We often hear about the need to create a more diverse and inclusive company. So how does a hiring manager accomplish that throughout the recruitment and hiring process? The first step is to identify what we really mean we talk about diversity.
Embrace Diversity and Create an Inclusive Company Culture
Frequently diversity and inclusion are used interchangeably. While they work with one another, they do not mean the same thing. Diversity is considered the differences and uniqueness amongst your workforce regarding race, gender, sexual orientation, culture, ethnicity, age, economic status, etc. Inclusion is the act of including and welcoming all of those differences within your company. It is about ensuring that you diverse workforce feel welcomed and are treated the same way in regards to promotions, career opportunities, remuneration etc. It is about every person, regardless of their uniqueness, feeling that they can be themselves without fear of criticism or adverse outcomes.
While you can work on recruitment efforts and hiring practices becoming more diverse, you must also hire on an attitude and a commitment to inclusiveness. Inclusiveness is an action that each individual can shape, and this can then be further cultivated from within. You can always bring inclusiveness into your business by hiring for the right attitudes and inclusive behaviours.
“Inclusion is key to our sustained business success, in the creation and preservation of a high performing culture where every voice is valued and respected. Inclusion at QIC is driven by our Board and Executive team and our various inclusion programs which ensure our teams feel valued and encouraged to bring their whole self to work every day. Building awareness of what inclusive behaviours are, and importantly what they are not, allows for an aligned and committed organisation”
Your mission statement and daily operations must create a company culture that promotes and celebrates the inclusion of employees of different backgrounds. Discuss the reasons for creating a more diverse workforce with your teams and begin the process of creating an inclusive culture. Your management teams and employees should be encouraged to create a safe and respectful work environment for your diverse workforce to thrive.
Integrate Procedures with Culture
As a hiring manager, we must find a way to integrate procedures to not only choose the best applicant but have the best possible pool of diverse applicants to choose from. How can we make sure we are attracting the best diverse talent with our recruitment strategies?
To have a diverse workforce, you must be choosing from a diverse pool of applicants. This means trying to find ways to promote and encourage diversity in your recruitment strategies. Think about your company image as a whole. Is this showcasing a diverse environment for those interested in applying to your company?
Hiring a new recruit can be an overwhelming and sometimes daunting process. You want to make the best possible selection for your company and your team. Selecting the wrong applicant can lead to several issues, from damaging overall team morale to a financial loss for your company.
Prepare and Plan
To find the best possible candidate for the position being offered, you must invest a significant amount of time in the preparation and planning of your recruitment strategy. A pool of applicants that are unqualified or lack understanding of the position will lead to delays in hiring and further recruitment efforts.
Take the time to clearly define the position, qualifications, and skills required, and expectations of the company for the potential applicants. This will not only benefit job seekers but will help your company by focusing specifically on the talent relevant to your industry.
Make sure to implement tactics to attract diversity in your company’s applicants; do not limit yourself to one strategy that may have an inherent bias. Consider different options and angles to find a diverse pool of qualified applicants. Keep in mind that you can always seek the assistance of a qualified recruitment consultant to offer advice or to help you find the talent you are looking for.
Come Together With Your Team
The brunt of the hiring process will rest on you as the Recruitment Manager. Still, the hiring of a new diverse candidate must be a unified team effort. Your entire team involved in the hiring process must be on the same page. The best outcomes will be achieved if you are united:
- regarding the need to expand diversity within the company;
- about the qualifications that you will all be looking for when reviewing applicants for the position;
- and the procedures that will be followed when a potential candidate has been identified.
Have clear and concise procedures for pre-screening and an interview schedule that will take place once an applicant has been selected for the next stage of the hiring process.
Choose the Right Fit for Your Company
One of the biggest challenges to hiring a diverse workforce is the failure to identify inherent biases within the hiring process. If you realise that a lack of diversity is an issue within your company, you must make the extra effort to recognise and eliminate any biases throughout the hiring process.
Review everything from your organisations’ job descriptions to salary offers and company jargon. Make sure your company’s image is promoting diversity and not hindering it with its biased language or imagery.
When the time comes to making your final selection, keep diversity at the forefront when comparing the best possible candidates that will contribute to the overall productivity and prosperity of your company. Choose the candidate that will not only excel and succeed in their position but one that will promote and encourage the growth of diversity, and therefore inclusivity, in your company’s future.
Contact us to discuss our diverse candidate pool, or for any consulting and recruitment needs.
