How to Recruit More Diverse Talent 

Organisations are in competition for top talent. Talented people are drawn to diverse workplaces imbued with a culture of respect that also values different perspectives. Workplace diversity comprising different genders, races, and nationalities is key to improving a company’s innovation potential.   

Diverse teams comprise individuals who each contribute unique experiences and perspectives. Workplace diversity fosters better problem-solving, innovation and insightful strategic planning.  

Here are some advantages of workplace diversity and ways to recruit more diverse talent.  

Benefits of workplace diversity  

Research shows that non-homogenous teams are smarter and perform better. People who are different from you challenge your ways of thinking and sharpen your performance. Diverse teams with different backgrounds are more likely to re-examine facts and remain objective, resulting in better decision-making. A diverse workplace will minimise your team’s biases and encourage them to question their assumptions. Diverse teams are more likely to produce novel ideas.  

How to recruit diverse talent 

Build an inclusive company culture 

Without an inclusive company culture, it will be hard to attract and retain talent. Improve your company culture by making all individuals feel included and have a sense of belonging. Promote your positive workplace culture through your employer branding strategy such as via your company’s career page, social media channels and employee-generated content.  

Review job descriptions 

Job postings are often a candidate’s first touch point with the company. The language used in your job descriptions may inadvertently put off qualified diverse candidates. Use inclusive language when writing job descriptions and avoid biased language and jargon. Listing only the vital qualifications can mitigate some of this. Many women, for instance, tend not to apply for a job unless they meet almost all of the listed criteria.  

Standardise the interview 

Non-standardised, unstructured interviews make it harder to fairly benchmark candidates and increase the likelihood for unconscious bias to creep in.  

In a standardised interview, each candidate answers the same questions. This will help to minimise bias by focusing on the factors that have the most impact on performance. Craft a specific set of questions and remove ones that are superfluous or could exacerbate bias. 

Unconscious bias can also occur during the resumé review process. One way to mitigate this is to remove details that can lead to biased decisions, such as a candidate’s name, race, nationality, gender and age, from resumés prior to screening. 

Counter affinity bias 

People are likely to align with others similar to themselves, thereby falling prey to affinity bias. Some recruiters hire people whom they are comfortable with and who look like them. When recruiting for “culture fit” is disproportionally emphasised, it can lead to a less diverse workforce. Instead, recruiters should assess candidates objectively based on an impartial list of specific skills and competencies required for the role.  

References 

Carnahan, Becca. “6 Best Practices to Creating Inclusive and Equitable Interview Processes.” Harvard Business School. Published 16 August 2021, https://www.hbs.edu/recruiting/insights-and-advice/blog/post/6-best-practices-to-creating-inclusive-and-equitable-interview-processes 

Dewar, Jen. “How to Recruit Diverse Talent: 15 Ways to Build a More Diverse Talent Pipeline.” Lever. Last updated 4 July 2021, https://www.lever.co/blog/diverse-talent-pipeline/  

Rock, David, and Grant, Heidi. “Why Diverse Teams Are Smarter.” Harvard Business Review. Published 4 November 2016, https://hbr.org/2016/11/why-diverse-teams-are-smarter