In a time marked by labor shortages and hailed as the great resignation, diversity recruitment strategies reinvent the wheel and introduce palpable energy to the hiring process.
However, decades of reliance on homogenous workforces sway the best diversity recruiting efforts. Finding potential employees with the right characteristics for good performance while ensuring these candidates come from diverse backgrounds is tough.
Nonetheless, diversity recruitment is a burgeoning trend, not a mere short-term, stop-gap measure – so working with a sustainable diversity recruitment strategy is crucial—though challenging to draft.
This article will help you move the dial on your diversity hiring strategies and get a bang out of your recruitment efforts; stay tuned!
11 Tactics to Improve Your Diversity Recruitment Strategy
1. Build your recruiting strategy from the inside.
While specific steps and procedures can help you hire diverse candidates, there is no foolproof strategy for building a diversity recruitment strategy.
Diverse workforces thrive best in companies where diversity is at the heart and soul of its culture. This means your diversity recruitment strategy is only as strong as how well your most minor employee can align with company values.
So we recommend you ‘show don’t tell.’
Show employees that their opinions count. What are the desires and pain points of potential hires? Address them in your interviewing section; tackle pending issues and revisit long-standing concerns.
Successful diversity recruitment strategies are built from the inside—don’t tout the suit if you can’t put in the work. If you truly value diversity, your actions will support your values.
2. Reach out to networks that function as a hub
Every industry has multiple market segments with thousands of highly talented folks. And the men and women that make up these segments use different mediums for interaction.
Whittling down a comprehensive list of the top talents within each segment is almost impossible, so recruiters shy away from the option, settling for familiar talent pools.
If you want to find the right talent for your diverse workforce, you must cast a wide net. Improve your diversity recruitment strategy by reaching out to networking groups, alumni associations, and other networks that already function as a hub.
3. Start your search from within
It’s not every day you’ll come across employees who understand the essence of diversity and possess a portfolio that’s worth its salt.
So even with a highly detailed diversity recruitment strategy, there is no guarantee that your hiring efforts will be a great success or a damp squib.
Diverse employees are connected with the diverse job candidates you’re seeking. Sometimes referrals and recommendations might find you the right candidate.
Also, many diverse organizations host events, publications, and conferences that attract a broad audience. If you put the word out where your audience is, there is no limit to what you can achieve.
4. Make your diversity recruitment strategy easy and fun
Many CEOs try to come off as principled and socially responsible when hopping on the diversity recruitment bandwagon for the first time.
It’s okay to opt for the noble outlook. But don’t make the mistake of working with a stiff or rigid diversity hiring strategy to keep face.
Keep your recruitment strategy warm, friendly, and welcoming
For instance; you can invite job candidates to write a one-page solution to a problem that involves a diversity challenge at work—opt for a topic that’s easy, inclusive, and fun to talk to about; then use the opportunity to share ideas, build rapport, and identify their overall goals for diversity.
5. Target sources where diverse candidates congregate
There are lots of local and international talent pools. It’s tempting to place your job ads locally since most recruiters believe it’s easier to control the candidate sourcing process that way.
But hey, to find top, diverse talents, you must approach a broad audience and be intentional with your search
Place career ads in media whose readers/viewers are diverse; religious, cultural, and ethnic publications, T.V. stations, websites, etc. If possible, reach out one by one to diverse candidates and ask them for participation.
Putting in the time to research and identify where diverse candidates congregates will help establish a long-term hiring pipeline.
6. Invest in blind resumes & blind interviews
Years of recruitment experience have made many recruiters develop multiple intuitive biases about the recruitment process.
Most recruiters subconsciously source candidates based on personal preferences. Especially when they know who the candidate is or what the candidate looks like
To keep your diversity recruitment strategy free of such bias, you can use blind resumes; black out all personal information on the resume during the screening process. Or better still, invest in blind interviews; keep personal information about a candidate away from recruiters during the early stages of the interviewing process.
7. Develop an employer brand that showcases your diversity
Hiring diverse talent is one thing; maintaining a healthy working environment is another. Many companies shy away from diversity recruitment because they can’t maintain a multicultural workplace.
If you want to enjoy the many benefits of diversity recruitment, develop an employer brand that supports and showcases diversity.
Ensure everyone is involved in nurturing a diverse culture. Support values that urge employees to embrace and respect the diverse perspective everyone bring to the table.
Leave room for LGBTQ-friendly policies, celebrations, and time off for essential holidays for diverse religions and paid parental leave.
8. Focus on outcomes rather than clock-watching
Diversity recruitment strategies require a due investment of time, effort, and money, so it’s okay to set deadlines and have expectations about your recruitment efforts.
However, when setting deadlines, remember that sustainable hiring strategies require much more than some well-worded ads—recruiters must set their metrics right and nurture a safe sense of play.
It would be best if you’re not stiff on deadlines.
Diversity hiring strategies built around stringent deadlines hamper results. You don’t want recruiters looking at the calendar and cutting corners on a quest to meet deadlines.
Set flexible schedules that allow recruiters to focus on outcomes rather than clock-watching.
9. Promote a constant-learning mentality
Diversity goes beyond just business results and performance.
Diverse companies are known as creatives lots. They are perceived as thought leaders and command deep respect.
But these perks don’t come without due effort.
To attract top talents with a flair for navigating trends and insights that drive industry-wide growth, you need to make each employee adopt a constant learning mentality.
Twerk your job ads to help potential employees understand that they need to remain lifelong learners and that the desire to become thought leaders within their market segment is a prerequisite for the job
10. Foster a diverse culture free of bias
Your job ad is the first thing a potential employee sees. How they perceive your job ad will determine whether or not your brand is worth working for. To foster a diverse environment, make it known that you run a diverse company from the onset.
Avoid including biased descriptions in your job ads—invest in inclusive languages. This will help boost potential candidates’ morale and undoubtedly attract tons of engagement.
And since you cannot scold employees or thoroughly interview candidates to eradicate bias, you need to provide valuable bias training opportunities for potential employees before onboarding.
11. Have a culture of open feedback and ideas
Feedback allows people to be open with their emotions and feelings.
Workplaces that support feedback and openness are hardly ever squeezed for ideas.
When drafting a diversity recruitment strategy, help candidates understand that the position is open to all and that everyone is expected to give their two cents each time the need to speak up arises.
Diversifying Recruitment Strategy With EliteRecruitments
While recognizing the importance of diversity is crucial, implementing effective strategies can be challenging. That’s where EliteRecruitments steps in, empowering you to harness the power of diversity while simplifying your hiring process.
Contact us to develop a partnership for creating a comprehensive diversity recruiting strategy that aligns with your unique business needs.
Finally
Moving towards increased diversity in the workplace is not something you can achieve overnight. The methods discussed in this blog provide actionable insights to enhance your diversity recruiting strategy.
By embracing inclusivity at every stage of the hiring process, you enrich your team with diverse perspectives and foster innovation. Take these strategies to heart, implement them, and witness the transformation. For further guidance and support in your diversity hiring endeavors, consider partnering with EliteRecruitments.
