In today’s world, every company should strive for a diverse team and corporate culture. Studies prove diversity benefits the corporation and the employees. That being said, some companies struggle to attract new talent with varied backgrounds.
Consider the Copy
A job board posting might not seem all that important, but it is. When you look for a job, the descriptions and website often stand as the first introduction to a company and their culture. People want to feel as though the job description sounds like them and the company sounds like they are looking for someone like them.
In other words, language alone can limit who feels comfortable applying for a position. As Sara Pollock describes, “According to a recent study on how vocabulary affects diversity in recruiting, masculinely-worded online job ads were less than half as appealing to female participants as femininely-worded ads. The same study revealed that ads for stereotypically male-occupied jobs, are made up almost entirely (about 99%) of masculine words.”
Blind Resume Review
Subconsciously, everyone has some level of inherent bias so it’s no surprise that can creep into the hiring process. Remember this doesn’t make you a bad person you just need to be sure it doesn’t impact your hiring process. As Dustin Robinson reminds, “Now, that implicit bias doesn’t mean that you are sexist, ageist or racist – or anything else that precludes diversity – but it does mean you’ll probably practice particular patterns of behavior that make your recruitment decisions less equal than you’re consciously aware of.”
If you can identify and separate it from the process that’s great, but most people can’t, or they don’t notice it because it becomes an innate part of them. Blind resume reviews seem like an easy and obvious solution. As Rebecca Knight described in Harvard Business Review, “A blind, systematic process for reviewing applications and resumes ‘will help you improve your chances of including the most relevant candidates in your interview pool, including uncovering some hidden gems.’” It also safeguards the process to ensure that you land on the most qualified candidate.
Get Everyone On Board
This goes back to incorporating diversity into your culture. You want to ensure that your company and existing employees create an inviting and accepting environment for all new employees from all backgrounds. Create structure by creating a policy that explicitly states your corporate definitions of equality in the workplace and creating a comfortable work environment for those around you. What may seem obvious to one person, might not be as clear to another. Lay out examples of any discriminatory actions or language that won’t be tolerated within the office as well.
Leadership also plays a pivotal role as they set the example for staff and new employees. In the midst of change, even when positive, staff looks to management for confirmation. As Lexi McMenamin says, “Leaders who are willing to understand the experiences of their employees of different backgrounds are pivotal to making the change happen.”