3 Pitfalls Holding Back Your Diversity Recruiting Strategy

Unconscious bias can have serious implications

Diversity and inclusion (D&I) means much more to companies today than hiring quotas and mandatory training. It’s about the business imperative of connecting with the diverse workers who comprise a significant and growing portion of the workforce. Many of those workers have the scarce, critical skills companies will need to survive and grow in the future, yet employers may struggle to recruit diverse employees effectively.

 

 
Addressing the diversity recruitment challenge can be frustrating because there is typically little evidence of intentional bias or discrimination on the part of an organization’s recruiters or hiring managers. In fact, the bias that stands in the way of hiring diverse candidates is very real, but the first step in addressing it is to recognize most influential bias is not intentional; it is unconscious.
 
Unconscious bias can have serious implications. For example, organizations may not be shunning places where potential diverse candidates look for opportunities, but they may not know where those places are. It’s not that they advertise only in English because they don’t want to hire Spanish- speaking workers; rather, they have never translated their ads in the past. One company may offer retirement benefits that appeal to one type of worker, while another offers better childcare or extended leave benefits that appeal to another type of worker. These examples highlight how even the most enlightened organizations have unwittingly avoided or driven away valuable, diverse talent.
 
If your organization is looking for ways to move the needle on diversity, the first step is to identify places where seemingly normal activities may be injecting unconscious bias into the process. With that in mind, below are three of the most common pitfalls that may be standing in the way of your ability to recruit diverse candidates.

Marketing to diverse candidates should not involve a “one size fits all” approach. Diverse workers may have the same skills as anyone in the workforce, but their career expectations and their online presence and activity may vary. Consider that their preferred language may not be English, and that they may frequent special interest websites or forums.
 
Looking beyond the job boards, companies need to consider volunteer outreach through corporate social responsibility initiatives or attending focused events such as a veteran’s job fair or a hiring event at a college – particularly those with a historically underrepresented population. In all cases, improving diversity in the workforce is not preferential hiring; it’s about seeking talent where talent can be found and including more diverse workers in the slate of candidates for consideration.

Job requirements and descriptions are often full of unconscious bias. Consider that each demand beyond the core job requirements is an opportunity to drive a potential applicant away. People from all walks of life may approach a job description differently. In 2010, for example, one study conducted by Hewlett Packard revealed female job seekers were most often comfortable applying for jobs where they felt they met 100 percent of initial requirements, while males would, on average, feel comfortable applying if they met only 60 percent or more of the requirements.  
 
At the same time, the reality of job requirements is not what many candidates are led to believe. A 2017 study by Allegis Group found only 28 percent of hiring managers actually expect the candidate to arrive fully qualified to meet every requirement in a job description. In other words, every overstated job requirement is one more point that can make an otherwise qualified, diverse candidate decide not to apply. 
 
Addressing the issue of excess job requirements is not about making the job seem easier. Rather, it is about eliminating barriers that are not essential to performance and opening up the role to a wider range of qualified candidates. Does the ideal candidate need to adhere to a five-day-a-week, nine-to-five schedule? Is experience defined by years in an industry or by performance in specific skills? Hiring managers and recruiters need to look at questions like these together and have an honest conversation about what really matters to get the job done.

Measuring and tracking progress is probably the most difficult, controversial and important ingredient to improved diversity recruiting. An Allegis Group D&I survey found 72 percent of HR decision-makers believe they have a strategy and are making progress in the area of D&I. However, only 37 percent reported having diversity hiring goals.
 
D&I goals and measurable objectives are difficult topics because they’ve been linked historically to the idea of preferential treatment for minorities (i.e., reverse discrimination to meet quotas).

Today, companies have the good fortune of improved perspectives on D&I strategy, understanding that simply hiring diverse employees is not enough. Instead, the employee must be the best for the job and must have the same opportunity to advance at the organization as anyone else.
 
Measuring progress can involve tracking hiring goals, but it can also mean tracking diversity of slate of candidates for consideration, leadership and development nominations (succession planning issues), and mid- and senior-level promotions. Any of these measures can not only reflect an organization’s ability to hire diverse workers, but they also may indicate how attractive it is as a place for a diverse candidate to work and thrive based on the employee experience.
 
The Allegis Group D&I survey found that only 10 to 12 percent of organizations measure progress in any of these areas, yet each of these can provide a gauge of D&I strength without pressuring the organization to make hiring decisions simply to “meet the numbers.” In any case, the adage, “you can’t improve what you can’t measure” applies to D&I just as equally as it does to any aspect of business. Organizations need to get creative and look beyond hiring quotas to ensure they are truly building a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture in which everyone can succeed.

Do the pitfalls of recruiting for diverse candidates sound familiar? If so, that’s not surprising. “Post-and-pray” recruiting is widely viewed as a subpar approach to talent acquisition for any candidate. Misplaced or overstated job requirements will drive away job seekers of all backgrounds, and a lack of metrics for success impacts any aspect of recruiting progress.
 
Correcting these talent acquisition pitfalls does more than influence an organization’s ability to attract and retain diverse talent; it can improve the ability to engage people of all backgrounds. And, better yet, building strength in diversity recruitment makes talent acquisition stronger across the board.

As the Global Head of HR, Tanya Axenson provides oversight and strategic direction for HR teams across all Allegis Group companies. Her leadership philosophy focuses on inclusion, engagement and a commitment to serving others, fostering an environment where employees demonstrate a competitive spirit and are inspired to value differences. Visit www.AllegisGroup.com Connect Tanya Axenson