At Talentheads, we’re driven by one mission: to build brilliant teams that power businesses and communities, by doing recruitment differently.
That means championing fairness, accessibility and diversity in every hiring process. Not as an add-on, but as the standard.
That’s why we’re incredibly proud to have partnered with the North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) and the Department of Education, as part of the Local Skills Improvement Plan (LSIP), to help create the Inclusive Recruitment Toolkit; a practical, actionable resource designed to help organisations build more diverse and inclusive hiring practices across the North East.
This toolkit is designed to help businesses attract diverse talent, reduce unconscious bias, and hire based on skills – not just what’s listed on a CV. It offers clear, actionable guidance for building confident, inclusive teams that reflect the communities they serve, and creates recruitment processes where every candidate has a fair chance to succeed.
The talent market is changing, and candidate expectations are changing with it.
Organisations across the North East are facing recruitment and retention challenges, and traditional hiring models are no longer enough.
Through our work with businesses of all sizes, we’ve seen a clear shift:
The Inclusive Recruitment Toolkit helps bridge this gap, offering practical guidance that businesses can use immediately to strengthen their hiring processes and broaden their reach.
NECC highlighted its role in addressing workforce challenges across the region.
By following the toolkit, businesses in the North East can build a stronger workforce. One that reflects their values, supports long-term growth, and adapts to changing market demands.
This toolkit provides a step-by-step approach to creating a fair, accessible, and inclusive recruitment process. It equips you with everything you need to begin implementing a smarter and more diverse hiring approach, including:
Guidance on recognising unconscious bias, unnecessary job criteria and structural barriers that prevent great talent from progressing.
Practical advice on using inclusive, clear and unbiased language to attract a broader pool of applicants.
Techniques to reach underrepresented communities and engage candidates who may not typically access traditional recruitment channels.
Best practice guidance for ensuring consistency, fairness and transparency at every stage of the recruitment process.
Steps for ensuring new hires feel supported, included and set up for long-term success.
These aren’t abstract concepts; they’re designed to be practical, quick to adopt and easy to integrate into existing recruitment processes.
Inclusive recruitment isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s a powerful hiring advantage.
Businesses that adopt inclusive practices can:
Our involvement in this project reflects who we are.
At Talentheads, we:
This toolkit is an extension of that mission, and we’re proud to play a part in shaping it for the region.
Final Thought on Inclusive Recruitment Practices
Inclusive recruitment creates stronger businesses and stronger teams.
By working with NECC and key partners to build this toolkit, we’ve helped ensure every organisation in the North East has access to the guidance they need to recruit in a fair, accessible and future-focused way.
If you’re ready to make your recruitment more inclusive and build a hiring process that truly puts people first, we’re here to help.
You can view The Inclusive Recruitment Toolkit here:
https://www.necc.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Inclusive-Recruitment-Toolkit-v3-2.pdf
Get in touch with us today if you’re looking to attract, recruit and retain.
𝟬𝟭𝟵𝟭 𝟯𝟬𝟬 𝟴𝟲𝟴𝟴 | 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼@𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀.𝗰𝗼.𝘂𝗸 | 𝘄𝘄𝘄.𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀.𝗰𝗼.𝘂𝗸