Create inclusive applications and interviews

Did you know Black and most other minority students are less likely to graduate with a college degree than white students? According to an article from InStride, of those over the age of 25, 68% of white Americans meet common educational job requirements compared to 39% of Hispanic Americans and 55% of Black Americans. To address this disparity, you might consider whether a bachelor’s degree is essential to an open position on your team. Removing unnecessary degree requirements is one way you can open the door to more diverse applicants. Focusing on hard and soft skills instead of education will widen your pool of job candidates to those who have had disproportionate access and means for higher education.

Finding a broad variety of people to fill open roles demands job descriptions that invite all qualified job-seekers. As clearly as possible, define job roles, responsibilities, and key competencies. Then, get outside feedback, ideally from an underrepresented group, before you post (this is a wonderful time to consult your ERGs!). Others might notice company jargon or implicit bias that would limit a potential candidate’s understanding or interest in the job.

Moreover, hiding all personal information from applications in your screening — including name, schools dates, and locations — removes potential sources of bias for your talent acquisition team. Then, managers and other decision-makers can short-list candidates for interview based on skills and experience alone.

Overall, consider what the application and interview process looks like for candidates with varying perspectives. What are potential obstacles? What would make prospective employees feel a sense of belonging? Do they need any accommodations? For example, making online applications accessible to someone who is Blind or low vision demonstrates a commitment to encouraging them as a candidate. Before interviews, remember to be open and ask about a candidate’s needs.

Another example of inclusive hiring practices would be asking about communication preferences and arranging for an interpreter for a Deaf candidate’s interview. These accommodations create an application and interview environment that allows candidates to present their best selves.

Get creative with diversity and inclusion in talent searches

Instead of giving up if it seems that people from diverse groups don’t apply to open roles, focus on how you might reach out to diverse populations more effectively. Besides recruitment websites, networking sites, and traditional publications, look at new and targeted ways you can advertise job openings.

• Consider options like social media channels or specialty job fairs and boot camps.
• Try networking at various schools and universities or membership associations.
• Even stepping out into new geographical locations can yield a more diverse candidate crowd.

Foster an inclusive workplace through internal processes

For both new hires and long-time employees, it’s important to have a clear channel for expressing issues, suggestions, and requests. As we mentioned above, ERGs are an excellent resource for communicating employee needs, especially at a group level. However, for individual needs, each employee should know who they can go to for guidance and support.If an employee needs a wheelchair ramp to access the building, where do they take that request? If captioning would help a hard-of-hearing employee in meetings, who can they ask to provide that service? If a team member experiences a micro-aggression, do they speak to their direct supervisor or HR first? It can already be hard for an individual to speak up about their needs. It is even more difficult when they don’t know who to go to. Outlining a chain of communication during onboarding, in your employee handbook, and on your company intranet will empower your team and make them feel supported.