5.1 Attraction

The first step to evaluate when hiring dyslexic thinking talent is attraction. What steps are you taking to attract dyslexic thinking talent to your organisation? And what barriers are there in place that are easy to remove? Attraction starts with how your organisation defines dyslexia, and as a result, whether dyslexic thinkers feel your organisation is a place that values and empowers dyslexic thinkers to thrive.

Many progressive organisations have now recategorized dyslexia as a skill or talent, rather than a disadvantage or a disability. They have evolved their employer brand, making it clear that they are actively recruiting dyslexic thinkers and welcome those who think differently. Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Chief Accessibility Officer at Microsoft, says, "Dyslexia is a skill, it's a strength, it's a talent pool. So come as you are and do what you love."

Positioning your organisation in this way helps attract dyslexic thinkers and reassure them that this is an organisation who understands their different and valuable way of thinking. The next step in attracting dyslexic thinkers is to evolve your job ads and job descriptions, to make it clear that you value the skills dyslexics bring, rather than the qualifications or previous job roles needed to get the job.

One organisation that is committed to this approach is the Virgin Group. Built on the ability to think differently, their job ads include a note stating that they see individual uniqueness as a strength and encourage candidates to share their differences with pride. Here's Nikki Humphrey, Chief People Officer at Virgin Group, to explain more.

In all of our job adverts at Virgin Group and Virgin Red, we have a specific clause that points to the work that we've done with Made By Dyslexia, and in particular, our recognition of the skill of dyslexic thinking. We feel that is absolutely critical to point to the huge value of people showing and sharing their uniqueness and their own personal skills that they have, which could include dyslexic thinking.

And we believe this adds huge value because it also encourages our candidates to start with being more open around maybe some of their differences and how we can make sure that we go and accommodate that throughout the recruitment process. And I think it really encourages greater diversity with people that come through our recruitment processes.

We also have been trialling using a really innovative recruitment tool called Vizzy, which is an alternative to CVs. So this gives our candidates the opportunity to really profile their experience, maybe the projects they've done, what interests them. So it really takes us away from that more traditional look back at your career and your experience and instead looks at an individual in a more holistic way.

It gives them the opportunity to share their psychometric profile, their work style preferences, all in a way that I think, presents a more whole person, rather than a more limited view. And we're really excited that we're starting to see some brilliant candidates that come through because it's a great way for them to really bring out their differences and their uniqueness that they can offer us.

And finally, we also use an AI tool for all of our job adverts. So this is to make sure that our language is really neutral. It's jargon-free. It's an easy way to understand what we're asking from the role itself and what the organisation is looking for. And this really helps open up and encourage everybody to apply and understand the role that we have.

Amazing insight from Virgin. Lastly, aim to make job ads and job descriptions accessible to all in different formats, with clear language and no jargon. Here's Matt Higgs, VP of Global Partnerships at Randstad Enterprise, to explain more.

When it comes to attraction, it's important to evolve your employer brand to make it clear that your organisation understands and values dyslexic thinking. Fortunately, it's easy to do. First, train all of your HR and talent teams with Made By Dyslexia's free training on LinkedIn Learning so everyone understands how to empower dyslexic thinking at work. Then, display your Employee Dyslexia badge on your website and all your recruitment material to show you value and empower dyslexic thinking.

Next, it's time to evolve your job ads and job descriptions. Make sure these clearly state that you actively recruit dyslexic thinkers and that your organisation has inclusive policies in place to empower dyslexic thinking at work. Keep job ads and job descriptions short and clear. Define the job's goals, tasks, and required skills, aligning them to your company's culture, mission, and values. Offer simple adjustments like text readers or video options. Though small, these changes make the world of difference to dyslexic thinkers you want to attract.

A great example of an organisation that's leading the way in attracting dyslexic thinkers is GCHQ, the UK's cybersecurity intelligence agency. Let's have a look at a GCHQ job ad. They show a clear commitment to diverse ways of thinking on their website and in job ads. Simple, clear language sets out what each job requires.

They make it clear that they value applications from a diverse range of candidates. Instead of specifying qualifications, they set out the skills that are important to them, skills dyslexics are likely to index highly in, like analytical skills, people skills, and collaboration. It's no wonder that GCHQ's apprentice scheme has four times the number of dyslexic thinkers than any other apprentice scheme. Here's GCHQ to explain more about their approach.

At GCHQ, diversity and inclusion are central to our ability to do our job. And that's always been the case since our inception in 1919. We know we need a really rich mix of minds, different backgrounds, different perspectives, and different ways of thinking, if we're ever to solve the complex problems and challenges that we tackle and to counter the various threats that we're working against. And that absolutely means recognising the importance of dyslexic thinking. So our recruitment approach has evolved and continues to evolve because we're not yet perfect, to make sure that we are not relying necessarily on traditional skills.

We've reviewed all of our adverts alongside our occupational psychologists in house to make sure that we're using simple, accessible language and that we're avoiding jargon, which can easily creep in, particularly in a complex technical organisation like ours. And in every advert, we state up front our really clear commitment to bringing in the most diverse workforce we can, encouraging applications from a range of different backgrounds, different experiences, and in particular, different ways of thinking.

So when it comes to attracting dyslexic thinking talent, here are three key takeaways. One, evolve your employer brand and actively promote your organisation's commitment to dyslexic thinking through public-facing materials, like your website and job ads. Two, ensure your job ads include messaging about a culture that empowers dyslexic thinking. Three, design job ads to focus on skills and potential, rather than rigid qualification requirements, unless the role absolutely demands it.