Audit a job advert and application form to remove jargon, vague soft-skill claims and unnecessary barriers to entry.
Human Resources & Personal Development
Neuroinclusive Hiring from Job Adverts to Interview Adjustments
Redesign job adverts, assessments and interviews to remove barriers for neurodivergent candidates, and put in place adjustments that widen the talent pool without lowering standards.
🗓️Duration5 training days
📚Content4 modules · 8 sessions
🎓On completionAccredited attendance certificate
About the programme
Course Overview
Standard hiring processes were built around a narrow model of how a strong candidate looks, sounds and behaves in a room, and that model routinely screens out capable autistic, ADHD, dyslexic and dyspraxic candidates before their actual ability is ever tested. Vague soft-skill language in job adverts, unstructured panel interviews that reward small talk and eye contact, and tightly timed written exercises can all measure comfort with the format rather than fitness for the role. This course gives recruiters, hiring managers and talent acquisition specialists a practical method for auditing and redesigning each stage of the hiring funnel, from advert wording and application forms through assessment centre exercises to interview structure and reasonable adjustments. Participants rewrite a live job advert, redesign an assessment exercise against job-relevant criteria, and practise offering adjustments such as advance questions, extra time and alternative interview formats, leaving with a neuroinclusive hiring checklist ready to apply to their next vacancy.
Expected Learning Outcomes
Redesign assessment centre exercises to measure job-relevant skills rather than comfort with unfamiliar formats.
Structure interviews around consistent, job-relevant criteria that reduce reliance on rapport and first impressions.
Offer proportionate adjustments, including advance questions, extra time and alternative formats, without disclosure pressure.
Train interview panels to score neurodivergent candidates fairly against evidence rather than communication style.
Design onboarding adjustments that carry hiring-stage accommodations through into a candidate's first months.
Track hiring funnel data by stage to identify where neurodivergent candidates are disproportionately screened out.
Who Should Attend
Recruiters and talent acquisition specialists redesigning hiring processes
Hiring managers who sit on interview panels for technical and operational roles
HR business partners building disability and neurodiversity inclusion plans
Diversity and inclusion leads reviewing recruitment policy and practice
Assessment centre designers creating exercises for graduate and volume hiring
Occupational health advisers supporting candidates through adjustment requests
Course Modules
Select any module to see its sessions and points.
01Understanding Barriers Across the Hiring Funnel
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Recognising How Standard Processes Disadvantage Candidates
- Map common hiring barriers including vague advert language, timed tests and unstructured panel interviews.
- Explain how autistic, ADHD, dyslexic and dyspraxic candidates may experience each stage of a typical hiring process.
- Review hiring funnel drop-off data to identify stages where capable candidates are most likely to withdraw or fail.
- Distinguish core job requirements from incidental format demands that unnecessarily narrow the candidate pool.
Session 2Setting the Policy and Business Case for Change
- Build a business case linking neuroinclusive hiring to a wider talent pool and improved role-specific performance.
- Align neuroinclusive hiring changes with existing reasonable adjustment and disability policy commitments.
- Secure hiring manager buy-in by demonstrating that redesigned criteria still protect role standards.
- Set measurable goals for the pilot, including funnel conversion rates and candidate experience feedback.
02Redesigning Adverts, Applications and Assessments
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Writing Clear, Barrier-Free Adverts and Application Forms
- Rewrite job adverts to replace vague soft-skill phrases with specific, testable job requirements.
- Simplify application forms by removing unnecessary free-text fields and clarifying expected response length.
- Offer alternative application formats, such as video or structured written responses, where genuinely equivalent.
- Publish clear information about the hiring process and timeline so candidates can prepare and request adjustments.
Session 2Redesigning Assessment Centre and Written Exercises
- Replace generic timed tests with exercises that mirror the actual tasks and pace of the target role.
- Provide assessment instructions in writing in advance, reducing reliance on verbal-only briefings on the day.
- Offer extra time and quiet rooms as standard options rather than requiring formal disclosure to access them.
- Score assessment exercises against a fixed rubric agreed before candidates are seen.
03Structuring Fair, Job-Focused Interviews
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Building Structured Interview Questions and Scoring Criteria
- Write structured interview questions tied directly to job-relevant competencies rather than general impressions.
- Design a scoring matrix that separates evidence of ability from communication style or social ease.
- Share interview questions in advance where doing so does not compromise the validity of the assessment.
- Calibrate panel members before interviews to reduce inconsistent scoring between interviewers.
Session 2Offering and Managing Interview Adjustments
- Offer adjustments such as written questions, extra processing time and alternative interview formats proactively.
- Handle adjustment requests without requiring a formal diagnosis or invasive personal disclosure.
- Brief interview panels on how to interpret atypical eye contact, pacing or phrasing without penalising candidates.
- Debrief panels after each interview to check scores are based on evidence rather than rapport.
04Sustaining Neuroinclusive Practice
2 sessions · 8 points
Session 1Supporting Candidates from Offer into Onboarding
- Carry adjustments agreed during hiring through into onboarding plans and probation review conversations.
- Brief new line managers on any agreed adjustments before the candidate's first day, with the candidate's consent.
- Create a feedback channel for new starters to flag onboarding barriers uncovered after the hiring process.
- Review probation and early performance outcomes to confirm that adjustments are working as intended.
Session 2Measuring and Improving the Hiring Process Over Time
- Track hiring funnel conversion rates by stage, watching for patterns suggesting candidates are screened out unfairly.
- Collect anonymised candidate feedback on process clarity, adjustment handling and overall experience.
- Refresh interviewer training periodically to prevent drift back towards informal, rapport-based scoring.
- Share hiring process learnings with other functions building their own inclusive recruitment practice.
What the participant receives
4 course modules
A structured syllabus
8 training sessions
across 5 days
32 detailed points
Applied, detailed content
Accredited attendance certificate
On completing the programme
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