Leaving the military is one of the biggest transitions a person can make. For many ex-Forces personnel, the shift to civilian employment comes with unexpected barriers—despite having leadership experience, resilience, and a strong work ethic, they’re often overlooked because their CV doesn’t “fit the mould.”
I’ve seen it firsthand: highly capable individuals passed over due to unconscious bias, unfamiliar job titles, or assumptions about what military experience means. And it’s not just veterans who face this. Bias in hiring affects people from all walks of life—whether due to their name, background, disability, or age.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
Drawing on lessons from Forces recruitment and inclusive hiring practices, here’s how organisations can reduce bias and build stronger, more diverse teams.
1. Start with Inclusive Job Descriptions
The hiring journey begins long before the interview. Biased language in job ads can discourage great candidates from applying.
✅ What to do:
- Use gender-neutral, inclusive language.
- Avoid jargon or “culture fit” clichés like “rockstar” or “ninja.”
- Focus on what the role requires, not who you imagine doing it.
🛠 Pro tip: Tools like Textio or Gender Decoder can help flag biased language before you publish.
📊 Stat: Inclusive job descriptions can increase applications from women by up to 46% (Behavioural Insights Team).
2. Blind the Screening Process
First impressions matter—but they shouldn’t be based on names, photos, or postcodes. Blind recruitment helps level the playing field.
✅ What to do:
- Remove personal identifiers from CVs (name, age, school, address).
- Focus on skills, experience, and potential.
- Use structured scoring rubrics to assess candidates consistently.
🎯 Why it works: It shifts attention from who someone is to what they bring to the table.
📊 Stat: Applicants with ethnic-sounding names in the UK must send 60% more applications to get the same number of callbacks (Nuffield College, Oxford).
3. Standardise Interviews
Unstructured interviews are breeding grounds for bias. A consistent format ensures every candidate gets a fair shot.
✅ What to do:
- Ask the same core questions to every candidate.
- Use a scoring system to evaluate responses objectively.
- Avoid “off-the-cuff” questions that favour extroverts or insiders.
👥 Bonus tip: Include a diverse panel of interviewers to balance perspectives and reduce individual bias.
4. Train Your Hiring Teams
Bias isn’t always obvious—but it’s always present. Awareness is the first step to change.
✅ What to do:
- Run regular unconscious bias training.
- Calibrate interviewers before hiring rounds to align on what “good” looks like.
- Encourage reflection after interviews: “What influenced my decision?”
🧠 Military insight: In the Forces, it’s about consistency under pressure. The same principle applies here—train your team to make fair, fast, and focused decisions.
5. Use Data to Drive Accountability
You can’t fix what you don’t measure. Tracking your hiring data helps you spot patterns and course-correct.
✅ What to do:
- Monitor diversity at every stage: application, interview, offer.
- Review hiring decisions regularly for fairness and consistency.
- Set goals—not quotas—and share progress transparently.
📊 Insight: Data isn’t just about compliance. It’s about building trust and improving outcomes.
📊 Stat: The employment rate for disabled people in the UK is 53.6%, compared to 82.5% for non-disabled people (ONS, 2024).
6. Design for Inclusion, Not Just Access
A truly inclusive process considers the full candidate experience—from accessibility to communication.
✅ What to do:
- Offer flexible interview formats (e.g., video, written, in-person).
- Make reasonable adjustments for neurodiverse or disabled candidates.
- Communicate clearly and respectfully at every stage.
💬 Remember: Inclusion isn’t just about who you hire—it’s about how you make them feel throughout the process.
Final Thought: Inclusion Is a Skill, Not a Slogan
Inclusive hiring isn’t about ticking boxes. It’s about building teams that reflect the world we live in—and perform better because of it. In the Forces, we didn’t have the luxury of bias. We needed the best person for the job, full stop.
The corporate world has the same opportunity. Let’s not waste it.
💬 Need help crafting inclusive job descriptions?
We’ve helped organisations across sectors write job ads that attract diverse, high-performing talent.
Reach out to us—we’d love to support your hiring goals.
