Understanding Diversity Recruitment Myths
Are you a Human Resources or Talent Acquisition Professional struggling to attract diverse talent?
According to the LinkedIn Global Report on Recruitment, Diversity in recruitment is a priority for employers who are struggling to attract and retain key talent.
Over 78% of companies indicated they are prioritizing diversity to improve culture, and 62% are prioritizing diversity to boost financial performance.
It’s no secret that creating a well-represented candidate pool can bring several benefits to a company. Those benefits can range from more available talent, to increased employee retention. Employers can leverage a well-represented candidate pool to overcome key challenges like the global talent shortage.
Canada will face a growing skills gap in the near future and business leaders need to adopt a number of strategies to address it, according to a recent IBM virtual roundtable.
As a result, it is becoming increasingly important that employers leverage diversity and inclusion to attract and retain talent.
This article looks at the concept of diversity recruitment, major diversity recruitment misconceptions, a formula for effective diversity in recruitment, the challenges of creating a well-represented candidate pool and specific tactics to attract underrepresented candidates.
While tactics and strategies are of key importance to effective execution of diversity in recruitment, perhaps the most important piece to consider is the intention behind the initiatives.
The current state: diversity recruitment in practice, a real-world example.
The Chief Executive Officer of one of the region’s largest employers called me. He is an experienced, capable and smart leader. He is conscientious wants to do the right thing when it comes to diversity and inclusion, but he doesn’t know where to start.
The CEO is an educated, middle aged white male and he is worried about the make up of his leadership team. He recognizes that there is no diversity at the top level of his organization. He is growing concerned with the lack of diverse perspectives and committed to affect change.
The CEO tells me he needs to hire a Black or brown person to join his team. He is clearly uncomfortable when he says this. The words Black and brown are a whisper. He cringes and lowers his tone a little when he says them.
He goes on to explain that he has been looking for this diverse talent for months. He has even tasked the Human Resources Team to only bring forward underrepresented candidates. They have not been successful in their efforts.
The purpose of his call to me is to ask if I know a Black or brown person who would be suited to join his team.
The CEO says they don’t even have to meet all the role’s qualifications. He says they just need someone they can train…
What is Diversity Recruitment?
Diversity recruitment means ensuring the recruitment and selection process is free of bias related to race, gender, sexual orientation and religion.
Diversity recruitment means hiring a candidate based on their skills and qualifications. It encompasses all parts of the recruitment process; where job vacancies are posted, how ads are written, the training and makeup of the hiring team, the interview process, and the candidate selection criteria. Effective diversity recruitment allows underrepresented candidates to be assessed based on merit and protects them from bias.
Diversity Recruitment Myths
When it comes to diversity recruitment, there are myths that often stand in the way of successful programs.
These misconceptions are widely held and explain the misguided efforts of the conscientious CEO.
Here are 2 common myths when it comes to focusing on attracting diverse candidates.
Myth 1: diversity recruitment means selecting a candidate based on their identity
Diversity recruitment practices should not lead a company to hire based on an individual’s identity. In fact, hiring a person based on their belonging to an underrepresented group is just as illegal as screening out of the process based on their identity.
Myth 2: diversity recruitment means I must give someone less qualified a chance
Increasing diversity in recruitment does not mean that you will need to hire someone who is less qualified for the role. In many cases, underrepresented candidates who are rejected from hiring processes are more competitive.
According to the York University Institute for Social Research, 8.8% of Black women with university degrees are unemployed, compared to 5.7% of white women with high school diplomas.
Consequently, it is not the availability of qualified candidates that is responsible for the underrepresentation of marginalized groups. It is that the organization chooses not to hire from underrepresented groups.
The challenge, therefore, is not that underrepresented, diverse professionals are less qualified or competitive. The greatest challenge face by recruiters and hiring managers is an inaccurate view of what someone who is qualified should look like.
The Challenges of Creating a Well-Represented Candidate Pool
The first step to executing the formula for effective diversity in recruitment is creating a well-represented candidate pool. This means you’re taking extra steps to promote inclusivity through all phases of your recruitment. Ultimately it moves the organization from a homogenous candidate pool to diversity among its applicants.
Top 3 challenges employers face:
1.Employers often aren’t sure where to start the process
The idea of embedding diversity into recruitment can seem really daunting. When an employer doesn’t have any experience in this area it can be difficult to take the first action step. It can also be scary. The employer might be concerned they will offend someone, for example.
2. Continued use of practices that actively exclude diverse candidates
You may unintentionally continue to exclude qualified candidates from the recruitment process by using practices that actively exclude underrepresented candidates. For example, employee referral programs encourage current employees to refer a candidate to the organization.
If the organization lacks representation, it can be assumed that the referral program won’t help to solve the problem. People are drawn to people like them, consequently, social circles can become a reflection of the individual’s preferences and appearance.
Similarity bias is a term used to describe the type of unconscious bias whereby human beings are naturally drawn to, and ultimately prefer, people who are similar to them.
3. Employers often default to what is familiar
They continue to use familiar job boards. This means they continue to access the same groups of people over and over again. Often this candidate pool is representative of the current workforce. Using the same source, inevitably leads to more of the same.
The job seekers visiting the job board you currently use to post job ads may be overrepresented in the same areas where their workplace is already currently overrepresented. This perpetuates the issue of lack of diversity.
There are ad-hoc efforts, like the earlier mentioned CEO, where a hiring manager does their best to ‘figure it out’ with no real strategy or plan. This isn’t an effective use of time.
The Benefits of a Well-Represented Candidate Pool
Companies should prioritize diversity in recruitment because it’s the right thing to do and because it has a tangible positive impact on the bottom line.
When employees bring their entire, authentic selves to work, they’re free to be more creative, energetic, and collaborate more effectively with coworkers. Creating a more diverse workforce allows for better decision-making through differing perspective,
Companies that are more diverse have better retention and are more likely to be seen as innovators in their industry.
Make sure to check out our full post on Creating a Well-Represented Candidate Pool.
Conclusion: Diversity Recruitment is About Unlocking Talent
By addressing common misconceptions, overcoming challenges, and implementing effective strategies, employers can create well-represented candidate pools that drive innovation, boost retention, and foster a thriving company culture.
Start your journey toward meaningful inclusion today and witness the positive impact on your organization.
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