College of Science Pilot

A pilot project was conducted between July and October 2022, including: 

• Providing disability awareness training, information and coaching to local HR and 11 selection committees,
• A review of our recruitment and induction practices to improve accessibility, candidate access to reasonable adjustments and the overall candidate experience,
• The use of Disability Employment Service (DES) providers and Toozly (the largest job board in Australia for people with disability) to communicate vacancies.  

Download a summary of the pilot, results and recommendations (PDF, 143.23 KB)

The pilot was highly successful, and the system and process improvements it generated will be used systemically moving forward.

Measures to support access and inclusion for employees with disability

ANU is implementing measures to support the recruitment, inclusion and retention of employees with disability. This includes:

• Implementing our Disability Action Plan (PDF 203KB),
• Providing a Disability Employee Network,
• Providing training, upskilling and mentoring opportunities,
• Working with Disability Employment Service providers,
• Providing disability awareness training to supervisors and staff,
• Sharing staff stories and listening to experiences to further improve access and inclusion.

Example adjustments during a selection process

We recognise that an individual is often best placed to know what accommodations may help that person to participate in a selection process. To help candidates feel comfortable to discuss adjustment needs, we have prepared a list of common requests. Adjustments to a selection process could include, but are not limited to:

• Providing more time for any assessment including a written application, work test, interview and presentation,
• Having a support person accompany you at interview,
• Arranging an Auslan interpreter at any assessment stage,
• Joining an interview over zoom,
• Providing interview questions in advance.

During a recruitment process, the HR team checks that all assessment rooms and surrounding facilities are accessible. We encourage hiring managers to communicate assessment methods early, in the job advertisement, so that candidates have an opportunity to communicate adjustment needs. We also encourage hiring managers to provide interview questions in advance to assist candidate confidence and inclusion.

If you are applying for a role and would like to discuss adjustment options, please contact the HR team at hr.cos@anu.edu.au. Adjustment requests or the disclosure of disability will not be communicated to the selection committee without the candidates consent and it will not have any bearing on hiring decisions.