Joanne Lockwood explains how to build hiring processes that feel safe for transgender and non-binary candidates. Forms should offer inclusive gender options like MX or free-text fields, interviewers should signal comfort with trans identities without visible nervousness, and questions about identity should be phrased respectfully, asking whether assigned-at-birth gender differs from current identity rather than directly asking if someone is transgender.
Chapters
When I'm entering the hiring process, I want to believe it's a well trodden path. I don't want to believe that I'm the first trans person you've met, the first trans person you've hired into your organisation. So how can you convince me that I can trust me with you, provide that psychological safety that means I know I'm going to stand a fair chance to succeed. Too often, trans people are breaking new ground, seen as different. I'm worried when I meet many people that I can feel the nervousness around their comfort around me. They don't know the right language to use, they're worried about getting it wrong, they're fearful they might misgender me and I could pick that up through body language. So it's really, really important that if you feel nervous now, that now is the time to do the work, now is the time to do the education, now is the time to understand about different identities. So when I come for my interview, I want to be reassured. No one is phased, no one is surprised by me, no one is making negative reactions. Everybody genders me correctly, everybody respects me in a way that you would anybody else. Because if I detect that nervousness, how am I going to feel? I want to be assured that all the forms, all the processes allow me to tick the box that I want to tick, make sure they're inclusive of all gender identities and all sexualities, as well as faith, race and ethnicity that we always make sure is okay. I want to make sure there's more than just a mailbox, a female box, and I prefer not to say I want a box that says non binary or please describe. I don't want you asking me if I'm transgender. Yes, you could ask me if my gender assigned at birth is different to my current identity. I would answer that. So I would tick female and I would tick. No, my gender identity doesn't align with that assigned at birth. So yes, you could determine that I was female and I was trans from those boxes. So I think how you ask those questions, how you build that trust is really, really important. That starts from first contact. Please don't overly gender things. Please don't put. Ladies and gentlemen, sir, madam, Mr. Mrs. Miss, without having an MX box, without having a gender neutral box, so that non binary people feel included as.
