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Diversity represents a crucial part of a strong workplace culture. It helps you build an energetic, dynamic team. The process should permeate your entire operation. But building a diverse workforce has to start with the recruitment process.
A strong commitment to diversity can invigorate your entire organization. It not only helps you find untapped talent, it also makes it easier to land top candidates in general. For instance, one study indicated that 67 percent of candidates consider a company’s attitude toward diversity an important factor in considering job offers.
Meanwhile, most companies need to do a better job when it comes to diversity. Just look at the research. For instance, data compiled by the Harvard Business Review showed that more than three quarters of respondents (78 percent) described their corporate leadership as lacking diversity.
How can you get to the cutting edge of this important issue? Here are some steps to take as you consider how to recruit a diverse workforce:
Make Diversity an Explicit Goal
Unfortunately, you won’t reach your diversity goals by accident. If it were that easy, companies wouldn’t need specific programs to achieve the balance they want. As such, make diversity an explicit goal. Take the commitment as you start your recruiting efforts. This will help you target your efforts as the process unfolds.
Recognize Diversity in Your Client Base
Diversity creates a significant business advantage. After all, you serve a diverse market. Having a broad range of voices in your organization lets you improve communication with your customers. Understanding this dynamic will help you prioritize diversity. It will also help you target those areas that will bolster your bottom line.
Target Diverse Groups in Your Recruiting
As you post your job listings, go beyond the typical high-volume websites. Sure, you should include Monster, Indeed and those other industry giants. But also seek out more niche offerings. Find websites that aim at a specific demographic. That way, on the aggregate, you end up with a more diverse group of applicants.
Empower a Diverse Team to Oversee Hiring
Diversity is about amplifying different voices. Apply that concept to the hiring process itself. If you want to attract a diverse group of candidates, your hiring team should include a wide variety of perspectives. This will help you attract the best applicants from every demographic group. It will also eliminate any unrecognized favoritism.
Double Check for Bias
Most bias is unintentional. Look for subtle wording in your job descriptions that might discourage diverse candidates. At the same time, you should strive to make each posting as welcoming and inclusive as possible.
Review Your Employer Brand
You strive for diversity in hiring. How about the rest of your corporate communication? If it lacks the same inclusive spirit, you might discourage excellent candidates from applying.
Take a holistic approach. Use the same diversity-minded philosophy from your recruiting efforts in your everyday public relations strategy. That way, your overall reputation will improve. Your employer brand will become an exceptional tool for attracting top talent from every possible source.
Remain Sensitive to Your Candidates During Interviews and Onboarding
Practice the same welcoming culture at every stage of the recruiting process. Make sure your interview procedures set an inclusive tone. What’s more, extend the strategy to the post-hiring realm as well. Encourage diversity into the onboarding and operational stages of development.
