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Inclusive recruitment & objective selection
Recruitment and selection is one of the most impactful and complex tasks any organisation faces. Prejudice, vague criteria and limited sourcing channels stand in the way of finding the best talent. We help you design the process to be more inclusive, more objective and more effective, without compromising on quality.
Why
Missing out on talent is expensive... in more ways than one
A mismatch between candidate and role does not only mean direct recruitment costs, it also leads to lost productivity and frustration among colleagues. The total impact can run into tens of thousands of euros per bad hire. Beyond meeting your legal obligations, safeguarding equal opportunity ensures you never miss out on valuable talent.
Diverse teams perform better, provided there is also an inclusive culture. They understand their audience better, avoid one-sided thinking and reach better-considered decisions. It matters to candidates too: objective procedures are experienced as fairer across all groups, and organisations with such procedures are more often recommended.
Definitions
What are inclusive recruitment and objective selection?
Two principles that, together, make the difference between a process that attracts talent and one that assesses it fairly.
Inclusive recruitment
You actively reach a broad and diverse group of potential candidates. With accessible, audience-aware job adverts, distributed via suitable channels, so your message actually lands.
Objective selection
As a committee, you make choices systematically and rationally. Clear criteria, structured interviews and scoring rubrics reduce the influence of unconscious pitfalls, groupthink and arbitrary decisions.
The process
Five steps to a better selection process
Design the entire process up front around these five questions. At every step there are concrete choices to be made that will make the process fairer and more effective.
Step 1
Assemble committee & profile
Assemble a committee with diverse perspectives and backgrounds as early as possible. It is crucial that all members commit to an inclusive and objective process, and that there is an explicit, shared picture of the desired profile.
Don't start with the old job advert (risk: you end up looking for a 'new Jan'), but with three questions: which tasks belong to the role, which competencies are essential, and what does the team actually need? Formulate a maximum of 4 to 6 concrete, observable competencies.
Step 2
Job advert & sourcing
The job advert is both starting point and calling card. Candidates with diverse backgrounds quickly drop out if they don't recognise themselves in the text. Deliberately use multiple sourcing channels, as organisations that rely on one fixed route (such as LinkedIn) attract a far less diverse candidate pool.
Inclusive job advert checklist
- Write clearly, concretely and concisely
- Limit to 4 to 6 core competencies
- Use gender-neutral language
- Avoid culture-specific references
- Write age-neutrally
- Account for possible disabilities
- Mention access needs
- State the salary explicitly
- Have the text reviewed for bias
- Add a diversity statement
Step 3
Getting to know candidates
Not every instrument is equally reliable. Structured interviews, case studies and cognitive assessments have the highest predictive validity. CVs, cover letters and unstructured interviews score low, but remain useful if you standardise them.
STARR methodology for the structured interview
Step 4
Weigh & select
An evaluation rubric makes explicit what a high, average or low score means per competency. Without that rubric every assessor applies their own norms, and unconscious bias colours the judgement. Have each committee member score individually and in silence first, before the group discussion.
ORCWE method for structured scoring
Step 5
Evaluate
The process does not stop at appointment. The evaluation phase is precisely where insight into quality, fairness and effectiveness comes from. Were the criteria applied as agreed? Did all candidates have an equal opportunity? Where did unconscious biases creep back in?
Pitfalls
Fifteen biases that undermine your process
Cognitive errors and prejudices sneak into every phase of the process. The process steps above are designed to recognise and limit these effects. Use this list as a self-scan for your next procedure. Our recruitment and selection service helps you avoid these pitfalls.
From objective to fair
Towards more diverse and equitable teams
Equal treatment is the legal starting point. But sometimes equal treatment alone fails to remove the disadvantaged position of a population group. Here are some ways to build more diverse teams:
Multilingualism
Valuable in healthcare and public services, including regional languages and sign language.
Perseverance
People from a disadvantaged position have often overcome a great deal to get to where they are.
Cultural sensitivity
Knowledge of different worldviews enriches teams and the services they deliver.
Preferential policy: for which groups is it permitted?
In the Netherlands, when candidates are equally suitable you may, on a temporary basis and with proper justification, give preference to:
- Women
- People from an ethnic or cultural minority group
- People with a disability or chronic illness
- Age groups (as part of a target-group policy)
From knowledge to action
How we get started
Behaviour change takes more than knowledge. It takes practice, reflection and structural improvement of processes. Pick a starting point that fits your situation.
Download the introduction
Get the full guide as a PDF: step-by-step plan, checklists and tools.
Download PDF →No-obligation call
Together we explore where you can make gains: through training, redesign or both.
Schedule a call →About the authors
Written by experts from research and practice
This expertise page is written by three specialists with backgrounds in work and organisational psychology, sociology and training practice. Read more about our team.
Frequently asked questions
FAQ on inclusive recruitment and objective selection
What is the difference between inclusive recruitment and objective selection?
Inclusive recruitment means you actively reach a broad and diverse group of potential candidates, with accessible, audience-aware job adverts and appropriate channels. Objective selection means that as a committee you make choices systematically and rationally: clear selection criteria, structured interviews and reliable assessment instruments. Together they reduce the influence of unconscious pitfalls, groupthink and arbitrary decisions.
How does the STARR methodology reduce bias in interviews?
STARR stands for Situation, Task, Action, Result and Reflection. By keeping the same structure for every candidate, you increase comparability, reduce bias and obtain richer, fairer information. Asking about the past also reduces the chance of socially desirable answers.
In the Netherlands, when can you apply preferential policy?
The legal starting point is equal treatment. But where candidates are equally suitable, you may, on a temporary basis and with proper justification, give preference to women, people from an ethnic or cultural minority group, people with a disability or chronic illness, and certain age groups (provided this is part of a target-group policy).
What is the status of the Dutch Act on supervision of equal opportunity in recruitment and selection?
The bill was passed by the House of Representatives on 14 March 2023 and rejected by the Senate on 26 March 2024. Although the law has not entered into force, the underlying question, how do you make recruitment and selection fairer, remains as relevant as ever. Our expertise is based on the research that formed the scientific basis for this bill.
Does this approach also work for small selection committees?
Yes. The principles — a shared profile, structured interviews, individual scoring before group discussion — work for any committee size. With smaller committees it is in fact even more important to prevent group pressure and authority bias, because the dominance of any single person then has a greater effect.
Sources & further reading
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Co-founder of Human Centric
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