5 Considerations for Creating an Inclusive Recruitment and Hiring Process
By: Dominic Rivera
Tags: Hiring, Recruitment, Inclusion, Diversity

As the United States’ (U.S.) demographics are rapidly changing, the workforce is becoming increasingly diverse. Women now make up approximately 47% of the workforce, which is a stark increase from 50 years ago when they accounted for 30% of the workforce. Similarly, in 2016 the proportion of racial minorities in the workforce had already surpassed researchers’ projections for 2020. It is clear that the U.S. workforce will continue diversifying, which provides many opportunities for organizations to implement equitable policies and practices that promote diversity and inclusion.

But before continuing to read this article, you might be wondering what the terms “diversity” and “inclusion” are, and how they are different. While diversity and inclusion are interconnected concepts, they are not interchangeable and they have key differences. According to definitions from the Ford Foundation, which is a leader in social justice-related philanthropy, diversity has to do with having a multitude of different perspectives and backgrounds within an organization, while inclusion is a culture of belonging and participation of all people within an organization. Using a puzzle as a metaphor, diversity is akin to having all of the pieces of the puzzle available and present, and inclusion is akin to having all of the pieces of the puzzle connected and contributing to the larger picture.

Now that we’ve established what diversity and inclusion is, you might now be wondering why it is important for organizations to focus on organizational practices that promote diversity and inclusion. In recent years, there has been an increasing amount of research confirming the many benefits of having a diverse and inclusive organization. Studies suggest that diverse organizations are more successful at recruiting and retaining talent, diverse teams are critical for innovation and group performance, diversity and inclusion can boost a company’s reputation, and there is also a clear positive association between diversity and financial performance. Outside of the business benefits of diversity and inclusion, more researchers and consulting firms are asking organizations to adopt a Discrimination-and-Fairness Perspective, which is a belief that a culturally diverse workforce is a moral duty that must be maintained in a just and fair society.

Regardless of what your organization’s motivation is, companies should treat diversity as a recruitment and hiring issue by tapping into the full talent pool because individuals within an organization help shape its culture. Failing to attract employees from underrepresented backgrounds leads companies to miss out on incredible talent, and hiring a homogeneous group of employees will put companies at risk for groupthink and stagnation. If you’ve read up to this point, you may be wondering how to implement recruitment and hiring strategies that promote diversity and inclusion in your organization. In response to this question, I have provided five recruitment and hiring tactics that organizations can implement to promote diversity and inclusion. It’s important to acknowledge that these practices won’t serve as a silver bullet for addressing all of the many complex diversity and inclusion-related issues an organization might have; rather, these are five considerations that can serve as starting points for HR professionals looking to promote diversity and inclusion in their hiring practices.

Recruitment

Job description: When recruiting candidates, the language you use in job description matters. It’s important to avoid language that’s gendered (e.g. superiors; loyal; warm client relationships) or extreme (e.g. “rockstar”) in job descriptions, and you should avoid unclear or unnecessary requirements (e.g. “top university”). Instead, focus the language in your job description on competencies and tasks that are required to effectively execute in the role. Also, use the job posting as an opportunity to emphasize your commitment to diversity and developing diverse talent. Sourcing: While it may be convenient and common to source candidates from employee referrals, it promotes a homogenous workforce. An alternative option for sourcing candidates in a way that promotes diversity is to partner with HBCUs and community colleges to post your job opening, where the talent pool might be more diverse than the general population. A proactive option for sourcing diverse candidates is to reach them earlier in their academic careers through high quality internship and mentorship programs. Careers page: When a candidate is exploring the possibility of applying to your organization, they will look at your website to get a sense of who works there, what the culture is like, and most importantly, will they belong? Company career websites often display images of young white or Asian men. It is important to be thoughtful about the images you display on your website and that they are representative of your organization and your diversity goals.

Hiring