Here is an overview of diversity, equity, and inclusion tactics you can use to provide a more equitable hiring process.
Not all job seekers have the same access and opportunity under the traditional hiring model. Here’s an overview of diversity, equity, and inclusion tactics you can use to provide a more equitable hiring process.
Pledge Your Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Diversity statements on job descriptions are how you tell potential candidates that diversity, equity, and inclusion are important to you. In their most basic form, they let job seekers know that you won’t discriminate against them if they’re from a protected group.
But diversity statements can do a lot more than that. Among other things, they can promise to uphold equality and list the groups welcome at your organization. (Groups currently protected under the law as well as others not currently protected.) They can also describe your organization’s dedication to diversity and various initiatives supporting that dedication.
Regardless of form, diversity statements do have an impact on how job seekers view the job and your company. In our own research, we’ve confirmed that they increase your organization’s perceived inclusiveness.
Address Bias in Hiring
Sexism and racism are obvious negative biases that everyone knows about, but there are other biases. There’s also tokenism, ableism (bias against people with physical limitations), ageism, nationalism, elitism (mostly socioeconomic), and religion bias.
Any recruiter can recognize that a jack of all trades who knows how to man up is gendered language. But what about an energetic, aggressive worker and excellent communicator? Not so obvious, yet also known as a young, male, native speaker.
Even more subtle, what about degree from an Ivy League university? This sounds like an academic requirement, but it’s also a socioeconomic one. Because it can exclude anyone who can’t afford a prestigious university or get a full ride to one (which is most people, actually).
Write Inclusive Job Posts
By inadvertently including bias in job descriptions, you may accidentally deter job seekers from historically underrepresented groups such as women and minorities. Inclusive job descriptions use language and content that is proven to include, not exclude, all job seekers.
Ableism, for example, is a subtle bias that’s difficult for a lot of us to identify (think of the rabbit analogy). Requirements like ability to lift 30 pounds or thrive in an energetic environment seem innocuous. But someone in a wheelchair may not be able to lift 30 pounds, and someone who’s hard of hearing may not hear well in a noisy office.
The way to avoid ableism is to keep the requirements of the job to the bare essentials. Does an accountant really need to lift 30 pounds to perform the functions of their job? (A warehouse worker, sure, all the time.) And aren’t there reasonable accommodations you can make for someone who is hard of hearing in a noisy office?
Source Candidates Organically
An important piece of the diversity, equity, and inclusion puzzle is sourcing. How you go about sourcing candidates determines who gets a shot at the job.
The problem with traditional sourcing methods is that they limit the candidate pool, put the onus on a single recruiter (diversity recruitment), or artificially inject diversity into the candidate pool. They’re also vulnerable to unconscious biases (e.g., profile pictures on LinkedIn can influence whether someone gets an interview).
A better approach for diversity, equity, and inclusion is to focus on organic sourcing methods, which yield the most democratically sourced applicant pools.
Organic candidates are job seekers who apply on your careers page or on common job boards that anyone with a computer and internet can access. Organic sourcing focuses on attracting these candidates with high-quality job descriptions that are welcoming to all job seekers no matter their background.
Avoid Diversity Hacks
Another relatively recent recruiting method is the diversity hack. This tactic makes a well-intentioned yet clumsy attempt to bring candidates from underrepresented groups into your talent funnel.
The primary problem is that diversity hacks target the bottom of the talent funnel instead of the top. In fact, there’s no need to insert minority candidates at the bottom if you welcome them at the top. You’re just messing with your organic sourcing effort at that point. But if you want to use a Rooney Rule-type diversity hack, there are ways to make it more equitable. You can aim it at the top of the talent funnel, apply it to all roles, and take it beyond ethnic minorities to other underrepresented groups.
Hire for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
No matter what industry you operate in, your hiring team is undoubtedly focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion. It’s not a question of whether to invest in it at this point, just how to invest in it successfully. We hope this guide offers you a roadmap for identifying and addressing inequities.
