Diversity and inclusion support
All employers must recruit on a fair and equal basis. The best employers actively champion diversity in the workplace.
Many graduate recruiters go beyond formal legal requirements and set themselves challenging recruitment targets to build a diverse workforce.
If you feel you have been discriminated against in recruitment, you have rights you can pursue.
Our Careers Managers can provide advice on any equality and diversity issues you encounter in your job search.
Careers Partnership with EmployAbility
Careers and Global Opportunities are delighted to announce a partnership with the award-winning disability rights and advocacy organisation, EmployAbility.
Together we are focussed on Next Generation Inclusive Thinking and the empowering of talented students and graduates with a range of disabilities and health conditions to get the graduate jobs they deserve.
Register with EmployAbility to access free support and advice.
Through EmployAbility, you can obtain information about your rights, and access free and individualised advice and support with your applications, interviews and adjustments for recruitment. The EmployAbility team can also advocate for you with employers to ensure you obtain any adjustments you require.
Disability
The UK has many disability-specific organisations that support disabled job seekers to find work.
When looking for jobs, keep an eye out for the Disability Confident logo. Disability Confident is a government scheme designed to encourage employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with health conditions.
Here are some useful resources for further information:
- Access to Work: Access to Work can support people attending interviews and can also provide support once you are in work if you have a disability or health condition
- Association of Disabled Professionals: Forum for disabled people in or entering work
- Blind in Business: Assists visually impaired students into employment
- British Sign Language (BSL): Students can access the YouTube Access to Work BSL resources
- Scope - DIAL: Local advice line for disabled people
- Disability Action: Promoting the rights of disabled people
- GOV.UK: Disability employment rights
- EmployAbility: Careers & Global Opportunities partnership with EmployAbility to support disabled students and graduates
- Equality and Human Rights Commission: Employing people with disabilities and what the law requires an employer to do
- Myplus Students Club: Maximise your chances at each recruitment stage
- NAS Scotland - The National Autistic Society: Offers work experience and a graduate programme
- Scope: Support for disabled graduates including a work placement scheme
- Shaw Trust: Focusses on getting into employment
- TargetJobs Disability and Mental Health: General advice on rights, support and disability-positive employers
- Glasgow Centre for Inclusive Living: Graduate opportunities
Gender
The Equality Act 2010 legally protects women and men, including transsexual people, from being discriminated against at work because of their sex.
Most employers are committed to preventing gender discrimination. However, there is still a gender pay gap of 10% between full-time male and female employees, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Gender discrimination can be both positive and negative, with some employers having misconceptions that men and women have particular strengths or weaknesses.
Gender imbalances can vary between sectors. Various societies and networks exist to help you succeed in a sector where your gender is still under-represented.
Age
Mature students and graduates can be at an advantage in a competitive graduate labour market because of the skills and experience gained in pre-degree employment.
It is illegal in the UK to discriminate between job seekers on the basis of age. Your rights are protected if you do not disclose your age when applying. We generally recommend that students omit their birth date on their CV.
- Operation ABLE: Job search tips for over-45s
- The Age and Employment Network
- 40 Plus Recruitment: Specialist recruitment site for the over-40s
- TargetJobs: Advice on age diversity
Race, Religion and Ethnicity
Employers increasingly want to reflect our multicultural society in the workforce, and you should feel free to ask employers about their diversity policies. What programmes do they work with for recruiting and supporting graduates from ethnic minority groups?