In the pursuit to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment, companies are seeking the best strategies to increase the number of diverse applicants applying to job openings. While hiring more diverse candidates sounds simple enough, even when organizations take specific measures to improve DEI, their efforts sometimes fall flat.
Luckily, there are strategies to boost the effectiveness of an organization’s diversity initiatives in meaningful ways that help attract a wider variety of job candidates. Below, 20 Forbes Coaches Council members share the best tactics to build stronger, more diverse and inclusive teams.
1. Speak Authentically About Your Purpose
Speak authentically about your purpose in hiring a more diverse population and how you have made your environment an inclusive one. Are you looking to bring in new viewpoints, or to improve alignment with your clients or community? Do you encourage brave conversations that build perspective? Lastly, ensure that your efforts stretch beyond race, age and gender. Invisible aspects of diversity count too. – Candice Gottlieb-Clark, Dynamic Team Solutions
2. Change Discriminatory Aspects Of Your Recruiting
Often, organizations aspire to increase the diversity of their pipeline, yet they have not changed discriminatory aspects of their recruiting. To increase the diversity of candidates, start sourcing candidates from more diverse communities (online or brick-and-mortar) and consider changing requirements for roles that are, by nature, discriminatory—such as requiring a college degree for every role. – Joe Frodsham, CMP
3. Expand Recruiting Avenues; Support Diverse Employees
Hiring more diverse candidates requires expanding recruiting avenues to avoid the traps of legacy sourcing. However, simply hiring is not enough. Companies must demonstrate the ability to retain and develop diverse employees through mentoring, resource groups, leadership programs and coaching. Hiring a diverse team means nothing if you lack the systems to support their ongoing professional growth. – Tonya Echols, Vigere
4. Break Out Of Your Echo Chamber
Get into relationships with people outside of your echo chamber. Build friendships and network with individuals who don’t look, think or act like you. You’ll be amazed at what you can learn and how the stronger connections you will forge can help to build a more diverse workforce. – Elliott Blodgett, Flyway
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5. Hire For Skills Instead Of Education And Experience
Organizations need to start hiring for skills and capabilities instead of education and years of experience. One way to do this is to flip the résumé expectations upside down. Ask about capability areas and expertise and move the companies, job titles and years of experience to the end of the application (or remove them altogether). Progressive organizations are beginning to move in this direction, with some amazing results. – Kristy Busija, Next Conversation Coaching, LLC
6. Offer Awareness Training For All
Diverse candidates of all types want to join companies that not only hire diverse candidates, but also live and breathe DEI day to day. Where companies fail is in how they support DEI efforts throughout the organization and reflect it within the actual culture. It is necessary to offer awareness training for all and establish meaningful efforts across all departments and within pre-established processes. – Carmelina Piedra, CareerCoachingPro
7. Build Relationships With Trusted Organizations
Like much of business, diversity recruitment is about relationships. A company that wants to recruit diverse applicants should build lasting and mutually beneficial relationships with the universities, professional associations and other influential institutions that have already earned the trust of the specific community the company wants to reach. – Essey Workie, Multicultural Coaching
8. Establish Employee Resource Groups
Encouraging the establishment of employee resource groups can help increase the number of diverse applicants and enhance the DEI narrative. ERGs bring together staff with common identities and provide a supportive environment, networking opportunities and a platform for sharing experiences. ERGs help companies signal their commitment to DEI by supporting diverse talent and positioning. – Thomas Lim, Technicorum Holdings
9. Offer Benefits That Attract Diverse Candidates
Offer benefits that would attract and support diverse candidates. Offering employee assistance programs that include legal assistance, counseling, mental health support and coaching can support employees’ diverse needs. Go a step further to show your commitment by adopting an organization that supports an underrepresented group and extending these benefits to them, thereby creating a broader impact. – Neshica Bheem, Coachfluence
10. Train Your Teams To Prepare For Change
