Inclusion has been making waves in the corporate world, convincing more and more companies to tackle diversity, equity, and inclusion head-on. Taking that deep dive into this more inclusive office culture is definitely important in the road to a better and more unified world. However, when the approach doesn’t mirror the vision and the policies, everything can fall flat.
Though there may be difficulties the first time in implementing the new vision, such slips should be considered as a learning opportunity. That’s where we have to start from the beginning: the hiring process. If you want to go above and beyond in terms of nurturing your company’s talent pool, you may have to make certain shifts.
Listed below are a few strategies you can apply to your process to give your company that much-needed headstart.
Know What Backgrounds Are Being Under-Represented
Many companies have established talent acquisition processes. Yet, despite the best intentions around welcoming talents of diverse backgrounds, only a handful know how and where to begin. They may have also have to acknowledge that the traditional talent acquisition processes may create a barrier between the company and the applicants from marginalized backgrounds.
The best place to start is knowing what backgrounds are under-represented in the organization when compared to your representation goal. Would it be the lack of women leaders in C-suite positions? Would it be increasing the BIPOC representation in the organization? Would it be welcoming more staff who have disabilities? Or is it something else?
Then get to know the demographic more thoroughly. Doing some research will definitely help you in the long run. Start getting interested in things such as what their struggles are in the workplace, what they are saying on social media, what organizations or platforms are they using to look for jobs, and so forth. Answering these questions will help you create innovative strategies to build rapport with talents of diverse backgrounds.
Use Inclusive Language In Your Job Ads
Job advertisements are not only a way for you to get to know your applicants. They are also a way for your potential talents to get to know your company and gauge the corporate culture.
The slightest nuance can make or break an applicant’s judgment of your company. For example, using gender-neutral terms over masculine-dominant terms will have an impact on how a certain demographic may feel about working with your company and cause them to decide, right then and there, to drop the application.
With that in mind, try not to make any inside jokes, or add any quips that may alienate your audience. Be mindful of the limitations your language sets. Refrain from using “able-bodied” or “recent college graduate”, as those are already limits of themselves. Use “they/them” when describing various gender identities.
The tone is another very important subset of language. Try to use a more encouraging tone where any applicant can feel safe working for your company. You want to ensure that they know that their differences are celebrated even during the recruitment process. Show that they will be on equal footing with everyone else for that position.
Acknowledge Possible Biases And Mitigate Them
Cognitive biases in the human psyche can be unavoidable– we are all human after all. It is in our nature to make judgments quicker than we realize. This can also be the case in professional settings. That’s why the best solution is to acknowledge it and mitigate it.
First, you have to ask yourself, what traits do you think to make an impact on your overall hiring decisions? Does it sometimes have to do with the schools people come from? Their hobbies, perhaps? Or the way they speak? The right step will be to acknowledge all types of prejudices you may have when screening a potential hire. Once they are acknowledged, make sure they don’t influence your overall hiring decisions, especially if they have nothing to do with the job description you are hiring for.
One way to mitigate these biases is through a diverse interview panel, where each person comes from different backgrounds or fields. This will allow your hiring team with a more holistic perspective on each applicant being screened. Another way is to be transparent about the recruitment process. Make sure all of your applicants know what steps to expect and how they will be evaluated.
This ensures that all candidates have equal resources to set themselves up for success throughout the screening process. As well, this allows them to see what accommodations they should be asking for. The transparent process will help your candidates feel more at ease.
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The workplace is evolving into something better each day, which means change is something to be expected and embraced. The concept of diversifying the talent pool is one of these changes that is continually sought after. Of course, the recruitment process is only the first step to a huge learning process in terms of inclusivity in the workplace. Keeping and upholding the company’s day-to-day values consistent with its vision of diversity is what will attract people and make them stay in the long run.
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