How to Recruit Diverse Candidates in Canada: 7 Steps That Work

Many employers also extend their inclusion efforts to newcomers, 2SLGBTQ+ candidates, veterans, and others. Whichever groups you prioritize, the goal is the same: remove barriers and make sure your opportunities are seen by a wider pool of qualified people.

Step 1: Fix the Job Posting First

Outreach only works if the posting itself is welcoming. Before promoting a role anywhere, review it for:

• Required qualifications. Separate true requirements from nice-to-haves. Long lists of “must-haves” discourage qualified candidates from applying.
• Language. Avoid jargon, unnecessary credential demands, and wording that signals a narrow idea of the “ideal” candidate.
• Salary information. Pay transparency builds trust and helps candidates decide whether to apply.
• Accommodation statement. Tell candidates how to request accommodations during the hiring process, and make the process easy to follow.
• Location and flexibility. State clearly whether the role is remote, hybrid, or on-site.

Step 2: Know Who You’re Trying to Reach

“Diverse candidates” is not one audience. A newcomer looking for Canadian experience, an Indigenous professional looking for culturally aware employers, and a candidate with a disability looking for accessible workplaces are searching in different places and care about different things.

Decide which communities matter most for each role, based on your workforce data and employment equity goals. Specific targets lead to better outreach than general intentions.

Step 3: Go Beyond Your Usual Recruiting Channels

If you post only on your careers page and the major job boards, you’ll mostly reach the people those channels already reach. Specialized outreach is one of the most direct ways to change that.

Employment and Social Development Canada’s guidance on improving workplace equity identifies specialized recruitment outreach as effective for increasing applications from women and members of visible minorities, and as a promising approach for Indigenous peoples and persons with disabilities.

In practice, that can mean:

• Posting on diversity-focused job boards
• Advertising in community and professional networks
• Using alternative recruitment channels beyond the standard platforms

Step 4: Build Partnerships With Community Organizations

Employment service agencies, Indigenous organizations, disability employment programs, newcomer settlement agencies, and professional associations already have trusted relationships with job seekers.

Partnering with them takes more effort than posting an ad, but it builds credibility over time. Share openings early, explain what your workplace offers, and ask what barriers their clients face when applying to employers like you.

Step 5: Make the Application and Interview Process Accessible

Reaching diverse candidates means little if they drop out during the process. Check your hiring process for common barriers:

• Application systems that don’t work well with assistive technology
• Lengthy forms that require information candidates don’t have yet
• Interviews scheduled without any flexibility
• Panels or assessments with no stated option for accommodation
• Unclear next steps or long silences after applying

Offer accommodations proactively, explain the process upfront, and keep candidates informed.

Step 6: Make Outreach Continuous, Not a One-Time Campaign

A single diversity campaign tied to one vacancy can boost visibility for that role, but it won’t build a lasting presence among the communities you want to reach. Employers who hire throughout the year get better results when inclusive outreach is part of regular recruitment rather than an occasional add-on.

Building outreach into every hiring cycle also makes it easier to see patterns over time. Our article on why continuous inclusive recruitment matters for Canadian employers explains how to put this into practice.

Step 7: Track, Document, and Measure What You Do

If you can’t show where and when you recruited, you can’t tell what’s working. Keep a simple record of:

• Which positions were advertised, and in which occupational categories
• Where and when each opportunity was promoted
• Which regions the outreach covered
• What engagement the activity generated

This matters especially for employers with employment equity obligations. The Government of Canada’s guidance for federally regulated private-sector employers and Crown corporations describes annual reporting that includes information about implementation activities, measures taken, and results achieved. Recruitment records don’t replace those requirements, but they can support your account of the work. See what Canadian employers should track for employment equity recruitment documentation for a fuller checklist.

Keep in mind that tracking engagement is not the same as measuring diversity. Job views and application clicks show interest in an opportunity. They don’t tell you who applied or who was hired. Broader outcomes, such as workforce representation, hiring, and promotion, are what national reporting examines, as in the Government of Canada’s 2024 Employment Equity Act Annual Report. Use engagement data for what it can credibly show, and report outcomes separately.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you attract diverse candidates in Canada?

Start with an inclusive job posting, then expand your reach through specialized job boards, community partnerships, and alternative recruitment channels. Make sure your application process is accessible so candidates who apply can move forward.

What are the four designated groups under the Employment Equity Act?

Women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and members of visible minorities.

Is posting on a diversity job board enough?

It helps, but it works best as part of a broader approach that includes accessible hiring processes, community relationships, and consistent tracking of results.

How do you measure whether diverse recruitment is working?

Track recruitment activity (what you posted, where, and when), candidate engagement (views and application clicks), and, separately, hiring outcomes and workforce representation.

Consistency is Key to Inclusive Recruitment

Recruiting diverse candidates in Canada is not about one perfect job ad. It is about a repeatable process: welcoming postings, intentional outreach, accessible hiring, and records that show what you did and what it produced. Start with one or two of these steps, build from there, and review your results regularly.