Prepare. Are teams encouraged to cultivate curiosity by asking questions and making space for divergent ideas? Do current employees understand and value the benefits of a diverse workforce? Do individuals know how to navigate difficult conversations without compromising another’s dignity? These are all skills that can be taught to willing students. Start training to prepare your teams for change. – Zitty Nxumalo, Deftable, LLC
11. Use Inclusive Language In Job Postings
Companies should work to create an inclusive environment that celebrates and values diversity, equity and inclusion. They should also be proactive in recruiting from diverse pools and minority-serving institutions. Additionally, companies can ensure they use language in job postings that is inclusive and welcoming to all applicants. – Peter Boolkah, The Transition Guy
12. Identify And Fill Gaps In Voices And Perspectives
A great way to strengthen diversity in any organization is to ask what voices and perspectives are not present and then set out to connect with communities that are rich in these attributes. This is less about checking boxes to adhere to external criteria and more about identifying fundamental gaps that, when filled, will make you a smarter, more representative and more responsive company. – Joanne Heyman, Heyman Partners
13. Hire Candidates Who Have Disabilities
Hiring people with disabilities provides unique opportunities for companies to transform. During preparations, employees learn about diversity, develop their new approaches and become much more open to differences. This transformation opens people’s eyes to all varieties of human nature and helps them understand how complex and unique people are. Working with people who have disabilities helps employees learn to appreciate and admire others. – Dominik Szot, MIA
14. Seek Feedback From Diverse Stakeholders
To attract diverse candidates, an organization first needs to be appealing to diverse people. Revisiting values and how they are expressed in systems, governance and processes is important to create the space for diversity to be expressed in all its richness. Organizations are often unaware of the biases they live by—to overcome these blind spots, feedback has to be sought from diverse stakeholders. – Alessandra Marazzi, Alessandra Marazzi GmbH
15. Invest In Recruiting Diverse Entry-Level Talent
Successfully fostering diversity often starts at the ground floor—and that means seeding the organization with entry-level talent (recent college or high school graduates) from diverse backgrounds. By investing in recruiting efforts at historically black colleges and universities and cultivating relationships with diversity and affinity groups at mainstream universities, employers can help demonstrate a commitment to building a diverse culture. – Scott Singer, Insider Career Strategies
16. Treat New Diverse Hires Like Longtime Employees
Acknowledge what your organization would do for someone you considered promoting within the organization, then direct that same energy to the most appropriate hire who happens to meet your DEI goals. Treat the new hire the same way you would an employee of five years or more, and check any implicit bias that could present itself in the hiring, onboarding and professional development processes. Be fair! – Ariel McGrew, Tactful Disruption®
17. Assess Core Behavioral Qualities Over Competencies
Most organizations assess job candidates using poor criteria and are backward in their approach. Competencies (knowledge, skill, talent and credentials) are far less important than core behavioral qualities. Start by looking for curiosity and humility—and then at whether what a candidate cares about aligns with what is important to the organization. The needed diversity can be cultivated through hiring those with the desired behavioral traits. – Philip Liebman, ALPS Leadership
18. Prioritize DEI In Your Branding And Outreach Efforts
By showcasing your commitment to DEI through your website, social media and other marketing channels, you can attract candidates who are looking for workplaces that are inclusive and welcoming. Additionally, partner with organizations that focus on promoting diversity in the workplace to expand your reach. – Jonathan H. Westover, Ph.D, Human Capital Innovations, LLC
19. Communicate Why You Are Pursuing More Diverse Candidates
Understand and communicate why you are pursuing more diverse candidates. While social justice is important, it is not the only reason. Increasing employees’ critical thinking skills equips them to learn from each others’ diverse backgrounds and perspectives. There is no objective standard of what makes one perspective right and all others wrong. – Ron Young, Trove, Inc.
20. Recruit For Diversity Of Thought
Organizations need to be prepared to recruit for diversity of thought, and demographics is just one piece of the complex puzzle. Life and work experiences, transferable skills and unique perspectives should be valued alongside experience in a particular area, role or industry. Defining new processes and criteria to focus on attracting and incorporating diversity of thought is key. – Michele Cohen, Lead to Growth Coaching
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