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UW Pediatrics

Staff Diversity Hiring

Your commitment to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce at the University of Washington is significant to our institution’s progress.

Write the job description that encourages the department’s commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and belonging.  Work closely with HR to develop the job description with inclusive language and include departmental goals. Request for the candidate to submit the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Cover Letter Question if applicable.

Develop core competencies to evaluate candidates.  With HR, develop core competencies that will be used as a basis for candidate evaluations. The core competencies will include 3-5 attributes needed to make a future employee successful in the role. Utilize a structured employee evaluation and interview questions that will measure those core competencies. One of the core competencies that we will always include in candidate evaluations will be an EDI core competency.

Prepare everyone involved in interviewing and candidate evaluations.  Review core competencies and expectations prior to all interviews to ensure consistency. e.g., what is the difference between a 2 and 3 rating. Everyone involved in interviewing and evaluating candidates needs to complete the Implicit Bias Training. Other things to consider: always provide a physical copy of interview questions to the candidate during the interview and send the questions to candidate 30 minutes prior to interview.

Select the candidate that is most qualified for the role. “Most qualified” can be measured to include a more holistic view of the candidate rather than formal education or years of traditional experience. It is important to note that candidate evaluation scores may also reflect a partial reflection of the candidate’s abilities to be able to adequately perform a job. The interview should help select a candidate who can demonstrate they meet or exceed the criteria for the role in many ways and may also bring a diverse cultural perspective or unique expertise to the position and department.

Internal biases live within all of us so remember to audit bias and ask yourself:

  • What ways have we already excluded or endorsed this candidate? Why?
  • Could our assumptions, or biases be affecting our rating?
  • Do we have the information we need to make this conclusion?
  • Are there attributes about this person such as style or appearance that positively or negatively influence my overall impression?
     

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