A candidate should not have to wonder whether personal information has influenced a hiring decision.

Sexual orientation is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, and discrimination law applies when employers advertise, interview and select staff. Acas also makes an important distinction around equality monitoring. Employers can collect protected characteristic information for monitoring, but it should be kept separate from the application and CV. People making interview or hiring decisions should not have access to it.

For LGBT candidates, that separation can be particularly important when deciding how much personal information to share.

A candidate might mention a same sex partner naturally during conversation, belong to an LGBT organisation listed on their CV or choose to provide monitoring information. None of this should distract from whether they meet the requirements of the role.

Recruiters should therefore keep interview questions relevant to the job and avoid unnecessary questions about relationships, sexuality or other personal circumstances.

For employers, clear boundaries between monitoring information and selection information also make the recruitment process easier to explain and review.

Candidate confidence is supported when people know what information is being collected, why it is needed and who can see it.

Explore LGBT candidate attraction through LGBT Equality.