2. What is a diversity recruitment strategy?
A diversity recruitment strategy defines goals, accountabilities, action items and success
measures for attracting, engaging, assessing and hiring diverse talent to drive business
success. It is often part of a larger diversity and inclusion strategy, developed to ensure a
workforce reflects a company’s customer base and the communities where it operates, and to
capitalize on the benefits that can come from a diverse range of backgrounds, experiences and
perspectives.
Like business, diversity recruitment strategies are constantly evolving, as leading-edge
companies draw correlations between workforce diversity and job satisfaction, culture,
community impact, innovation and business results.
3. Why Is a Diversity
Recruitment
Strategy
Important?
THERE ARE MORE JOB OPENINGS THAN
PEOPLE LOOKING FOR WORK, COMPANIES
ARE FACING THE TIGHTEST LABOR MARKET
IN ALMOST 50 YEARS, AND WORKFORCE
DEMOGRAPHICS ARE CHANGING FAST.
EMPLOYERS ARE STEPPING UP THEIR GAME
TO COMPETE AND WIN VALUED TALENT, BUT
IT’S A CANDIDATE’S MARKET — AND THEIR
DEMANDS ARE HIGH WHEN IT COMES TO
WORKPLACE DIVERSITY.
4. Why Is a Diversity
Recruitment
Strategy
Important?
DIVERSITY RECRUITING JOB SEEKER SURVEY
CONFIRMS THAT AN EMPLOYER’S
DEMONSTRATED WORKFORCE DIVERSITY
AND PUBLIC COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY
INITIATIVES ARE FACTORS WHEN DECIDING
TO ACCEPT A NEW ROLE.
ON THE FLIP SIDE, OUR DIVERSITY
RECRUITING EMPLOYER BENCHMARK
REPORT SHOWS THAT DRIVING WORKPLACE
DIVERSITY CAN BE A CHALLENGE THAT
REQUIRES DELIBERATE, MEASURABLE
ACTIONS. A DIVERSITY RECRUITMENT
STRATEGY CAN HELP.
5. How to Get Started on Creating or Updating Your Diversity
Recruitment Strategy
Diversity recruiting doesn’t happen in a vacuum, so neither should its strategy
development. Before creating or updating your strategy, consider how factors
outside your company and your recruiting team may impact diversity
recruiting efforts:
1. What are your employees and candidates hearing in the news?
The national dialogue about things like the #MeToo movement and pay
equity affect employees directly, and are compelling CEOs to drive progress
within and beyond the walls of their own organizations.
6. How to Get Started on Creating or Updating Your Diversity
Recruitment Strategy
2. What are other companies doing to drive diversity and inclusion?
Best practices and trends are constantly changing. See how your company’s
diversity recruiting initiatives compare to what other employers are doing in
this year’s Diversity Recruiting Employer Benchmark Report.
3. What is each demographic group looking for in an employer?
For example, what Gen Zers want in an employer may be different from
women, people of color, veterans, and other demographic groups.
4. What are your company’s overall goals and plans?
How can your human resources and diversity recruiting strategies align with
business initiatives, priorities and results?
7. How to Get Started on Creating or Updating Your Diversity
Recruitment Strategy
5. What other company initiatives will impact diversity outcomes?
Initiatives related to the future of work, the skills gap, recruitment operations,
technology, culture, branding, candidate experience, learning and
development, career planning, employee resource groups, pay, benefits and
more can have an effect on diversity recruiting and retention.
Once you have answers to these questions, share them with key decision
makers like senior leaders, other initiative owners, hiring managers and
recruiting staff. Having a common starting point may help when it comes
time to obtain support for new diversity recruiting initiatives.
8. Define Your
Diversity
Recruitment
Strategy Goals Increase diversity at every level of our
organization to better reflect our customer
base and the communities we serve.
Drive and measure the impact diversity and
inclusion has on business results.
Recognize, maximize and reward behaviors
that foster a diverse and inclusive culture.
As you’re getting started, record the top three
to five things your company would like to
accomplish with its diversity recruiting
strategy. Put your goals in writing. For
example, your goals might look something like
this:
9. Attract
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOUR COMPANY LOOKED
AT HOW IT DEFINES DIVERSITY? IS IT TIME TO
REFRESH YOUR DEFINITION TO ADDRESS JOB
SEEKER EXPECTATIONS? (FOR EXAMPLE, GEN Z
CANDIDATES RANKED PERSONALITY HIGHER THAN
AGE, RACE OR GENDER WHEN IT COMES TO DESIRED
WORKPLACE DIVERSITY.)
DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION CLEARLY COMMUNICATE
ITS COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY IN COMPANY
COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING MATERIALS? DO
COMPANY LEADERS TALK ABOUT DIVERSITY IN
PUBLIC FORUMS?
DOES YOUR EMPLOYER BRAND REFLECT A
COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY?
