Thousands of jobs are posted on Queen’s University job boards each year, and hundreds of recruiters and employers reach out to meet and hire Queen’s students and new graduates.

To help promote inclusive hiring, staff in Career Services, a unit in Student Affairs, has worked with colleagues in the Smith School of Business Career Advancement Centre, the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science Corporate Relations Office, and the JD Career Development Office in the School of Law to develop a shared strategy to support EDII in on-campus student recruitment.

Their work had four goals:

• Develop a cross-campus approach to working with employers to ensure a recruitment environment free of harassment and discrimination  
• Create processes and employer education that help employers reach and support students from equity-deserving communities, with a student-centred approach 
• Educate and support students about assessing opportunities and making decisions about their engagement with employers 
• Build supports to encourage and engage employers in diversity and inclusion actions 

The first step was to collaborate with the Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre, Student Accessibility Services (QSAS), and the Yellow House to co-create procedures and employer resources:

• The Employer Terms and Conditions outline overall expectations for employers participating in student and graduate recruitment.
• EDII Best Practices through the Recruitment Cycle shares a range of suggested practices for organizations to consider in their recruitment activities and overall organizational culture.
• Experiential Learning: Investing in Student Skills and Experience Development describes how experiential learning can be a way to support the career development of students from equity-deserving communities.
• Suggested Engagement Activities to Encourage Diversity and Inclusivity in Commerce provides specific strategies for engaging with equity-deserving students at Smith School of Business.
• A tip sheet for students helps them assess an organization’s support for equity, diversity, inclusion and indigeneity.  Another tip sheet addresses harassment and discrimination in the recruiting process.

Smith School of Business is also providing a forum for student clubs to connect and network with companies across many industries through the Student Diversity Group Fair.

“Our corporate partners are excited to attend this event as they support equity-deserving communities and understand the advantage of attracting and securing a diverse workforce,” says Andrea Cuthbert, Director, Corporate Relations, Smith School of Business.

Launched last year, the event saw student groups including the Smith Black Business Association (SBBA), Q+, Queen’s Conference on Indigenous Reconciliation (QCIR), Queen’s Commerce Mental Health Association (QCMHA) and more, present their clubs and their plans to corporate reps from 57 companies, offering insight to these potential employers on how they could get involved and tap into this talent-base. This year’s fair is set for Oct. 28

“Ultimately, the shared goal is to ensure that Queen’s students and new graduates have access to great employment opportunities with organizations that foster equity, fairness, and safety, and that any employers who wish to hire equity-deserving students are well supported in their recruiting,” says Carole Morrison, Associate Director Operations and Business Development for Career Services.

Together the group is helping to set expectations and foster strong, inclusive recruiting on campus and at our virtual events.