This informal CPD article on How to Attract a More Diverse Pool of Candidates to Your Job Roles was provided by Events Together, a corporate event management consultancy with a difference.
When you’re hiring the latest candidate for a job in your organisation, it goes without saying that you want to hire the best person for the job! However, with diversity and inclusion at the workplace becoming an increasingly important conversation, it’s important that you put some thought into it before you start the hiring process. After all, having a diverse workforce can have so many benefits for the business and its employees, such as increased satisfaction at work and higher levels of innovation within teams. But there’s more to it than this. We live in a diverse, multicultural society, so it’s important that workplaces reflect this and embrace diversity and inclusion as much as they can. So, how do you attract a more diverse pool of candidates to your job role? Read on for some tips and ideas!
First, take a look at your existing team
One very important thing to do is take a look at the employees that already work at your organisation. Do you have diverse, inclusive teams? If the answer is yes, then that’s great news! Organisations that already show a commitment to diversity are more likely to attract a wider pool of applications. However, for many organisations, this isn’t quite the case, for a number of reasons. If this is your situation, there’s no need to panic – there is still work that can be done to ensure you are being more diverse going forward.
What does your job ad look like?
Next, you need to thoroughly review any job ads that you plan to put out, to make sure you’re not unconsciously excluding anyone at the first hurdle! After all, the job ad is likely to be the first thing many candidates will see from your organisation. It’s important to make the right first impression if you want the best, most diverse pool of candidates. None of the wording should suggest any biases. In job ads, the most common biases are gendered language that sounds masculine that may deter female applicants from applying! So, make an effort to avoid words such as ‘assertive,’ ‘headstrong,’ ‘impulsive,’ and more. While this is the main issue found in job ads, also be aware that the language you’re using won’t deter other diverse applicants, such as those from the LGBTQ+ and BAME communities.
Where are you advertising?
Have you thought about where you’re going to place your revised job ads? You may not think that this has much to do with attracting an inclusive pool of applicants, but it really does! Many recruiters simply choose a couple of popular sites such as Indeed or LinkedIn and leave it there. But will this help you attract diversity in your organisation? Possibly, but there is more you can do.
What about approaching universities that are known to have a more diverse population of graduates that are looking for jobs? Or why not attend a job fair or other event targeted at a specific audience, such as women, or those who are LGBTQ+? If you’d rather stick to advertising in the traditional manner, choose some websites or publications that have a more diverse audience. This is one simple change that you can make to attract a far more inclusive pool of candidates than ever before!
Educate your team (and candidates!)
Finally, education is key when it comes to diversity and inclusion. This is true of the recruitment process too! It’s important that everyone in your organisation knows that you value diversity when it comes to recruitment, and in the workplace in general. This is especially important if your organisation needs to work on its inclusivity! After all, you don’t want to hire diverse candidates, only for them to feel that they’re not welcomed when they start the job. However, you should also let your candidates know your values before you apply. This will make diverse applicants more comfortable in applying in the first place! Make sure to include diversity and inclusion as one of your key values in your job ad. But don’t stop there – make sure it’s prominent on your website too, as this is usually the first port of call for any applicant doing their research
As you can see there are many things that you can do to help ensure your workplace is diverse, by hiring more inclusive applicants! If you need to work on the diversity of your organisation, this is one of the first steps you must take on that journey. A few small tweaks to your hiring process can be all you need to attract the right people for the job, all while ensuring the process is as diverse and inclusive as possible.
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