You may see staffing agencies and employers post the standard, “We Value Diversity!” language in their job postings and employment advertising.
But how do you really attract diverse candidates?
We surveyed hiring managers and TruPath clients to find out how to attract diverse candidates for their employment opportunities, and how you can too.
Here are 6 ways to attract diverse candidates:
Showcase your company culture
Culture by it’s very nature is diverse. Many hiring managers suggested showcasing company culture both in written and visual formats. By simply including a paragraph about the culture and the personalities that excel in your environment can differentiate yourself from another employer. Document, define and describe the culture to attract the diverse candidates that will only complement the company fabric you’ve created.
Switch up your style of questioning
Hiring managers and recruiters don’t necessary believe that keywords will attract diverse candidates, but they do believe in asking unconventional questions to learn more about candidates. The deeper the insights recruiters are able to get into potential hires, the more aware a company can be of it’s individual diversity.
Talk About Your Team
Job descriptions all too often focus solely on the role and required skills. What if your job description also contained stories and bios about the people the potential hire would be working with? Candidates would be attracted by the talent that already exists at your company, and current employees would feel valued in being involved in the recruiting efforts.
Ask About Interests
Diversity isn’t just about appearance or thinking. Diversity can exist in behaviors and interests. Ask candidates to include at hobbies, activities and interests in their initial application or in their interview. By doing this, recruiters will be able to identify diverse candidates, learn about attention to detail, and show that your company cares about individuals.
Diversify Your Recruiting Efforts
Maybe it’s time to innovate the way you attract candidates. If you strictly rely on job postings for every open role, you’ll be strictly attracting the audience that is in touch with that individual job board. The more places you’re able to reach candidates – be it a job posting on a different site, an announcement at an event, or the use of a staffing firm – the more diverse your applicant pool will be.
Letter of Interest
While your competitors ask candidates for cover letters, you can diversify your recruiting approach by asking for a letter of interest. Put simply, a letter of interest is when a candidate writes why they are interested in joining a company. This singular question produces a wide variety of answers, naturally promoting diversity at your organization.
TruPath helps established organizations find culturally aligned talent. As a trusted recruitment resource for more than a decade, TruPath has the knowledge and experience to help companies find the talent they need. Contact us today to learn more about how TruPath can help you find culturally aligned talent.