Good Practice Guide Diversity in Recruitment to ... - The Civil Service

When to use a search firmSEARCHFIRMNeedingto targeta specificaudienceVery broadbriefrequiring awide skillsetShorttimescalesA desire touse thevacancy todo broaderPR AGENCY ADVERTISE A difficultandspecificskill setrequiredSearch firms should look to provide more than a list of top quality diverse candidates.They should map the market on each job they undertake and provide added valueconsultancy services on many aspects of the recruitment processes.Recruitment assignments for the SCS, and particularly the early research phaseswhich are vitally important in finding a wide range of candidates, are currently carriedout under great time pressure which mitigates against identifying a diverse pool ofindividuals - diverse candidates tend to have comparatively lower profiles and needmore search work to identify them. By contrast the later stages of an assignment arefar more protracted and risk losing good candidates through lack of momentum.Those who are responsible for recruitment can establish relationships with one ormore search firms outside the context of specific searches. Most search firms wouldbe happy to explain the services they offer in a general way outside a specificrecruitment assignment. Recruiters could also find out which search firms otherdepartments use and share information.Before selecting a search firmEnsure you have a full and thorough brief.Assess the current diversity make up of both the team and department therecruit will be joining.Have a note of the aspirational diversity targets for your department.Have conversations with relevant stakeholders regarding specific diversitychallenges your department might face and how the vacancy could appeal todiverse audiences.Identify and discuss the involvement of key diversity role models who thesearch firm could talk about and who could potentially meet candidates.8