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5 Key Steps to Attracting a Diverse Workforce

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When you’re hiring, you want to get it right for a number of important reasons, but if you had to pick just one, diversity should be at or near the top of the list. It’s not only the right thing to do (which is reason enough on its own), but it also has been proven to drive innovation, business growth, and higher company earnings. Last but not least, it helps attract better talent.

There have been numerous studies proving all these points, including one in which 67 percent of active and passive job seekers said diversity was an important factor when considering a job offer. And, among more than 500 organizations surveyed, it was shown that every 1 percent increase in gender and racial diversity correlated with 3 to 9 percent hikes in sales revenue.

Here are some five steps to keeping diversity at the core of every hiring decision you make:

1. Use the right language in your job postings.

Be mindful of your job description vocabulary. For instance, avoid terms that may be off-putting or less appealing to women, such as “dominate, ninja” or “hacker.” They may be more colorful than general terms like “developer” or “sales representative,” but the latter is more inclusive and less likely to turn candidates off.

2. Offer flexibility and work/life balance.

Not surprisingly, employees whose need for work/life balance is met are more likely to stay with their companies, and also tend to be more productive. McKinsey & Company has done extensive research on the topic: among their findings is that a flexible schedule is the leading company’s cultural value to attract female candidates.

3. Utilize personality assessments.

Personality assessments are a valid, reliable tool to measure what makes candidates tick, including their interests, skills, styles, and motivations. These assessments help foster diversity because they don’t how adverse impact; in other words, they don’t differ for minority group members.

4. Put technology to work for you.

Among the most promising tools for recruiting more diverse talent is automated screening using AI and blind hiring.

  • Because it replaces manual shortlisting, automated resume screening allows for greater objectivity and consistently applies selection criteria across all applicants. The software lives inside your existing ATS and uses your database to learn about people’s experience, education, and other traits. Then, it shortlists without unconscious bias.
  • Removing candidates’ names, graduation years, college names, and in some cases, even addresses is another way to ward off bias.

5. Be sure to have diverse candidates in your pipeline.

Harvard Business Review recently reported that when a final candidate pool has only one minority in it, that person has a near-zero chance of being hired. But having “two in the pool” is much more promising:

  • If there are at least two females, the odds of hiring a woman are 79 times greater.
  • If there are at least two minority candidates, the odds of hiring a minority are 194 times higher.

Work with Search Wizards

As you build your industry-leading recruitment team, make sure diversity is built into every step of your strategy. Consider partnering with Search Wizards, as our experience and talent network covers all industries, with an exclusive focus on talent acquisition. Contact us today to learn more.

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