Network Rail’s inclusive recruitment

Inclusive recruitment by design was introduced at NR in 2020, as guidance to ensure every element of the recruitment process is committed to inclusion.

It brings together resources on the organisation’s hiring manager hub, to further explore what can be done to encourage diverse candidates to apply for jobs and to minimise the barriers candidates face when searching, applying and interviewing for roles.

NR says it is changing the recruitment experience of potential candidates by use of personas. Research identified, segmented and defined six different candidate personas that are now being used in recruitment activities.

Through these personas, NR says it can tailor its approach to recruitment to one that is centred around the candidate’s needs, appealing to their career drivers and values, and also build a story that helps give them a better understanding of what working life is like in the organisation.

NR piloted the use of the personas during the marketing phase of a North

East Signaller recruitment campaign. Not only were all roles filled with high-calibre candidates (22% of which were to female candidates), there was also exponential growth in offers to BAME candidates.

The personas are said to have had a key impact in building an authentic and compelling human story about life as a signaller, helping candidates decide if the role was right for them.