Diversity Recruiting: Recommitting, reimaging and refocusing your workforce diversity strategy

Companies who are looking to diversify their workforce are finding that just following the Equal Employment Opportunity regulations, or EEO, federal laws is not enough.

Companies need to move past just focusing on a quota, and create a diverse recruiting strategy to diversify their workforce. Having employees of many different backgrounds, with many different skill sets, can be advantageous for a company. And for growth industries that are seeing more competition, such as financial institutions, recruiting should be about driving top candidates regardless of their cultural background or gender.

The first step in the process of acquiring a more diverse workforce is making a diversity plan.

Step back and take a look at who you have working for you right now. Who or what is missing? Try to fill vacant positions from within first, if at all possible. Are certain skills or people underrepresented? Are you a global company? If so, you may want to add a more global scope with new hires. Once you have a solid idea of what you do and don’t have, you can begin the recruiting process. This is when you also should make sure that hiring managers are trained and involved in the recruitment of new employees.

Now is the time to ask if your company culture really promotes diversity. This should be more than just meeting EEO regulations. The most important thing to remember is that marketing your company as diverse, just like recruiting new employees, is an ongoing process. Being constantly involved in cultural diversification of your organization is the only way to show potential hires that you have more than a passing interest in them to fill a quota.

Make the job description more than a description.

Regardless of cultural background, a top-tier employee is unlikely to pay much attention to an online job posting if he or she is not compelled by the job or company. Describe the cultural make-up of your organization. Don’t just present a list of necessary skills and requirements for the position; instead, show your job seekers the potential that the job holds. Make them aware of what they will do on a day-to-day basis, and, if they stay with the company, what they have to look forward to.

Show a potential employee what your company is about.

Have a clear, concise diversity statement that ties into the vision and strategy of your organization; don’t make it seem like you’re trying to meet a quota. Stand by this diversity statement and make it prominent on your websites and advertisements. Stress the importance of diversity, both in the actual words, and the way the words are said.

Finding a diverse, top-tier employee is only half the battle.

The interview process comes next. Be aware that when it comes to desirable employees, they are usually interviewing you as much as you are interviewing them. The point of a job interview should not be simply to assess a potential hire’s competency, but to see if the challenges that you are offering are relevant to their previous work, and if the employee’s individual skills, characteristics, and life experience will help him or her perform better in the workplace. The candidate must earn the job and must want the job just as badly as you want to offer it to him or her.

Use recruiting tools that are targeted to minority talent.

Online job boards, like jobs. localjobnetwork.com and diversityjobs.com, can promote your job openings specifically to underrepresented groups. Additionally, connect with professional organizations that focus on the demographics of candidates you seek.

Join professional networks to source potential job candidates and exhibit at career fairs that target a diverse group of candidates looking for jobs.

The significance of diversity in the workplace is sometimes overlooked; this means that top-tier hires can get lost in the mix, and their talents and experience get lost as well. It’s imperative to push forward, even after hiring a top-tier employee; don’t just stop at one. Treat recruitment just like anything else: an ongoing, dynamic process.

Authors:

BankTalentHQ is the premier talent management site for financial industry careers, working to provide a niche platform for job seekers and employers in the financial industry to connect, grow and succeed. Visit us at banktalenthq.com.

Circa is a SaaS-based diversity recruitment and OFCCP HR compliance technology solution company. Any jobs placed on BTHQ are automatically distributed to Circa's network of 15,500+ community-based organizations including women, minorities, individuals with disabilities, veterans, LGBTQIA, older workers and many more.