sure that best practice in non-biased recruitment is followed throughout the process.

It is voluntary for panels to opt to include a Fair Recruitment Specialist but if they choose to do so, it will be on the agreement that the Specialist plays a full and equal role in the decision-making.

To register your interest in becoming a Fair Recruitment Specialist, complete an expression of interest form.

N.B We are collecting expressions of interest throughout the year - you will be allocated training slots dependent on when you submit your form.

Find more out about the Fair Recruitment Specialist Scheme.