How to Recruit Diverse Talent
If you are looking to diversify your talent, you need to recognize and address recruitment bias. Recruitment bias is when candidates are overlooked because of assumptions/beliefs held about the group the candidate belongs to (e.g. newcomer, Black, Indigenous). It is unfortunate recruitment bias continues to be practiced when in fact the latest EDI research consistently shows that companies that hire diverse talent are more profitable and outperform their peers. Here are three ways in which recruitment bias shows up and what you can do about it:
Recruitment through word of mouth. I get it, filling a position through recommendations is the easiest way to go. Almost 90% of positions are filled through word of mouth and are not advertised. It could be the case that your company may not have the HR capabilities to conduct a wide search. BUT, you may not be finding the best talent, and perhaps not the most diverse slate of candidates. A little tweak to your recruitment strategy can go a long way to finding diverse talent:
Connect with at least one search firm that specializes in diverse candidates. I recently heard about BIPOC Search at a Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) Diversity Expo. Other search firms have also started to specialize in BIPOC professionals. You could also go through your local chamber of commerce. All it takes is just one phone call or email.
Connect with at least one organization that serves immigrants. A former client of mine, KEYS Job Centre, matches newcomers to job opportunities in Kingston, Ontario, and prepares them for the Canadian workplace. Most major cities have similar types of organizations. You could also go one step further and connect with a company similar to yours that has hired immigrants and ask them about their experience.
Going with familiar sounding names. I understand that you have a lot on your plate and when it comes to filling the empty position you want someone who can communicate and hit the ground running. But often, by going with familiarity we lose out on talent. Studies in Canada have proven that resumes with foreign sounding names are less likely to get a call back compared to white sounding names. A little adjustment to your resume screening can get you out of your comfort zone and make a big impact to your organization:
‘Blind hiring’ means removing the name on the resume. By doing that you take away bias/assumptions held based on the person’s name.
Keep the interview neutral. It’s true once the candidate shows up to the interview, you will notice their colour, ethnicity, accent, etc. However, you can ask each candidate the same set of questions and keep the questioning specific to the job tasks.
Take anti-bias training to raise awareness of how bias shows up and how to address it. If you have a training budget then I recommend you hire an expert. There is also free training available but caution you to do your homework.
Not the right ‘fit’. Often times talented candidates are overlooked for the position because they are not considered a ‘cultural fit’ for the company. I get it, you want staff to get along and have an enjoyable workplace. However, by continuing to have a homogenous workforce your ability to outperform peers and increase profits is at stake. Unfortunately, the word ‘fit’ hides biases and assumptions– the person has an accent, doesn’t have the right level of energy, might be too aggressive, appears to be too passive, etc. These assumptions sometimes get tied to the person’s gender, race, ethnicity, etc. So how do you deal with the issue of ‘fit’:
Re-define your ‘fit’. Stay away from cultural ‘fit’, meaning how the person appears, their temperament, what sports they enjoy, etc. Instead redefine your ‘fit’ to how the candidate can add value to the team, unique experience they bring , how they can help peers learn new things or ways of thinking.
These are some of the key ways bias shows up in the recruitment process but certainly not all of them. There are opportunities to address bias in the entire recruitment process from advertising the job, crafting the job description, to selecting candidates for interviews, conducting interviews, onboarding, providing promotional opportunities, and succession planning. A good beginning though is looking at your recruitment process.
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