Free tool · Inclusive Recruitment and Interviewing

Inclusive Interview Toolkit

Three practical tools to slow down bias at every step of hiring, from writing the job ad to the decision meeting: a job ad language check, a competency-based structured interview plan and a process checklist.

Designed to help you bring the steps we practise in the Inclusive Recruitment and Interviewing Techniques workshop into your own processes. You can use it even if you have not attended the workshop.

  • 3 tools
  • Printable output
  • Your text and answers are not stored

Job ad language check

Paste your job ad. The tool flags wording that may quietly screen out some groups of candidates and checks for elements worth including. It is a second pair of eyes, not a verdict: weigh every flag against the real requirements of the role.

Six biases in the interview room

We cannot eliminate bias, but we can slow it down. Read this once before the interview.

Similarity bias

Rating candidates who resemble us as more competent: same school, same city, same hobby.

Ask yourself: "Am I giving this score for similarity or for evidence?"

First impressions and confirmation

An opinion formed in the first minutes, with later questions serving only to confirm it.

Score each question immediately after asking it.

Halo effect

A single strong trait (fluent speaking, a prestigious employer) spilling over into the whole assessment.

Score each competency on its own scale, with its own evidence.

Contrast effect

Judging a candidate against the previous one rather than against the criteria.

Re-read the scale definitions before scoring.

"Culture fit"

Fit quietly turning into the question "Are they like us?"

Ask "What will they add to the team?" and write the answer down.

Seniority and group pressure

The most senior person's first opinion in the decision meeting steering everyone else.

Collect scores independently before the meeting, and let the most senior person speak last.

Let's talk about your hiring teamExplore the inclusion trainings

This is a learning and self-assessment tool; it does not replace legal advice. Check job ads and interview questions against your organisation's legal and HR policies as well. The "coded language" flags in the job ad check draw on research showing that gender-coded words in job ads can affect willingness to apply (Gaucher, Friesen and Kay, 2011); the structured interview guidance draws on studies showing that structured interviews give more consistent and less biased assessments than unstructured ones (Levashina et al., 2014). The text you enter and the items you tick never leave your browser.

Free resources

More free tools

Finished with this tool? Here are some next steps. All are free and need no email address.

Interactive tool · Self-assessment

Inclusion Pulse

Nine statements give you a short reading of how well the Policy, Practice and Perception layers line up in your organisation.

Start the self-assessment →PDF · 2 checklists

Printable checklists

One-page lists for an inclusive meeting routine and for the first 30 days after training.

Download the checklists →Guides · 3 topics

Practical guides

Evidence-based guides on psychological safety, unconscious bias training and learning ecosystems.

Read the guides →
All tools, checklists and guides on one page.Go to Guides and Toolkits