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Toolkit / Opportunity / Widening your talent poolWidening your talent pool
There are accepted routes into the UK real estate sector with recognised courses and institutions, and bodies responsible for encouraging more women and people from underrepresented backgrounds to think about property as a career. But there are things that individual organisations can do to make sure that they attract the very best people:
- Offer work experience opportunities for non-selective school pupils - start young and raise awareness of a career in real estate.
- Provide targeted internships and scholarships to people from underrepresented groups.
- Ask your employees to refer diverse candidates.
- Use neutral language in job advertisements so as not to alienate potential candidates (for example, words like ‘assertive’ and ‘strong’ can imply that you are looking to recruit a man).
- Make sure recruitment partners know to expect to provide a balance of candidates and push back if you receive unrepresentative shortlists.
- Broaden your sources for recruiting talent. Consider advertising in different media, for example on women returner job sites and the Black Professionals in Construction Network.
- Diversify the routes into your business. Look at the people specifications for roles and amend them to be more inclusive.
- Consider introducing name-blind, colour-blind and gender-blind recruitment practices, and ensure that interview panels are diverse.