Most organizations agree that having a diverse workforce will benefit the business, lead to greater innovation and new ideas. However, too often, companies fail to build a hiring strategy that brings in diverse talent. Here are three ways your organization can improve diversity in your hiring strategy.

Start by Auditing Your Job Postings

One of the best ways to start recruiting a diverse pool of candidates is to do an audit of your past job postings. Is the language or phrasing inclusive to anyone who might apply regardless of their race, ethnicity, or gender?

Upon review, you might realize some of the language or phrasing you use are more geared toward a specific demographic, even if it was an unconscious decision. If you find this to be the case, begin re-writing your job descriptions to use more inclusive language to appeal to candidates from different backgrounds.

Work on Your Employer Brand

Your employer brand is a powerful asset when it comes to hiring. Maybe, it could be the best way to boost diversity in your hiring process. Your organization should build an employer brand that values people and opinions from all demographics and backgrounds. Your employer brand should speak to the benefits and importance of diversity within your team, get buy-in from your current team, and solidify those values into your company culture.

As you work to build your employer brand, candidates will start to notice that you’re an employer known for valuing diversity. Candidates will seek out companies who genuinely value building a brand and culture focused on diversity and inclusion.

Promote Your Jobs Where There are More Diverse Candidates

One way to ensure that your candidate pool has diverse candidates is to source talent from various places where you’re promoting your jobs. Stop relying on the same sources over and over again when it’s time to hire. When your organization only focuses on these same sources that you know best, you’ll often see the same demographic, which can result in a pipeline of similar candidates and a lack of diversity.

Try seeking out opportunities to source diverse candidates where they typically congregate. For example, many online and offline groups are dedicated to certain demographics, genders, or ethnicities in specific industries. It stands to reason then that it’s likely this includes a group for the industry your organization serves! This potentially is a new source to meet and connect with top talent directly, instead of waiting for them to find you through platforms like job boards or social media. The more you take the initiative to find these alternate sources of candidates, the more likely it is that your talent pools will increase in diversity.

When it comes to hiring for diversity, your organization should be thinking about bringing on candidates from different backgrounds, cultures, religions, genders, sexual orientations, ages, and ethnicities. Bringing in people who have different viewpoints and worldview perspectives will lead to an overall more successful business. You’ll have a workforce that can see things from multiple perspectives and problem-solve from different angles. In short, more diversity leads to better overall company performance. You can start achieving diversity in your hiring strategy by auditing your job postings for language that includes or excludes people from applying, expand your employer brand to include diversity as a priority, and find diverse candidates where they’re at by posting jobs outside of traditional methods.

About EG Workforce Solutions

We’ve been in this business for decades and have developed a deep network of professional connections. Whether they’re companies looking for talent, job seekers looking for work, or an up-and-coming store in need of some temporary help, we know the right people to bridge the gap between the hiring and the hired.

But what’s more, we get to know people. From employers hiring to candidates looking, we take the time to listen and learn. We hear your likes, talents, and needs. We gain an understanding, and with it, we’re able to facilitate lasting relationships between businesses and people.