How to Recruit for Diversity

By Lon W. Schiffbauer, BA, MBA, PhD, SPHR

I want to start off by addressing one of the most common misconceptions out there when it comes to recruiting for diversity. It’s often said that recruiting for diversity means hiring less-qualified candidates to meet diversity targets at the expense of more qualified, less-diverse applicants.

This is not what it means to recruit for diversity.

Okay, so then what does it mean? To answer that question, let me ask you this. Let’s say you’re hiring a new project manager, and I have two pools of qualified applicants from which you can hire your next employee: one pool has six applicants and the other has 28.

Which pool do you want to look at?

Now you’re probably saying, “Well I want to look at the pool with 28 applicants, or better still, I want to look at both.” And you’d be right to ask for this. The more qualified applicants you have from which to choose, the greater your chances of finding the very best candidate.

The idea behind recruiting for diversity is the same as increasing your odds of finding the best candidate: to cast the widest possible net to increase the likelihood that you have a large pool of qualified applicants from which to choose.

Well hold on, you might say, casting a wide net and targeting qualified applicants is just smart hiring practice. What does that have to do with diversity?

That’s exactly my point!

Smart business and diversity go hand in hand. When you cast a wider net, not only are you more likely to find the best candidate, you’re also more likely to find qualified diverse applicants. As is frequently the case in business, increased diversity is often outcome of smart business, and smart business is often the outcome if increased diversity. The two are not mutually exclusive, they’re in fact highly correlated!

So with that, here are seven things you can do to cast a wider net, increase the number of diverse job applicants, and ultimately hire the very best, most qualified candidate.

1: Bias in job descriptions

First, look for bias in your job descriptions. I know this sounds a little trite and facile, but it would be a mistake to underestimate the power of words. Research has shown that some verbs and descriptors appeal more toward one gender than another. For example, masculine adjectives such as “competitive”, “confident”, and “determined” can result in female candidates feeling that they may not feel a sense of belonging in that work environment. Conversely, words like “collaborative”, “supportive”, and “cooperative” have been shown to attract more women than men. If you want to hire for diversity, you need to make sure that your language is likewise diverse, using a blend of—for lack of a better term—masculine and feminine words.

2: Carefully consider job requirements

Second, be deliberate about your hiring requirements. If the job doesn’t truly require a given criterium, don’t include it as a requirement. For example, requiring a college degree when a college degree isn’t truly necessary may disqualify talented experienced candidates who either chose or were unable to go the college route. Today there are many ways that ambitious, hard-working individuals can gain valuable skills without setting one foot on the traditional path. Don’t close yourself off to these gems.

3: Hire for the role, not the tasks

Third, focus on hiring for the role and function of the position, not necessarily the specific task. For example, if you’re hiring a corporate trainer, you’re looking for someone who can engage groups of people, facilitate the learning process, and encourage people to step outside their comfort zone. There are likely any number of people with these skills who have never so much as seen the inside of a training facility. On the other hand, if all you say is you need an experienced corporate trainer, your list of applicants will be much shorter.

4: Market the position in diverse associations

Number four, when posting or marketing the position, include organizations that support diverse candidates. This can include national associations, as well as your local community organizations. Learn what groups are out there supporting diverse professionals in your particular industry. Truth is, there are qualified diverse candidates all over the place; you just may not be looking in the right place. It’s like going to a burger joint every time you’re hungry and wondering why you can’t find any good soup or salad options. Look outside all the regular places.

5: Put together a diverse hiring team

Number 5, use diverse hiring teams when staffing key positions. It’s ironic that we need diversity to bring greater insights to our organization, but because our hiring teams are not always diverse, we lack the insights needed bring greater diversity to the business. A diverse hiring team will help the group see opportunities where others may not, bring greater understanding and insights to challenges faced, and facilitate better problem-solving—much like diversity does for the organization as a whole!

6: Only look at factors that are germane to the position

Number 6, when looking at the job candidate, disregard those things which have no bearing on the person’s ability to do the job, but which run the risk of biasing your decision. This includes things like name, age, address, and so on. Studies have shown that someone with a name something like “Jamal” is less likely to get an interview than a name like “Craig”. Likewise, figuring out the person’s age (it can be done, but I’m not going to show you how) can introduce age discrimination in the selection process, as can the person’s address—often an unofficial indicator of one’s socio-economic status.

7: Use work sample tests to assess qualifications

Finally, number 7, where possible, and depending on your industry, use work sample tests in your hiring process. If you’re hiring a programmer, give a standardized programming problem for your candidates to solve. If you’re hiring an instructor, require candidates to deliver a 15-minute instructional session to the hiring committee. It’s not hard to see why this works. If you’re hiring for a skill, require your candidates to put that skill on display. It also opens the door to candidates who may not have gained their skills in the “traditional” way but are still highly competent in their field.

So there you go! Follow these seven principles and I promise, you’ll have a larger, more diverse pool of qualified applicants from which you can select the very best candidate.

Lon is an Associate Professor of Business Management at Salt Lake Community College and holds an MBA, a PhD, and is a certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR). In addition to his academic background, Lon spent close to 30 years working and consulting for such companies as FedEx, Intel, eBay, and PayPal, as well as a variety of small to mid-sized companies around the world.