8 Tips for Enhancing Diversity Recruitment: Boosting Inclusivity in Your Hiring Process
Most companies would agree that having a diverse workforce helps them achieve better results and craft more innovative strategies. There are a myriad of stats out there that show that diversity recruiting enhances performance, but you don’t even have to look at them to figure this out.
It’s a no-brainer that having a range of backgrounds and perspectives within a team will foster more diverse ideas to drive innovation and solve problems. Therefore, it makes sense that organisations across the globe are looking to develop their diversity recruiting strategy.
Here we’ll be looking at ways you can boost your own diversity hiring strategy, but first let’s see why it’s important for your business.
Understanding Diversity Recruitment
Diversity in the workforce boils down to the notion that your teams should be a reflection of the society around you. Your team should be made up of a range of people that boast different experiences and background. Diversity can come from a variety of areas such as socio-economic levels, sexual orientation, race, gender, etc.
There are two categories of diversity: inherent and acquired diversity. Acquired diversity is related to factors such as skills, knowledge, education, values and experience, which can develop and evolve over time as they are more fluid. While inherent diversity is tied to age, gender, race, and other characteristics that are natural to who a person is.
Hiring candidates using a process that is free from biases against individuals or groups of candidates is what diversity recruiting is all about. It isn’t anything but merit-based recruitment, as it still aims to find the best talent, however it is configured in such a way that it gives all candidates an equal opportunity regardless of their background.
Why is it important?
In the business world, talent diversity is a trend that’s growing fast, and for good reason too. It provides many tangible benefits, aside from just being a good choice morally, in areas such as productivity, performance, and innovation. Some of the documented benefits are:
- Larger and varied candidate pools
- Broader range of skills & experience
- Increased cultural and language awareness
Due to these perks it’s been proved that a diverse workforce avoids echo chambers or confirmation bias mentalities. Better results and decisions rise overall due to this. Because there are various perspectives, team members will debate merits of various methods and end up coming to the best conclusion by using a wide range of information.
Statistics show that:
- Diverse companies are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in their segments
- 85% of CEOs state that bottom lines have been improved by having a diverse talent pool
- Diverse management teams have 19% higher revenues
- 67% of candidates state that diversity is a very important factor when deciding whether to apply/work for a company
We’ve explored the benefits, now let’s have a look at how to go about structuring a diversity recruitment strategy.
To make sure you’re hiring people from different backgrounds you need to ensure there’s diversity in who is actually applying to your roles. To do that you’ll need some of the following techniques:
1. Encourage Employee Referrals
Your employees possess networks that often include individuals from similar backgrounds so why not encourage your diverse talent to refer candidates. This will enrich your recruitment strategy and demonstrate your company’s commitment to embracing diverse perspectives and experiences.
Create a Candidate Referral Programme by implementing a structured referral program specifically designed for diverse talent. This initiative will not only strengthen your hiring efforts but also reinforce the message that your organization values diverse ideas and backgrounds.
Empower your employees to share your job advertisements with their networks, equipping them with the tools to effectively promote your business. By doing so, you create an environment where both employees and candidates feel valued, knowing that their presence and opinions are respected. This approach also enhances overall engagement and boosts team morale.
By leveraging the power of employee networks and nurturing a culture of inclusivity, you can take your diversity recruitment efforts to new heights while fostering an engaged and diverse workforce.
2. Revise and refine your jobs ads
ake the time to assess your previous recruitment advertisements and make necessary modifications to effectively reach and engage a wider range of candidates. If you identify language that caters to specific experience levels or demographics, seek inclusive alternatives that resonate with a broader audience. By doing so, you can attract candidates from diverse backgrounds.
Don’t shy away from crafting ads that specifically target certain demographics. By clearly expressing your interest in candidates from specific groups and highlighting why your company is an ideal fit, you can effectively communicate your commitment to diversity and attract talent that aligns with your organization’s values.
By auditing and refining your recruitment ads, you can ensure that your messaging is inclusive, appealing, and speaks to a diverse range of candidates.
3. Targeted Internship Opportunities
Many organizations have initiated internal diversity programs that prioritize offering internships and co-op positions to aspiring individuals from specific backgrounds. This approach serves as a reliable method to attract emerging talent and provide them with valuable hands-on experience.
To effectively execute this strategy, proactively engage with targeted community groups and educational institutions. Collaborating with these entities will allow you to establish connections with students who are eager to grow and succeed. Often, communities have their own programs designed to foster growth, and partnering with such initiatives not only enables you to tap into diverse and fresh talent but also allows you to give back to the community.
4. Discover Networking Channels for a Diverse Pool of Candidates
To ensure a rich and diverse talent pool, it is crucial to explore various sources and not solely rely on familiar avenues, even if they have yielded positive results in the past. By exclusively focusing on the same channels, you may limit your candidate pool to individuals with similar backgrounds and experiences.
Actively search for opportunities to connect with diverse candidates in locations where they typically gather. This could include both online and offline communities dedicated to specific groups, such as women in the tech industry. Engaging directly with these communities allows you to establish connections and directly engage with highly skilled female candidates, rather than solely relying on job advertisements and hoping they come to you. Taking proactive measures like this will contribute to a more diverse and talented talent pool.
5. Implement Inclusive Company Policies
Merely claiming you value diverse recruiting strategies is insufficient. It is essential to proactively integrate these values into your day-to-day operations to attract a diverse range of candidates.
Encourage inclusivity by incorporating policies that accommodate religious holidays, community events, and other important occasions. When you promote flexible working arrangements and hours, you provide candidates with the opportunity to maintain their involvement in their communities while avoiding the expectation of conforming to rigid schedules.
If certain policies are perceived as potential barriers to diversity, it is crucial to create an environment where individuals feel comfortable speaking up. Acknowledge that everyone’s perception and navigation of the workplace can be influenced by individual biases. By encouraging open and honest dialogue among your staff, you ensure that everyone feels welcome and valued.
6. Showcasing Diversity in Your Organizational Identity
You have an opportunity to diversify your candidate source by organically creating an employer brand. You employer brand should show that it values opinions and people from all backgrounds. You can use this chance to talk about the benefits of diversity with your own team, ingrain these values into your culture, and get your employees’ buy-in.
Once you start doing this your employer brand will start developing into one that is known for valuing diversity. Make sure you encourage your employees to talk about this. You can record their stories and use them to weave into your company’s personality. Companies that value these ideals are being sought out by diverse candidates.
7. Blind CV’s
One popular technique employed by recruiters that helps remove bias from screening candidates are blind resumes. This means that all personal information on a CV is blacked out. Recruiters won’t be able to see a person’s name, date of birth, schools, etc. as that information may contribute to some degree to unconscious bias when assessing a candidate.
8. Blind Interviewing
Applying the same principle as blind CVs, incorporating blind interviewing techniques during the initial stages of candidate conversations can enhance fairness and reduce bias. One approach is to utilize text-based questions sent through your preferred recruitment platforms or via text messages. Candidates are encouraged to provide anonymous responses without disclosing personal information.
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