5 Recruiting Strategies to Enhance Diversity

In today’s workplace, diversity matters like never before. A recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) showed that 57% of recruiters confirmed their talent acquisition strategies were designed to attract diverse candidates.

Candidates considering a certain position are most likely to check out the company’s diversity and inclusion policies and practices over other considerations. It is critical for tech recruiting firms and talent acquisition leaders to focus on hiring a diverse workforce that will not only add to the company culture but also bring in fresh perspectives and skillsets.

WHY IS WORKFORCE DIVERSITY SO IMPORTANT?

Workforce demographics have been changing rapidly over the last few years. The labor market is tighter than ever, and given that it’s a candidate’s market, employers need to step up their game if they want to hire and retain top talent. Diversity and inclusion are a key factor in this.

When it comes to accepting a new role, research shows that the modern-day multigenerational workforce proactively looks for organizations that will celebrate their differences and encourage them to bring their authentic selves to the table. It’s important for companies to recognize that diversity recruiting is a long-term genuine commitment to changing company policies, behaviors, and processes, as today’s job-seeker is quick to sniff out any disingenuity.

Diversity in the workplace has always been a much-researched topic, and here is some data to back its benefits:

• 83% of participants in the Diversity in the Workplace Job Seeker Survey confirm that an employer’s commitment to diversity is a factor when deciding whether to accept a job.
• Organizations who have diverse management teams have 19% higher revenues.
• A McKinsey study states that companies that display high gender equality in their executive team have a 25% chance of having higher profitability than those that do not.
• Diverse companies are 1.7 times more likely to be innovation leaders in their market segments.
• 85% of CEOs state that having a diverse workforce improved their bottom lines.

TOP TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE DIVERSITY RECRUITING

1. Focus on Diversity While Sourcing Talent

Earlier, the typical recruiting practice involved simply putting up a job post and assuming that it would be viewed by people from all backgrounds. Now, the focus has shifted. Recruiters are more actively sourcing candidates from diverse backgrounds. This also presents them with a broader candidate pool to recruit from.

A great way to do this is to source candidates from different places, such as college job boards for under-resourced students. Recruiters can attend events or conferences hosted specifically for underrepresented groups, such as LGBTQ in technology. There are several offline and online groups dedicated to diverse and underrepresented candidates. These are great places to meet with high-quality diverse candidates directly, instead of waiting for them to find you through traditional job channels. It’s also a good idea to invest in tools that can source suitable candidates across all backgrounds, resulting in a more diverse group of passive candidates.

2. Make Edits to Your Job Posts

Frequently in job posts, people tend to use language that is unconsciously more geared towards a particular demographic. It’s important to be more inclusive in one’s language in a job ad so that it appeals to candidates from diverse backgrounds.

The job description is the first point of contact that a company has with a potential employee, and it can play a major role in driving their message of inclusivity. 72% of managers believe they are creating effective job descriptions; however only 36% of candidates agree. Moreover, research shows that most job seekers will spend just 14 seconds deciding whether or not to apply for a role based on the job description. So it’s important to make it count.

A good idea to undertake an audit of past job posts, and make appropriate changes that appeal to a more diverse range of applicants. Edit out any gender-specific or ableist terms, and use inclusive language and tone in the description of the role.

3. Re-Evaluate Your Existing Interviewing Practices

Recruiters know that interviews are a vital part of any recruiting process. However, it is a fact that interviewing can be highly biased. If you have an existing formalized interview process in place, it might be time to revisit it and check if it meets the mark when it comes to diversity and inclusion.

One important factor to keep in mind is that if you are looking to recruit diverse candidates, your interview panel should include people from diverse backgrounds as well. Make sure that the panel is educated and up-to-date on possible biases and prejudices that could come up during the interview process. Questions need to be standardized for everybody, so that there are no inconsistencies. Interviews should be focused around the candidate’s skillset and each person should be evaluated on the same set of criteria.

4. Utilize AI to Review Resumes

AI is rapidly disrupting the process of talent acquisition, and diverse hiring is one area where it can be leveraged to great effect. Traditional recruiting processes tend to be overrun with unconscious biases, even in companies that claim to value diversity. Many organizations are now actively incorporating AI software into their hiring practices to ensure fair and inclusive recruitment.

Using AI technology in their ATS enables recruiters and hiring managers to remove any personal opinions about particular candidates, and source people with the best skills and potential. The AI platform can be programmed to filter for specific experience or skills, and to peruse resumes for pre-defined parameters, thus focusing solely on information relevant to the job and removing any bias from the screening procedure. This ensures a smooth and effective diversity hiring process.

5. Promote A Diverse Employer Brand

In order to make your recruiting program more inclusive, it is essential that your company be known for its inclusive brand and work environment too. Candidates from diverse backgrounds closely examine an organization’s reputation and work culture before deciding to apply. A company with a poor reputation will find it hard to attract and retain diverse talent.

Endeavor to organically establish an employer brand that values individuals and opinions from every walk of life. Talk about diversity and inclusion with your existing employees and encourage them to contribute suggestions that could help the company better establish itself as an inclusive brand. Make sure that your employment branding materials, job posts, and social media posts reflect the diverse and inclusive culture of your organization.

It's always a good time to take a step back and re-examine how you as a recruiter or talent acquisition manager are thinking about equity, diversity, and inclusion as part of your hiring strategy. Together with acquiring diverse talent, make sure you’re also establishing a diverse work environment in your organization and promoting an inclusive employer brand.

At Employvision, one of the top IT recruitment agencies in USA with over 15 years of proven track record in recruiting top technology talent, we are constantly conscious of the need to be diverse and inclusive in our talent acquisition process. We will not only help you find top IT talent but also help reduce your recruiting cycle time, improve your candidate experience and retention.

Contact Employvision and start hiring the right technology talent.