Diversity recruitment is a science.
Businesses trying to increase their diversity without a structured plan may be surprised at their lack of results—and the increased expenses that go along with it. Keep these five strategies in mind during your diversity recruitment to help guarantee a successful outcome:
1. Preparing for the cultural transition
Diversity broadens your organization’s perspective. You know it, and we know it. The trick is to help your staff learn it as well. The true value of a more diverse workforce is only found when all employees acknowledge and accept the value that other cultures provide. Work towards this goal by training your staff on cultural sensitivity and creating an inclusive workplace atmosphere. This may involve posting bilingual workplace materials, having on-site translators, and involving minority community members to ensure your workplace is appropriate for their needs. Having everyone on board is essential here—nothing will drive away your recruited talent like uneducated or close-minded employees.
2. Community networking
If you want to find candidates who offer unique perspectives, you’ll need to take your recruiting strategies off road. Traditional strategies produce traditional candidates; target the fringes of minority populations to increase the scope of your recruiting. Networking is the best way to find these hidden candidates. Work with your minority community to learn what channels they prefer. If your business makes itself known as a diverse and minority-friendly organization, you can even leverage the help of community leaders to spread your message. Many people fail to take advantage of job opportunities simply because they aren’t aware of them—do some guerilla networking within your community to track down individuals who aren’t reached by traditional recruitment strategies.
3. Hire with intention
Talent acquisition and recruitment are challenging enough on their own, and adding extra stipulations makes it even more challenging. Recruiting managers must have established criteria for who they hire and what they can bring to the table. This means hiring for diversity, but also that your diversity candidates possess the necessary skill-sets to be successful at your organization. Once talented candidates are found, managers must make sure they integrate well within the business.
4. Guidance and mentor-ship
A manager’s job isn’t done after recruits are hired. Most candidates will require some guidance in new organizations. These training initiatives involve teaching candidates about the skills, responsibilities, and processes necessary to make them effective employees in a business setting. In turn, training minority candidates will also teach the trainer how to leverage that time most effectively. This two-way relationship helps develop skills on both sides and contributes to better overall diversity integration.
5. Including support systems
No matter how effective your recruitment is, problems are bound to arise. This is inevitable during any hiring process, but presents particular challenges during diversity recruitment. Minority candidates who experience prejudice or unfair treatment may not be comfortable coming forward in their new workplace. Management must account for this by creating specific minority support systems within the business. These include private meetings to discuss concerns, feedback channels for suggestions, and even ombudsmen dedicated to handling diversity concerns.
Comprehensive Diversity
Increased diversity recruitment doesn’t need to be difficult, but it does need to be structured. Diversity relies on a comprehensive system of support, feedback, and openness to new perspectives. Businesses improving their diversity outreach should begin by assessing their organization’s policies regarding new employees and the way they’re treated. When the value of varied perspectives is ingrained in your businesses’ corporate culture, a more valuable and diverse workforce isn’t far behind.
Author:
Marek Biernacinski
Content Pro, CEO
Posted By: Cheer Leader
Tuesday, June 30th 2020 at 4:14PM
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