Age, Bias, and Belonging: Challenging Stereotypes in Today’s Recruitment Industry

Jo Major explores how recruiters can become true catalysts for equity and inclusion, challenging performative practices and stereotypes while championing age diversity, candidate development, and authentic transformation across the recruitment landsc

In this thought-provoking episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood is joined by Jo Major to explore why true inclusion in the workplace must begin with recruiters. Together, they deconstruct the performative side of diversity and inclusion in recruitment, highlight why making systemic change is more than just paying lip service, and consider practical ways recruiters can influence equitable hiring. The conversation moves beyond rhetoric to uncover barriers created by conventional recruitment, the vital role of representation in the industry, and the power of broadening the recruiter’s remit from simply “filling seats” to properly consulting on organisational talent strategies. Joanne and Jo examine why focusing solely on early careers narrows the talent pipeline and challenge the industry to provide greater support for jobseekers, particularly those facing age discrimination or returning to work mid-career.

Jo Major brings over 17 years’ experience as an agency recruiter combined with her expertise in advancing equity and inclusion across recruitment practices. Founder of an organisation dedicated to transforming the industry, Jo equips both agency and in-house professionals with knowledge, tools, and the confidence required to embed inclusive practice at every stage of the hiring process. Her passion lies in inspiring recruiters to genuinely care about people and to question established methods. Jo’s perspective is shaped by her personal journey from ethical but uninformed recruitment to a deeper understanding of inclusion and accessibility, and she is committed to helping the industry move past box ticking towards real change.

Through their candid exchange, Joanne and Jo discuss generational perspectives on hiring, innovative talent pipelines such as mature apprenticeships and alumni programmes, and how recruitment agencies can act as true business partners by advocating for both client needs and candidate development. The episode urges recruiters to challenge bias, leverage technology meaningfully, and step out of industry echo chambers.

A key takeaway from this episode is the recognition that the path to genuine inclusion starts with how recruiters mirror the communities they serve and the ways they consult with their clients and candidates. Listeners will leave with a renewed sense of how recruitment, when done purposefully, can dismantle barriers, create diverse opportunities, and drive sustainable inclusion far beyond compliance.

 

Published: 29.08.2025

Recorded: 27.03.2025

Duration: 1:04:03

 

• 
  AI Extracts and Interpretations
  


• 
  The Inclusion Bites Podcast #173 Inclusion Starts with Recruiters
  — app.castmagic.io
  


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  Other Links
  


• 
  SEE Change Happen: The Inclusive Culture Experts
  — seechangehappen.co.uk
  


• 
  Inclusion Bites Podcast on YouTube
  

Clips and Timestamps

Viral Topic: The Challenges of Inclusive Recruitment

Quote: “It’s very, very different to class recruiters who are their successes measured and their performance is rewarded based on time to hire and speed and it may be minimal human resources, you know, and maximum output and then asking them to then integrate inclusion and accessibility and equity into that process, to change the way they hire, to change the way that they make decisions, to change, to add extra layers into that process.”

— Jo Major [00:06:24 → 00:06:53 ]

Viral Topic: Rethinking Careers in Recruitment: “Isn’t it sad that such an interesting career path is seen as something that you fall into? You know, why do people not choose to go into recruitment when recruitment itself can be an incredible profession and an incredible career?”

— Jo Major [00:10:22 → 00:10:37 ]

Viral Topic: Rethinking the Recruiter’s Role:

“How on earth are we not sitting down with recruiters and talking to Them about organisational design, workforce planning, dynamic employer brand development, EVP development and all of that.”

— Jo Major [00:14:13 → 00:14:25 ]

Viral Topic: Proactive Recruitment Strategies: “I know you’ve not asked me to do this, but I’ve done it and I’d really like to have a chat with you about the results.”

— Jo Major [00:18:12 → 00:19:44 ]

Recruitment Expertise: “as recruiters we claim that we are experts in interviewing. What can we do to share that expertise and also just being able to audit the capability of the TA team and seeing whether or not we can bring in our professional services that way.”

— Jo Major [00:22:44 → 00:23:01 ]

Viral Topic: AI Transforming Recruitment

“Could help to transform the recruitment process and free people up to do the important stuff, which is the human.”

— Jo Major [00:26:56 → 00:27:03 ]

Starting a Business After 50: “For every month that you spend waiting to get a job for somebody else to employ you, you could be doing your own thing. And you could be.”

— Jo Major [00:40:03 → 00:40:11 ]

Unlocking Potential at Any Age: “We should be taking this approach of seeing the potential of people over the age of 50 and, you know, and really looking at, like, how can we, how can we take people from the world of work and from different industries and how can we help them to realise their potential by investing for all that time.”

— Jo Major [00:41:39 → 00:41:59 ]

Age Diversity in the Workplace: “I think it’s got the power to, to, to solve a lot of organisational problems, staffing problems and social challenges as well.”

— Jo Major [00:50:34 → 00:50:42 ]

Supporting Mature Jobseekers: “What are you actively doing to create communities within that more mature, more vintage workforce?”

— Jo Major [00:56:59 → 00:57:07 ]

Definition of Terms Used

What is Inclusive Recruitment?

• Definition: Inclusive recruitment refers to designing and implementing hiring processes that intentionally remove barriers and actively accommodate and attract diverse talent, ensuring fair access, equity, and a sense of belonging for all candidates.


• Relevance: Central to this episode, inclusive recruitment is positioned as the bedrock for building more equitable workplaces; it is especially pertinent for agency and in-house recruiters seeking to move beyond performative diversity practices.


• Examples: Adapting interview formats for neurodiverse candidates, anonymising CVs to minimise bias, or consulting clients on adjusting job specifications to appeal to broader demographics.


• Related Terms: Equity, Accessibility, Diversity and Inclusion (D&I), Unconscious Bias, Talent Acquisition


• Common Misconceptions: Some organisations believe inclusive recruitment is simply a compliance or box-ticking activity, or limited to diverse candidate sourcing, when it actually encompasses a holistic, end-to-end process redesign.

What is a Retained Model in Recruitment?

• Definition: A retained model is a recruitment arrangement in which clients pay an agency an upfront fee to conduct a comprehensive, often exclusive search for candidates, usually for senior or specialist roles.


• Relevance: The episode contrasts the retained model with contingent recruitment, arguing that the retained approach often creates more capacity, time, and thoroughness to embed meaningful inclusion and accessibility interventions in hiring.


• Examples: An employer contracts a recruitment agency to fill a senior leadership role, paying an initial retainer, with additional payments as candidates progress through the process.


• Related Terms: Contingent Recruitment, Executive Search, Preferred Supplier, Talent Consulting


• Common Misconception