Throughout the past few years, more and more companies have been put under scrutiny by job seekers for their diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts, and rightfully so. Long gone are the days where it’s acceptable to have a team made up of several Caucasian males, but the answer to ensuring diversity within your company doesn’t stop at hiring more women. True equality in the workplace only happens when a company builds diverse teams of qualified candidates across a variety of genders, backgrounds, races, religions, and sexual orientations.
While you may be thinking, “But we don’t get many diverse applicants to begin with!” that isn’t an excuse and is instead a sign for you to do more heavy lifting on your end and do the work that will attract more diverse candidates. Not only does diversity recruiting ensure equity for all in the workplace, which is the most important driving force behind it, but according to Indeed, companies have also found that hiring diverse employees leads to:
- A new perspective on creativity and problem solving
- More informed decision-making processes
- An increase in profits and productivity
- Decreased employee turnover
- Enhanced credibility for your organization
INCORPORATING DIVERSITY RECRUITING TACTICS
Revamp Job Descriptions
Oftentimes, job descriptions will contain words or phrases that are geared towards a specific demographic or experience level without the hiring manager even realizing it. As the job description is ultimately what influences a candidate to apply for the position, it’s crucial to ensure that your organization isn’t using language that might turn candidates away or make them think they’re not qualified to apply.
As suggested by Recruitee, check all job descriptions for:
- Gender-neutral language that doesn’t prevent certain genders from applying
- Racial bias and affinity bias
- Exclusionary language
- Buzzwords
- Conversational tones
And more. It may be helpful to have a few colleagues proofread any job descriptions before posting them to get fresh perspectives and feedback. The goal is for any candidate to feel as though they fit the bill when applying.
Create and Finetune an Equal Opportunity Hiring Statement
Does your organization include an equal employment opportunity (EEO) statement on every job description? Many companies tend to throw in this statement:
“We’re an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.”
Although using that statement is a start, it certainly comes off as a simple copy and paste action rather than putting true thought and effort into communicating your organization’s stance on its hiring practices. Use that statement as a starting point to develop something more customized and personalized to your company, which will show your dedication to unbiased recruiting, hiring, and employment practices.
Target Sources Containing Diverse Candidates
If your organization isn’t attracting diverse candidates, you’re likely not tapping into sources and groups that would have diverse candidates in the first place. Therefore, building a well-rounded talent pool starts with targeting the right places where those candidates would exist. That involves going beyond the usual websites or sources where you typically post new positions and stepping into new territories.
A place to start would be to connect with your current diverse employees and encourage them to share the open positions with their networks, which will show those employees that you care about their opinions and value they bring.
Another great option would be to target niche groups or organizations, such as “BIPOC in tech” or “women in STEM,” that may contain candidates for positions you’re looking to fill.
Additionally, working with a recruiting agency like MomUp will give you access to a well-rounded, qualified talent pool that will diversify your recruiting efforts.
Review Resumes Blindly
Unconscious bias — which is prejudice or unsupported judgments in favor of or against one thing, person, or group as compared to another, in a way that is usually considered unfair, according to Vanderbilt — can negatively impact the hiring process. It can sway hiring managers to favor resumes of individuals who are in the majority rather than looking at the minority. Because of that impact, blind resume reviews can ensure a fairer hiring process for all.
Blind resume reviews may include withholding information on the candidates’ names, alma maters, GPAs, backgrounds, and more so that hiring managers don’t immediately make an assumption about an individual just by reading what’s on their resume. Although bias may happen later on in the hiring process during rounds of interviews, conducting blind resume reviews at the start can encourage more diverse potential hires.
Set Diverse Company Policies
With several holidays and community events that exist for a variety of races, religions, genders, and more, it’s crucial to be open-minded with honoring those celebrations and acknowledgements for your employees. That might include offering company-wide time off for those holidays and events or allowing flexible work times for employees to participate in what’s important to them. Doing so shows that you support their beliefs and backgrounds as an employer, and it makes your employees feel seen and heard.
Additionally, be open to feedback on the inclusivity of your company policies and encourage your employees to speak up if they feel something is unfair. Unconscious bias may creep into company policies as well, so being receptive to feedback and proactive in making changes will ensure that everyone feels comfortable within your organization.
Get started with MomUp today!
