Recruitment adjustments

Need an adjustment to your recruitment process?

At the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ), we are committed to providing adjustments for our recruitment candidates with disability to remove barriers and provide equal access to job opportunities, and career development and learning opportunities.

These adjustments include accessibility adjustments in all of our recruitment stages to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to demonstrate their knowledge, capability and experience. We also provide workplace adjustments after winning a role to ensure everyone can achieve their full potential.

What is an adjustment?

An adjustment means a change to an assessment, work process, practice, procedure or environment. If you have a disability and you’re applying for a role with DCJ, an adjustment can help you participate in the recruitment process to the best of your ability. An adjustment can help you to:

• Participate to the best of your ability in recruitment and promotion processes, and career development opportunities
• Ensure information and participation is accessible
• Perform the inherent or essential requirements of your job safely in the workplace
• Experience equitable terms and conditions of recruitment and employment
• Maximise your productivity

If you’re successful in gaining a role, we encourage you to talk to your hiring manager about any adjustments you may need to perform your role to the best of your ability.

We used to refer to them as ‘reasonable adjustments’ but updated the term to make clear its relationship with work.

Adjustments during the recruitment stages

DCJ is committed to providing adjustments throughout the recruitment process, and these can be at any stage of your recruitment (whether making your application or during any part of the assessment process). We provide adjustments for disabilities that challenge physical and/or mental health.

There are many types of adjustments. The following are just a few examples you can ask about:

• The physical space for the interview, for example building facilities, air-flow, lift access, good lighting or reduced noise, type of seating arrangements and the positioning of interviewer/interviewees
• Making changes to the types of tests and/or interviews to better help you demonstrate your ability to do the job, for example, a scenario-based written assessment instead of a psychometric assessment, if these present a difficulty
• Adapting the format of an assessment. For example, while interviews are usually compulsory, we can provide an alternative format (like writing your responses)
• The technology you will use in the interview; for example, understanding the digital platform (like Teams) we may use for an online interview, or any technologies used for assessment, including psychometric assessments
• Your preferred method of communication, for example phone call, email or other
• Requiring an Auslan interpreter, captioning, reader, attendant or other assistance
• Sound amplification devices such as hearing loops, Text Telephone (TTY) or Short Message Service (SMS), text messaging, speech recognition (speech-to-text) software
• Being able to use your own laptop or assistive technology, such as screen readers, preferred screen settings or your own mouse
• Providing all required information and material in accessible formats
• Providing you with interview questions before the interview
• Being given extra time to complete an assessment task or interview
• Communication techniques – interviewers speaking clearly, and at a reasonable rate, pace and tone

 As a person with disability, you will know your needs best. Contact the listed recruitment contact at any time to ask questions or seek help, even at application stage.

If you’re shortlisted, we recommend that you ask your recruiter about the type of assessments you might have in this process and the way they work. If you think any of them are likely to present a difficulty, just ask to adjust an aspect, or ask to use a different assessment type or format completely. Your discussion with your recruiter will be completely confidential and not disadvantage you.

Hiring managers will only learn the relevant details of the recruitment adjustment itself. Talk with your recruiter and we will find an alternative approach that helps you to participate equitably.

You do not need to ‘prove’ you have a disability to ask for any adjustments. The process we use is to test the inherent requirements of the role and everyone must meet this same standard; but how we test you can be changed any which way to help you best demonstrate what makes you right for the role.

Asking for adjustments

You can request an adjustment at any stage of the recruitment process.

At application

Contact the Talent Acquisition team if the application process itself is challenging. You will find contact information at the bottom of the role advertisement under ‘Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion’.

If you are unable to locate this information, please use the ‘Contact us’ page on the DCJ Careers website.

If you would benefit from an adjustment in the next stage as well, let us know as part of completing your application.

At assessment and interview

If you progress through the application stage, the Talent Acquisition team will contact you to explain the process and the type of assessments used. They will also ask if you require any adjustments for the assessment and/or interview stages. If you’re not sure, it is a good idea to discuss the assessment in more depth to understand it and help you know what could be challenging for you.

If I’m successful after my interview, what happens next?

If you have been advised that you are the preferred candidate following all of the assessment, there will be a few pre-employment checks to work at DCJ to complete before we can make a formal offer. These can include:

• Reference checks
• Screening checks such as a criminal record check; or
• A Working with Children Check

 After these are successfully completed, the Talent Acquisition team will issue you a formal letter of offer. If you prefer this to be sent in a specific format, you can request this from the Talent Acquisition representative.

After you accept your offer, the Hiring Manager will contact you to congratulate you and discuss details for your first day. You are encouraged to discuss and/or share any ongoing adjustments you will need to perform your role with your new manager. These adjustments can be your equipment, your work space or a flexible working arrangement like your start and finish times. Early notice means we can try to have it all in place for the day you’re welcomed in to join us.

Finally, as part of the onboarding process, DCJ will prepare your IT system, payroll and building access. At this stage you can also share any adjustment requirements you will need to perform the role.

You will also be asked to provide certain details to set you up for success for your first day with us. This will include information around your bank details, your workplace census information and your preferred superannuation fund.

Do you need more information?

Please see the following for advice and support about workplace adjustments:

• Further information relating regarding adjustments can be found in the DCJ Workplace Adjustment Policy and Procedure. To request a copy you can email the Inclusion and Diversity Team
• Get in touch with DCJ’s Disability Employee Network (DEN)
• Additional information regarding adjustments is also available on IWorkforNSW website

 DCJ is a proud gold member of the Australian Network on Disability (AND) and is an accredited Disability Confident Recruiter.