How to Be Inclusive in Your Recruiting Efforts

By Victoria Robertson on June 30, 2017

When recruiting, it is very easy to think ahead to the outcome without thinking too much about the process. For instance, you have to fill a position at this company for individuals with these qualifications. Or in an academic setting, you have to recruit X number of students over X amount of time.

The pressures are extensive, and it is very easy to have your mind set on that outcome with little to no consideration for the candidate’s journey. So what happens when you realize you are reaching out to the same pool of candidates over and over again? How do you diversify your searches?

I am telling you now, these are questions a small handful of recruiters consider. Though, the best recruiters will always consider these questions. What it comes down to is candidate experience; you want to ensure that your candidates have the best experience with you. It is how you get referrals and it is how you will become successful.

So when you diversify your searches, you will get a more diverse pool of candidates, and receive more referrals and become more successful. It’s a snowball effect and one that is working to your advantage.

Great, but how do I do it?

For one, you broaden your search. Many recruiters avoid venturing out of their comfort zones when it comes to searching for candidates. Don’t fall victim to that mindset. While you should not be searching specifically for minority vs. majority candidates, you will want to be mindful of what your results are bringing you.

For instance, if you are searching for students to join a writing internship, but you’re only coming across female candidates, you will want to ensure you are diversifying your search to draw more male candidates and vice versa. The same goes for race. If you are finding your searches are bringing up a majority of candidates that are white, you will want to ensure you’re running searches that will bring up candidates of other racial and ethnic groups.

The truth is, there is no one, surefire way to accomplish this. There’s going to be a lot of trial and error. And, if you’re running internet searches, you’ll find that it is difficult to search candidates based on race, ethnicity, or gender.

So, what this is going to require on your end is a bit of creativity.

For instance, if you are searching for an on-campus individual to join a co-ed service fraternity, but most of the current members are males and you are looking for more female members, think about what organizations females on campus would be members of. Then, refine this search to female members of that group that would potentially be interested in joining a service fraternity.

Sometimes you will find success through word of mouth, sometimes by phone or email, and others by simply posting flyers around campus.

The same goes for searches when you are seeking employees for a given company. If you are looking for recent graduates of a certain program, perhaps STEM in which female membership is famously low, start looking into those campus organizations.

There will be STEM groups for female students on campus that you can pull candidates from. Or professional networks of the same sort.

Again, this takes an amplified level of creativity. You likely are not going to be able to type in the search bar “female STEM professionals” and find the perfect candidate for your position. However, you can do a little more digging and find more than enough eager candidates to fit the role you are looking to fill.

While more and more search engines do now offer a “diversity” feature, a majority do not, and simple searches certainly will not.

So go above and beyond: get familiar with the position you are working, really research the candidate pool that you are targeting, and adjust your outreach accordingly. The more effort you put into your searches, the better your outcomes will be.

Again, effort here is the key to success, so do not hold back. And again, it is going to depend on the type of roles you are recruiting for or if you are looking for students without experience, but there are plenty of resources out there that you can utilize that you may not even be aware of. So do your digging, as it will bring you the best results in the long run.

Focus your search on finding information as that will ultimately lead you to the best candidates available, no matter what position you are currently recruiting for. Just put in a little more effort and a diverse pool of candidates will be at your feet to fill all of your recruitment orders.

Good luck and happy sourcing!

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