There are numerous studies out there showing that diversity and inclusion in the workplace drive real progress. Not surprisingly, having different perspectives and backgrounds on a team leads to more and newer ideas to help solve problems and drive innovation.
- Along with a spectrum of other compelling statistics, the McKinsey report Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters revealed that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity on their executive teams were 25 percent more likely to have above-average profitability than those in the fourth quartile.
- Among the results of a Deloitte/Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission study: inclusive teams outperform their peers by 80 percent.
Diversity recruiting boils down to the simple but powerful and spot-on concept that teams should reflect the makeup of the society around them. So, what can you do to help your clients achieve this goal?
1. Audit your job ads.
Do an audit of your past recruitment ads, and make changes, so you speak to a broader, more diverse range of candidates. Find ways to be more inclusive in your language to appeal to job seekers from different backgrounds.
2. Showcase diversity in your employer brand.
Organically develop a brand that values people, perspectives, and opinions from all walks of life.
- Talk to your team about the benefits and importance of diversity. Get their buy-in, and then ingrain these values into your company culture.
- Encourage your employees to talk about diversity at your company. Record their stories and communicate them via your careers page and other areas of your website, as well as other marketing collateral.
Diverse candidates will seek out companies who show that they truly value diversity and inclusion – and practice what they preach.
3. Eliminate bias in candidate screening.
There are numerous tactics you can use to erase bias from your screening methods. They include:
- Using blind resumes and interviews. Black out any personal information on resumes that may contribute to a biased assessment of an individual, such as names, schools, and birth dates. Use the same principle with interviews, in early conversations with prospective hires. You may want to send them some text-based questions that they can answer anonymously and avoid providing personal information.
- Using artificial intelligence. By leveraging AI technology, you can help ensure that you remove bias from your resume screening process. Pre-program your ATS to flag and filter for specific skills and experience, and let AI technology analyze resumes for these parameters. This will net a completely impartial shortlist.
- Rethinking the factors you screen for. This relates back to your job ads audit. Always question what traits you value most in candidates, why, and whether or not that is based on bias. Take time to look at how you’re testing and screening candidates, and honestly ask yourself if you’re steering results toward specific types of people. Then you’ll know what changes you have to make.
Boost Your Recruiting Strategy with Search Wizards
These are just a few ideas to get you thinking as you boost diversity and inclusion in all your recruiting techniques – and in doing so, become even better at your career. There are a lot more where these came from … so to hear more, contact Search Wizards today. Because building recruiters’ careers and matching great talent acquisition pros with outstanding companies is our sole focus. Give us a shoutout and join our network today!
