5 Steps to Hiring More Diverse Candidates

Diversity is important in the workplace. But as a business owner, do you know how to start diversity recruiting? Are you aware of the strategies you should use to attract and hire diverse candidates? This article will help you answer these questions so your business can finally embrace a more diverse (and better) workplace.

What is diversity hiring and why is it important?

In its simplest sense, diversity hiring is the process of creating and implementing diversity recruiting strategies to ensure that biases don’t affect a business’s recruitment procedure. These biases include religion, age, gender, race, sexual orientation and other personal attributes.

Diversity hiring matters in today’s workplace because it grows your business’s talent pool, improves employee happiness and boosts the innovation and creativity of new and tenured employees. Diversity hiring also increases workforce experience, talents and skills, making it easier for employees to cater to different customer needs.

5 steps to hiring more diverse candidates

Now that you know how important diversity hiring is, it’s time to discuss its steps. These steps are easy-to-follow and work well regardless of the business niche utilizing them.

Step 1: Prioritize hiring diverse candidates

It’ll be challenging for your business to find or hire diverse candidates if you’re the only person who understands the importance of diversity in the workplace. Recruitment is a time-consuming and stressful process that requires the help of an entire team.

The first step in hiring more diverse candidates is ensuring that everyone in your team understands the essence of the process. You’ll reap better results if everyone in your team works together to achieve one common goal.

Hiring diverse candidates is more challenging than the traditional way of hiring, which is why you need to give your team enough space and resources to get to know diverse candidates. Let your team know that the focus isn’t on filling the positions fast; it’s about engaging with diverse candidates who fit the existing company’s culture.

Step 2: Create an all-embracing job post

The job posts you’ll use can make or break the success of your business’s hiring process. Even if your company offers competitive rates and a fun working environment, if these aren’t clearly communicated in your job posts, don’t expect candidates to apply to your business.

The second step in hiring diverse candidates is to write effective job ads. To do this, familiarize yourself with exclusionary words and avoid using any in your job ads. Examples of these exclusionary words include “rockstar,” “expert” and the use of pronouns.

Additionally, it’s also important to omit nonessential job requirements in your job ads. For instance, if the job doesn’t require someone with 14 years of experience in the field, exclude that attribute from the job ad. You should also consider omitting college degrees as a requirement, as this might screen out individuals with excellent capabilities and skills.

Step 3: Get out of your comfort zone

Your journey to hiring diverse candidates will become fruitless if you hire using the same resources. If you’ve been filling positions the same way in the past, it’s time to shake things up to attract diverse candidates.

You’ll have better chances of hiring diverse candidates when you get out of your comfort zone, and you can do that by:

Using a candidate referral program

Do your employees know someone who’s a perfect fit for the position you’re looking for? Implement a referral program and have your employees send names of their recommendations. Taking this route will expedite your business’s recruitment process and guarantee better results.

Recruiting in different spaces

You’ve probably recruited candidates from colleges and job fairs. While these platforms help your business score qualified candidates, these aren’t the only places you can recruit.

To hire diverse candidates, connect with different people by attending events in your city and nearby areas. Muster your confidence and start conversations with the people attending these events. Sure, breaking the ice is nerve-wracking, but the results — being able to welcome diverse candidates to the workplace — will be worth it.

Working with recruiters who have the same priorities as you

If you know recruiters who have been hiring diverse candidates, outsource their services or work with them. Embracing diversity in the workplace has become more important than ever, which is why you can find countless recruiters who have succeeded in hiring diverse candidates. Reach out to these recruiters as their experience can become key to finding diverse candidates.

Step 4: Remain consistent during the Interview

The interview is the most critical part of the recruitment process. It’s common for recruiters to see themselves reliant on their gut feelings when they assess the candidates in front of them, what they can do, and how they can improve the company’s current processes.

To interview diverse candidates, remain consistent with your questions. It means you have to ask every candidate the same set of questions. Regardless of their ethnicity or gender, they should be asked the same questions as the other candidates.

Being consistent during the interview is an art, so consider undergoing interviewing training to improve or enhance your skills. The questions you ask and how you ask them to the candidates can impact the business’s ability to welcome diverse candidates, which is why it’s important to learn how to conduct interviews properly.

Step 5: Assess your company culture

If you’re following all of the above steps but are still not getting any diverse candidates, it’s time to assess your company culture. Are you promoting the business as an inclusive workspace? Does your culture look and feel like you welcome inclusivity?

Check how you portray your company culture and convey the message on your website, social media profiles and other marketing platforms. A company that uses different platforms to show how inclusive its culture is has better chances of hiring diverse candidates.