How to recruit a more diverse workforce

There is a growing realisation that the best talent isn’t always found in the usual places. Employers need to try new things if they want to attract people who don’t see themselves in a role in their industry or organisation.

There is a lot of advice out there, so here I have consolidated the most effective ways to start approaching diverse recruitment differently, along with some signposts to help you start making practical changes.

Before you start, be clear about your intent

Wanting to diversify your recruitment pool requires more than just stating that as your intent. You need to carefully think about your reasons for doing this, what effect you want to have on your organisation, teams, customers and brand. This will help to ensure you are prioritising the right actions and using the best approaches to achieve your aims. Making a clear case that is aligned to your mission, values and strategic plan will help, as will having the explicit support of the leadership team.  

I’ve seen many cases of HR and recruitment teams working hard to diversify their recruitment marketing, only for this to fail when those making selection decisions are not on the same page.

Before making any public statements or starting work, you need to be clear about not only what you will be doing, but why. You need to be clear about this to educate others and get them on board as this will be a team effort. 

Some questions to consider: 

When you have these questions clearly answered, and you have others moving with you, then it’s time for the practical work to start.

Start with your employee brand

Your employee brand is your ‘shop window’ to those who are considering joining you.  You need to ensure that messages about how you are representing your organisation, and those that work with you, really speak to those that you want to attract.

As an internal person, you’ll probably be too close to your brand to look at it objectively, especially if you’ve been involved in creating it. 

This is where you need critical colleagues and your wider network to give you an honest opinion. Ideally, seek the views of those from marginalised groups you want to appeal to.

Ask them for feedback about:

A word of caution here; putting images on your website and social media of people from different ethnic backgrounds, ages, physical abilities etc is not enough. In fact, this can do more harm than good if you portray a workforce that doesn’t represent what exists. Think instead about communicating your intent and reasons for wanting to diversify. Being honest about your plans for change will get you a lot further than misrepresenting your workforce.

Practice inclusion internally so that your employees spread the message externally

Following on from the point above, it is important to be honest and accurate in your portrayal of your current workforce diversity. Not only will this garner you greater respect and support, but there have been many cases recently of organisations that claim to be more diverse than they are only to receive public dissent from employees.

In October 2020, Glassdoor announced that they will be providing a diversity and inclusion rating for companies so that those considering a career with them can see how they perform in this area, see the details here.   

Not only will Glassdoor be providing a rating, but they will also report on what diversity and inclusion programmes, goals and commitments have been made.

So, the best way is to practice inclusion internally and therefore attract a more diverse range of candidates is to ‘walk the walk’. Be clear on your intent, but then do the work so that your employees will spread your message. As we know, word of mouth is the best recommendation.

Is there still a place for job descriptions, if so you need to rethink them

Many of us are wondering if job descriptions have a future. We know there is an ever increasing need for agility, comfort with uncertainty and the need to evolve in roles pretty much from day one. So does writing down long term job requirements support these? 

Before going too far down that particular path, if you are using JD’s and plan to continue to, there is a need to be very mindful of how they are written.

Firstly, there is an increasing body of research that illustrates that certain words and phrases suggest a leaning towards male or female preference. You can now run your JD’s through online services that let you know if you have biases in your language related to race, age and gender. Some you might want to try are:

If you work in HR and have an online recruitment system, ask your providers what it does to mitigate bias in your process.

Another factor to think about is how JD’s work for those with neuro differences. For those with processing differences such as dyslexia, dyspraxia and attention deficit, the requirement to read a wordy, jargon-filled document let alone then attempt a complex online application process can be very off-putting. 

But the adjustments don’t need to be complicated or expensive. If you are committed to diversifying your workforce, a first step could be to simply put a sentence on your employment pages to say that if people who might struggle with the traditional approach would prefer a conversation to discuss the role and alternative ways to apply, there is someone in your team that they can speak to.

Seek out places to advertise that aren’t the mainstream

Now you’re clear on your intent, you’ve looked at your employee brand, you have your people on board and you are confident you are unbiased in how you are describing the job, the next step to think about is where to advertise. 

There are some big, free sites that reach large audiences, but these don’t always reach those that are think they don’t ‘fit’ these types of roles in your type of organisation. This is where you need to find different avenues.

Increasingly, recruitment sites and agencies are emerging that specialise in reaching different under-represented groups. When you have thought about your intent, it will be easier to think about who you need to attract and how you will do this. After all ‘being more diverse’ is quite a broad ambition. What does your research and data suggest as well as your future vision need more of?

Here are some suggestions of where you might start to look to advertise your roles if, for example, you are recruiting in the tech sector. Just as many exist for other sectors if you take a look around:

Think carefully about employee referral schemes

Referral schemes are often hailed as a great way of bringing people into the organisation and often come with a financial reward.

However, if you are aiming to change the diversity of your workforce, will asking those already in it help with this? Or are you likely to continue to receive applications from those that are the same as your existing profile?

I’d add into this caution over the way you use recruitment agencies. If they have placed those that are in the decision-making positions, they will likely put forward candidates with similar skills, experiences and personality. So challenge your recruiters, ask them for a more diverse pool, add people who aren’t characteristically the same and ensure those that are interviewing and selecting are on board with seeking out difference.

Get flexible

When it comes to the ideal features of a role, flexible working for many is the holy grail. Most of us want to have flexibility in our roles, and this is increasing as new generations enter the workforce. If you are serious about diversity in your workforce at all levels, start thinking about how you can make the roles, and the culture, more flexible.  

Research by the London School of Economics found that offering flexible roles not only benefits the individuals as you would expect, but also has comparable benefits for the organisation. There is lower absenteeism, increased productivity, enhance employee engagement and loyalty, and retains talented people who might otherwise choose to leave the organisation or even need to leave working life altogether.

In summary

Diversifying your workforce is not only the right thing to do, it’s increasingly becoming the expected thing to do – by your existing employers and customers, as well as your future ones.

There are several things that you can do at a relatively low cost. It is important to spend the time and energy understanding and planning so that when you have a more diverse pipeline of candidates, the organisation that they’re entering is ready and willing to welcome, respect and help provide a culture of belonging and inclusion.