Recruiting for impact: a guide to successful public appointment recruitment - Begin with inclusive role design

Bias can enter the process before applications open. Inclusive role design helps a wider range of skilled and representative candidates see themselves in the role.

• Remove unnecessary or exclusionary criteria (e.g., “10+ years of experience,” specific universities, rigid career backgrounds)
• Identify the skills the board needs now and in the future (e.g. governance, climate literacy, digital, cyber security).
• Prioritise skills, capability, and outcomes over traditional experience.
• Write role descriptions in clear, neutral, jargon free language.
• Avoid coded terms such as “skilled” “confident,” or “values-aligned,” which can discourage applicants.

Recognise the value of lived experience and transferable skills.

• Ensure the role reflects the realities, priorities, and regulatory environment of your sector.
• Use AI tools to review job descriptions in real-time, to create more inclusive job descriptions, enhancing their appeal to diverse candidates by removing gendered language and jargon.
• Value diversity of thought by encouraging the recruitment of candidates from non-traditional career paths, industries, and educational backgrounds. This should particularly include neurodiverse candidates, whose unique ways of thinking can bring innovation and fresh perspectives to public appointments.

Skills‑focused descriptions reduce self‑exclusion and increase the quality and diversity of applications, but without unintentionally limiting the pool.