Jay Munro, Head of Career Insights for Indeed, shares insights into fostering diverse and inclusive recruitment processes and eliminating unconscious bias from the hiring process. Leverage these insights to strengthen your interview panel and, by extension, your organisation.
It’s no secret that a diverse and inclusive workforce brings with it a multitude of benefits. In fact, you could wager that the vast majority of common business challenges could be solved by simply having a more diverse team to offer different perspectives, ideas, and solutions.
Yet for too many organisations, diversity and inclusion remain little more than buzzwords – and those who most want organisations to genuinely change can feel that. New research from Indeed reveals that there’s a considerable disconnect between how Australians believe workplaces treat minority groups and the lived reality of these groups. Our research found that 57% of working Australians understand ‘diversity and inclusion’ in the workplace to mean a scenario where all staff can be their true selves at work. However, two thirds (62%) of them admit to concealing part of their identity all or some of the time from their colleagues. And, almost a quarter (23%) say they can’t speak openly in the workplace without fear of criticism.
The findings are alarming and reiterate the fact that many organisations still have a long way to go when it comes to workplace diversity and inclusion. So, what can leaders do to ensure these concepts are more than just meaningless slogans in the workplace?
There are a number of ways to foster authentic diversity and inclusion. Building these strategies into your recruitment process is arguably the most important place to start. After all, a diverse workforce begins with a diverse candidate pool.
So, for those looking for some assistance on where to begin, here are some simple, practical ways to successfully build a diverse and inclusive recruitment process.
Broaden your search
When it comes to increasing diversity in your organisation, you need to try something different. Relying on the same recruitment strategy that you’ve used in the past may be limiting your business’ ability to recruit from a larger and more varied group of candidates. In addition to recruitment agencies, consider partnering with organisations dedicated to enabling greater diversity and inclusion in the workforce. The Australian Network on Disability helps connect your organisation to job seekers with a disability. Also, organisations like CoAct and Shine People Solutions work to find employment for refugees, Indigenous Australians, and the long-term unemployed.
What’s more, thanks to the growth of remote work and talent distribution outside traditional hubs, you can look for candidates located just about anywhere. When geography no longer limits your talent pool, you have more opportunities to attract great candidates. You can also focus on finding people with the skills and experience that most align with your company’s mission, rather than the right person for your postcode. This is a much better use of a recruiter’s time and is more likely to result in a successful hire.
Make your job descriptions more inclusive
The language you use in job descriptions could be limiting your talent pool. In fact, a study conducted by Harvard University found that women were less likely to apply for a role when the job description used words predominantly associated with masculine stereotypes.
For example, words such as ‘tough’, ‘dominant’, and ‘competitive’ are often associated with masculinity. Conversely, words like ‘nurturing’ and ‘supportive’ are associated with femininity. These gender-coded words may impact the likelihood of job seekers applying for roles within your company. Thus, a lack of gender diversity continues. Instead, opt for gender-neutral words like ‘motivated’, ‘professional’, ‘responsible’, and ‘quality’. This increases your chances of attracting a wider range of candidates.
Also, potential applicants shouldn’t have to conduct extensive research to discover the perks and benefits your company offers its employees. Be sure to list any benefits in your job postings so that you’re not limiting your talent pool. Include benefits like paid parental leave, flexible work options, or on-site childcare. Similarly, if your organisation has fully equipped parents’ rooms, accessible or unisex restrooms, or a variety of different lunch options in the cafeteria (i.e., halal, kosher, vegan, etc), it’s worth highlighting these too.
Use inclusive interview panels
During the recruiting process, the employer’s focus is often solely on the candidate pool. After all, the goal is finding the right talent for the role. However, this often means little attention is paid to the people who sit on the other side of the table during the interview process. Are they able to make decisions free from bias and favouritism?
Traditionally, a candidate typically only deals with one or two members of staff from the potential employer. This limits the likelihood of them meeting someone they can identify with. The more a candidate can see themselves working at your company, the greater your chances of hiring diversely. This is why it’s worth considering who sits on your interview panels. A panel of interviewers from different genders, ages, races, and professional backgrounds paints a picture of authentic diversity and inclusion. Allowing the candidate to see themselves represented in the team well before they’ve started their first day.
Use interview techniques designed to reduce unconscious bias
Stereotypes can play out in ways you’re not even aware of. This is why a gut instinct isn’t always reliable, as it’s often influenced by unconscious biases.
For example, if you have a good feeling about a candidate, it may be because they’re similar to you. Perhaps you live in a similar area or they did the same course at university. Ultimately, what may seem like a great personal connection doesn’t always translate to high job performance though.
Work to reduce unconscious biases in the recruitment process by conducting structured interviews with predetermined questions and a rubric for how to evaluate a good response. This way, you have the tools to objectively evaluate future job performance.
To make sure your structured interview runs smoothly, follow this best practice approach for diverse and inclusive recruitment:
- Prepare a list of open-ended questions to ask candidates, considering both the hard and soft
skills you’re looking for. - Provide interviewers with the questions and evaluative criteria before the interview so they can
ask clarifying questions of the hiring manager ahead of time. - Ask candidates the same questions in the same order.
- Evaluate candidates using standardised evaluative criteria, such as a rating scale or rubric (what
a “poor,” “acceptable” or “great” response to each question looks like).
Consider supplementing structured interviews with blind reviews of resumes or cover letters. In blind reviews, the candidate’s personal information (including their name) isn’t revealed until near the end of the selection process. Withholding this information helps reduce the influence of unconscious bias from the hiring manager, which can lead to more diverse and inclusive recruitment practices.
Prioritising and actively cultivating diversity, inclusion, and belonging isn’t just good for your staff and employer brand. It can also help your business succeed. Companies with a diverse workforce are more likely to excel in productivity, performance, innovation, and even revenue. Put these tips into practice the next time your company is hiring and you’ll be on track to cultivating a truly diverse and inclusive workforce.
With more than 15 years of experience in the recruitment industry, Jay Munro has worked in a variety of roles in agencies and job boards, from consulting and recruiting, to leading the product development of new sourcing technologies. As an Employer Insights Strategist with the Indeed Employer Insights Team, Jay pairs platform data with industry trend analysis to share Indeed’s story and bring the value of the company’s programs and solutions to life.