WOULD A MARKETING APPROACH TO DIVERSITY
RECRUITING INCREASE YOUR TALENT PIPELINE?
ARE YOU CONSIDERING NON-TRADITIONAL
CANDIDATES?
10. Engage
ARE YOUR RECRUITMENT
COMMUNICATIONS AS DIVERSE AS
YOUR CANDIDATES? TARGET
DIFFERENT DEMOGRAPHICS WITH
UNIQUE MESSAGING. USE TALENT
COMMUNITIES AND SHARE EMPLOYEE
SUCCESS STORIES.
ARE YOU USING THE RIGHT
COMMUNICATION CHANNELS TO REACH
A DIVERSE RANGE OF TALENT?
ARE YOU TAKING ADVANTAGE OF
OPPORTUNITIES TO BUILD BRAND
AWARENESS BEFORE ATTENDING
DIVERSITY CAREER FAIRS?
11. Source
ARE YOU USING THE SAME SOURCES
YOU’VE ALWAYS USED BECAUSE
“THAT’S THE WAY WE’VE ALWAYS DONE
IT?”
ARE YOU SOURCING CANDIDATES
WHERE THEY’RE MOST LIKELY LOOKING
FOR JOBS? (FOR EXAMPLE, VETERANS
GIVE GREATER WEIGHT TO JOB BOARDS
AND HIRING EVENTS THAN WOMEN.)
ARE YOU RECRUITING AT COLLEGES
WITH DIVERSE STUDENT BODIES?
PARTNERING WITH DIVERSITY
ORGANIZATIONS? USING SPECIALIZED
JOB BOARDS? MAXIMIZING EMPLOYEE
REFERRALS?
12. Screen
ARE YOUR JOB DESCRIPTIONS AND
POSTINGS WRITTEN IN A WAY THAT
ATTRACTS THE BROADEST POOL OF DIVERSE
CANDIDATES?
SHOULD YOU CONSIDER CHANGING JOB
REQUIREMENTS TO ATTRACT THOSE WITH
NONTRADITIONAL BACKGROUNDS (FOR
EXAMPLE, ACCEPTING CANDIDATES
WITHOUT A COLLEGE DEGREE)?
SHOULD YOU CONSIDER TAKING NEW
APPROACHES TO ELIMINATE UNCONSCIOUS
BIAS IN SCREENING, LIKE USING BLIND
RESUMES OR ADOPTING TECHNOLOGY TO
DO INITIAL SCREENINGS?
IS YOUR TALENT PIPELINE DIVERSE
ENOUGH?
13. Interview
IS YOUR HIRING TEAM DIVERSE?
ARE THEY TRAINED TO PROPERLY
INTERVIEW A DIVERSE RANGE OF
CANDIDATES?
ARE YOUR INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
STANDARDIZED TO ELIMINATE
BIAS?
CAN INTERVIEW SCHEDULING
TECHNOLOGY HELP FREE UP
RECRUITING STAFF TO FOCUS ON
MORE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, LIKE
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS?
14. Assess
STANDARDIZE AND AUTOMATE
CANDIDATE EVALUATIONS, WITH AN
EYE TOWARDS ELIMINATING
UNCONSCIOUS BIAS.
USE PREFERRED COMMUNICATION
CHANNELS FOR EACH
DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP.
15. Offer & Hire
DOES YOUR OFFER INCLUDE EMPLOYEE
BENEFITS THAT ARE ATTRACTIVE TO DIVERSE
CANDIDATES? (DO YOU KNOW WHICH
DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP CLAIMS
MATERNITY/PATERNITY BENEFITS ARE ALMOST
AS IMPORTANT AS PAY EQUITY? WHICH
GROUP RANKS PAY EQUITY AS MOST
IMPORTANT BY FAR? AND WHICH
DEMOGRAPHIC GROUP IDENTIFIES
WORKPLACE ACCOMMODATIONS FOR
DIFFERENTLY ABLED PEOPLE AS MOST
IMPORTANT?
WHAT SPECIAL PROGRAMS OR
OPPORTUNITIES WILL BE AVAILABLE TO HELP
YOUR NEW HIRE ACCLIMATE AND SUCCEED
(FOR EXAMPLE, MENTORING AND EMPLOYEE
RESOURCE GROUPS)?
16. 10 tips to kickoff
your diversity
recruitment
strategy
17. 1. Become comfortable with the ‘uncomfortable’ topics
2. Start by assessing what doesn’t work
3. Adjust your outward facing employer branding
4. Proactively reach out to underrepresented candidates
5. Work on reducing bias in the recruiting and interview processes
6. Create a “safe space” culture where vulnerability is honored and celebrated
18. 8. Tailor your messaging by audience when getting company buy-in for ERGs
9. Define success by creating diversity recruiting KPIs
10. Be mindful when presenting D&I data and findings