How brokerages can make their hiring process more inclusive

Inclusive hiring practices that ensure fairness and equity for all can strengthen a brokerage’s candidate pool and improve the firm’s overall application and interview experience, property and casualty insurance industry professionals tell Canadian Underwriter.

Brokers who oppose DEI initiatives suggest many of them feel passed over for job opportunities due to not having a ‘diverse’ background, or that they’ve been excluded because of their age, according to Canadian Underwriter’s 2025 Brokerage DEI Survey. The research, now in its fourth year, garnered responses from 227 Canadian brokers and is supported by Sovereign Insurance. 

Inclusive hiring practices should answer that concern. And there are a few ways to prevent people from feeling left out, sources tell CU.

“It can be as simple as reviewing a job description and just making sure the language is welcoming to all candidates so you’re able to get a broad range of candidates in that pool,” says Melissa Bajwa, vice president of compliance and broker network operations at Prolink.

Related: Who says diverse candidates don’t want to be brokers?

At her brokerage, the HR team has also begun conducting blind resume reviews.

In the first round of screening, identifiable information — such as candidate names, places of education or cities where they’ve worked or lived — are blanked out so the recruitment team can focus exclusively on their skills and experience. This helps remove room for bias or assumption.

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Then, when candidates are interviewed, companies can zero in on experience and culture fit.

“Another [method] that we’ve seen success in is standardized interview questions to ensure fairness and also to remove any biases,” she adds.

These measures have “improved [our representation] of people from different groups and created a more consistent hiring practice,” says Bajwa.

“Really, it starts at the front door to make sure you are being as inclusive as possible. But also, you want to make sure that you are hiring on skills and abilities. If you have strong hiring practices, then you’re going to remove that, ‘Oh, this is a DEI hire’ [critique], because that doesn’t make anyone feel good.”

This article is excerpted from one that appeared in the August September print edition of Canadian Underwriter.

Alyssa DiSabatino

Alyssa Di Sabatino has been a reporter for Canadian Underwriter since 2021, covering industry trends, market developments, and emerging risks.