Inclusive student recruitment: a guide for employability practitioners

This project, funded by the Jisc careers research grant, reveals how inclusive recruitment materials can open doors to work placements for disadvantaged students

The report by researchers at Northumbria University explores how inclusive recruitment materials can improve access to work placements for disadvantaged students, offering evidence-based guidance for employability practitioners.

You can download the guide alongside the research report below, or alternatively visit the Northumbria University Knowledge Bank to get your copy.

Key recommendations

Student engagement:

• Do not assume that students know what 'disadvantaged' terms mean. Provide clear targeted explanations of terms such as 'disadvantaged' or 'widening participation' to help students access the opportunities and support they are entitled to.
• Raise student awareness about their own unconscious biases that may act as a barrier to work placements or job opportunities in specific professions or contexts.
• Take positive action to promote and support students from specific under-represented groups. Where possible, co-create activity with students to ensure action is fit for purpose and effective.

 Job adverts:

• Check and remove biased language.
• Include a specific salary and avoid negotiable salaries or salary bands.
• Where flexible working opportunities exist, make sure this is clear and prominent.
• Make recruitment timelines and requirements clear.
• The person specification should be clear, concise, specific and behaviour based.
• Promote specific employee benefits and policies.
• Promote challenges, opportunities for personal development and mentorship in the role description.
• Proactively promote reasonable adjustments for students with a disability and positive action initiatives for under-represented student groups.
• Think carefully about organisational diversity messages and avoid generic and unspecified statements.

 Diversify applicants:

• Ensure roles with flexible working opportunities posted on job boards are correctly listed as flexible.
• Promote opportunities in places where they are more likely to be seen by disadvantaged students.

Impact of Interventions:

• Use institutional systems so activity becomes data drive and impact can be measured.

About the report

This project addresses a critical gap in employability practice: how student recruitment materials and processes can either support or hinder access to work placements for disadvantaged groups.

The research team developed an evidence-based inclusive recruitment guide for employability practitioners and student employers which offers actionable strategies to make recruitment more inclusive, transparent and accessible.

This research was funded by the Jisc careers research grant. If you're a careers professional planning to undertake research, you may be eligible for funding of up to £5,000.