3 Ways to Create a More Diverse Candidate Pool
Intentional Strategies to Hire More Diverse Candidates
Creating a more diverse talent candidate pool enhances creativity and innovation by bringing in varied perspectives. It leads to better decision-making and problem-solving, reflecting a wider range of experiences and ideas. Additionally, a diverse workforce can improve company culture and attract top talent who value inclusivity and representation.
1.Build Strategic Relationships
To build a well-represented candidate pool, you can connect with community groups and organizations for underrepresented professionals. This allows you the opportunity to understand some of the challenges, and opportunities facing underrepresented groups.
On top of this, connecting with organizations supporting underrepresented groups demonstrates the employer’s proactivity and overall willingness to learn.
Where to start building relationships:
You might start with a connection you have in the local community and ask for an introduction. If you find you don’t have the relevant connections, your local YMCA can be a great place resource.
Strategic relationships can lead to increased knowledge and allow you to rethink existing practices around recruitment, identity and eliminate any potential unfair barriers.
2.Write Inclusive Job Ads
Sometimes the language and tone of a job ad can lead to a candidate screening themselves out of the process. As an employer, this means your job ads could be sending away strong candidates.
Writing an inclusive job ad means spotting red flags and potential misunderstandings. It means writing an ad which is focused on the skills required of the job while attracting your ideal candidate, no matter their race of where they’re from.
Where to start with inclusive job ads:
Have someone with a different background than you review your job ad and identify potential red flags which you may have missed. For example, language which specifically targets one gender can feel exclusionary to the other. Remove words like manpower. Make sure to download the HireDiverse Guide to Writing Inclusive Job Ads.
Many job ads make the mistake of describing a person, rather than a job. Focus on describing the role and let the individual decide what they can do. Some questions to consider are you write the job ad are:
Are you describing the person or the job?
Are you describing the outcomes or the activities?
Are you saying what you want or what they want?
Do you focus on satisfying criteria or selling a dream?
3. Source Candidates in New Ways
To increase candidate pool diversity, employers should advertise to new and different locations. This means overcoming the desire to post jobs to the same job boards and locations that you have always used. After all, more of the same actions are likely to mean more of the same results.
Instead, you should source candidates from new locations with different talent pools and different value propositions. A niche job board, targeted for underrepresented candidates is a great place to start.
It’s okay to use the job board you have used in the past. But those advertising efforts should be expanded to different audiences, through the use of different job board.
Where to start with sourcing candidates differently:
HireDiverse allows employers to expand their talent pool by actively and proactively connecting with underrepresented job seekers. This increases the talent pool of diverse candidates and allows the organization to reach its diversity, equity and inclusion goals.
The Formula for Effective Diversity in Recruitment
By ensuring a well-represented candidate pool, you bring together a broad range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, which enhances the overall quality of applicants.
Simultaneously, eliminating bias within the interview team ensures that every candidate is assessed fairly based on their skills and qualifications, rather than being influenced by unconscious biases.
According to Jennifer Tardy, the formula for effective diversity in recruitment involves having a well-represented candidate pool and eliminating bias within the interview team.
Conclusion: Effective Diversity Recruitment Requires Planning and The Right Intentions
Even a well-intentioned leader can be misguided when it comes to diversity in recruitment. Therefore, taking tangible actions like building strategic relationships, writing inclusive job ads and posting jobs to different job boards are important to the success of diversity recruitment initiatives.
It is important to note that even the most seasoned leader may make mistakes when it comes to diversity and inclusion. What truly matters is an ongoing willingness to learn, accepting accountability and the intention behind the actions. The risk of mistakes will become less and less, as the leader becomes more surrounded with diverse perspectives to challenge current ways of thinking.
A simple action you can take is to explore HireDiverse.ca. HireDiverse is committed to connect diverse job seekers with employers who value diversity and inclusion.
Write more inclusive ads.
Attract more qualified candidates.
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