Diversity and Inclusion in Recruitment: Why It Matters

Diversity and inclusion have become critical aspects of recruiting. Obviously, it’s good for organizations to give job applicants a chance regardless of their backgrounds and identities. Perhaps less obvious, though, is that companies embracing diversity and inclusion often perform better than competitors without diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives. 

Some benefits of having a diverse staff include:

• Creative problem-solving that approaches issues from multiple directions.
• Reducing gaps in talent to make companies more agile and profitable.
• Increasing productivity by building happier teams.

If you haven’t addressed diversity and inclusion in your recruitment strategy, you might find the process a bit daunting. 

Per Scholas Diverse by Design is here to help. You can start with the following recommendations.

Creating Diverse Job Postings

Diversity and inclusion initiatives often begin at the recruiting stage. Companies need to write job postings that will attract a broad range of qualified applicants. Some strategies for meeting this goal include:

• Publicizing your diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging (DEIB) statement in the job posting.
• Discussing other important company values that enhance your DEIB statement.
• Prioritizing inclusive, person-first language in your job postings and descriptions.

Keep in mind that cob postings can do more than help you attract a more diverse talent recruitment pool. It can help you recruit high-quality talent that benefits your business outcomes. Surveys show that 53% of all workers see an organization’s commitment to DEIB as a massive benefit that can influence whether they decide to accept job offers.

Expanding Candidate Sourcing Channels

Where do you find your candidates?

Most companies use options like:

• Targeted advertisements or postings in professional publications
• Social media postings
• Colleges 
• Friends of current employees

While these channels can help you find well-qualified candidates, recruiting from the same sources will likely attract applicants from specific demographics. 

Using more channels to connect with potential candidates could lead to a diverse talent pool. Start finding more diverse applicants by:

• Adding hashtags like #LGBTQIA to online job postings to demonstrate your interest in attracting a broader range of people.
• Attending career fairs in more locations or with specific audiences in mind, such as those created to engage women in the tech industry.
• Asking for assistance from local groups, such as the local chapter of the NAACP, or working with professional organizations with minority memberships.

Implementing Blind Resume Reviews

Everyone has unconscious biases that can impact interviews and decision-making. Take steps to reduce or remove these biases so you don’t let unconscious biases influence hiring choices. 

Blind resume reviews remove any identifying information from the resume so hiring managers—or computer programs—cannot make decisions based on features like a candidate’s gender, race, religion, and socioeconomic background.

Additionally, you can include information about your blind hiring process on your job application portal and make it part of your organization’s DEIB mission. By advertising blind hiring and resume reviews as part of your hiring process, you can help people feel comfortable submitting their applications.

Promoting Inclusive Interview Practices

You need interviews to identify qualified candidates. However, like other parts of the hiring process, interviews could favor one segment of the population over others. Your organization can overcome these natural obstacles by promoting inclusive interview practices that promote diversity.

Such practices include:

• Using diverse interview panels that represent multiple segments of the population. This diversity should help applicants feel more comfortable. They also create opportunities for interviewers to ask questions from their unique perspectives, which can lead to more effective hiring decisions.
• Asking all applicants the same questions so you can follow an apples-to-apples comparison when making hiring decisions. Using the same list also helps ensure interviewers don’t ask biased questions.
• Training all people involved in hiring decisions to reduce their unconscious biases. 

When leveraged with other strategies discussed above, inclusive interview practices can dramatically help reduce bias in the hiring process while also allowing you to diversify your hiring. 

Establishing Diversity Goals

Organizations need clear, actionable goals to achieve real, tangible results.

To be clear, diversity goals don’t necessarily have to mean “Hiring X% of people of color.” 

Instead, goals can focus on changing hiring practices, creating more opportunities, and improving your organization’s culture. 

Goals might include:

• Increasing diversity-related training across your organization by partnering with professional organizations or hosting diverse speakers.
• Revamping your organization’s holiday calendar to promote time off for diverse religions.
• Improving your hiring practice to reflect existing diversity within the workplace.
• Creating or improving your DEIB statement.
• Partnering with professional organizations to help you better understand existing roadblocks and how you can improve your company culture. 

Partner With Per Scholas Diverse by Design

Prioritizing diversity and inclusion in recruitment leads to a more innovative workplace culture. It also enhances the overall talent pool by attracting highly skilled candidates who reflect your organizational values.

At Per Scholas Diverse by Design, we understand that the commitment to diversity is new for many organizations. That’s why we offer a robust array of services that can help ensure your hiring practices include diversity and inclusion.

Looking for more information? Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you grow your recruiting efforts by expanding your diversity and inclusion initiatives.