Recruitment
Equality legislation doesn’t just protect people from discrimination when they’re in a job. It also applies to the recruitment and selection process, with the aim of making sure that no one is treated less favourably when applying for a job.
Equality legislation covers the entire recruitment process. For example:
- To avoid racial discrimination, overseas qualifications which are comparable with UK qualifications should be acceptable as equivalents and not assumed to be inferior.
- The way application forms are designed shouldn’t discriminate against disabled people.
- It would be unlawful to prefer a younger candidate in the belief that they will be ‘hungry’ and ‘dynamic’, and so perform better.
It is unlawful for an employer to discriminate against a candidate for a job because of their age, disability, race, belief, sexual orientation or gender in any part of the recruitment process – in job descriptions, person specifications, application forms, during interviews, in tests, or in shortlisting.
On this page
Recruitment: further information
Under certain limited circumstances it may be lawful for employers to discriminate when recruiting people. Find out more about genuine occupational requirements and genuine occupational qualifications in the legal section.
See how the regulations on sexual orientation and the workplace affect job recruitment and selection.
See how the regulations on religion and belief affect job recruitment and selection.
Disability, recruitment and selection: what does the law say?
What can employers ask about a candidate’s age? Read Age Concern’s guidelines on looking for work.
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