To build success, it’s critical for companies to actively recruit a wider range of employees. A 2015 report by McKinsey revealed that, among the 366 companies surveyed, the top-performing companies were also the most diverse.
It makes sense. If your company supports a diverse, inclusive environment, you’re more likely to have happy and engaged employees, which results in better customer service and a stronger brand. Below are 5 recruiting strategies you can use for a more diverse, engaged workforce that’s able to perform at its best.
1. Examine bias during the interview process.
Strengthening diversity in your workplace means helping those recruiting understand common biases that may influence their recruitment decisions. Confirmation bias, for instance, is the tendency to embrace information that confirms one’s existing beliefs while rejecting information that challenges them.
This bias and others can cause those recruiting to make poor or non-diverse hiring choices based on the unconscious assumptions they make about their candidates.
2. Highlight your company’s diverse culture through CSR.
When communicating with potential candidates, emphasise the diverse culture you’re working to build in your company. If your company supports causes that encourage diversity, include that information in your communications where applicable.
Millennials are attracted to companies that value social responsibility, diversity and inclusion, so if you want to recruit and retain these younger generations, it’s crucial that candidates understand your company’s stance on diversity.
3. Assess candidates’ skill sets first.
As part of your company’s recruitment process, screen your candidates’ skills through a small trial project. This gives those recruiting a chance to form their opinions based on skill.
4. Ask all candidates the same questions.
If you follow a skills test with an in-person interview, use the same set of interview questions, asked in the same order, for every candidate. Assign weighted scores to the questions and compare candidates side by side.
5. Encourage those recruiting to participate in diversity training.
Your workforce originates from the managers who make recruitment decisions. Diversity training is essential for company employees at all levels, but it’s particularly important for those recruiting.
