How To Recruit A Diverse And Inclusive Workforce

The commercial argument for a more diverse workforce has never been clearer, and data demonstrates that organizations with diverse workforces exceed their industry’s national average financially.

What are the trends in recruitment? Recruiting takes a lot of time, so it makes sense to seek methods to improve efficiency, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasingly being considered as a means to do so. AI claims to accelerate the hiring process by:

• minimizing time spent creating job descriptions and pre-scanning CVs using machine learning techniques to find the top applicants instantaneously
• automating screenings and interviews in order to evaluate a bigger number of prospects
• The commercial argument for a more diverse workforce has never been clearer, and data demonstrates that organizations with diverse workforces outperform those without.

Read also: How To Recruit And Retain Flexible Workers

However, this raises the question of whether we can remove individuals from the most crucial choice a manager will make. Is it feasible to use AI to recruit a diverse and inclusive workforce?

According to McKinsey, AI may both bake in bias (at scale) and decrease prejudice by automating judgments.

Pay attention to how it is cooked. If AI is developed by organizations that do not have their own inclusive recruitment practices, this technology runs the risk of perpetuating unconscious prejudice in hiring.

Consider Amazon. The multinational’s AI specialists constructed an algorithm to assess CVs and automate their recruiting process between 2014 and 2015, but they discovered a major flaw: their new recruitment engine did not like women.

Over a ten-year span, the algorithm learned to screen applications by identifying trends in CVs sent to Amazon.

It picked the successful (guys) and favored the use of more traditionally masculine vocabulary. This represented the gender disparity in the IT business.

Amazon’s success model was based on who was now successful, rather than who would be successful in the future. As a result, prejudice was built in.

Inclusive recruiting can really not be mechanized. It needs deliberate methods and techniques to be effective, and it isn’t merely a box to be checked, as with everything else connected to diversity and inclusion at work.

Every time you recruit, you must think differently and ask fresh questions to guarantee you are doing all possible to attract the greatest prospects.

Read also: Tips To Prepare For Meeting The Recruiter

How To Recruit A Diverse And Inclusive Workforce – Steps

1. Create Comprehensive Job Descriptions.

First, consider the job description:

Have you specified the job function and the abilities required as precisely as possible?                  Could someone outside your organization quickly grasp what is required?

Every organization develops its own language; it is a part of the reality you live in every day.

While this may make sense to those currently working in your business or sector, if you want to recruit people who are different from the norm, they must grasp what is required from the start and not be confused by unneeded jargon.

You could even want to run your phrasing by someone outside your firm to see whether it works. Make certain that the criteria you establish are clear and represent the abilities and competencies required for the position.

2. Broaden Your Search To Encompass A Variety Of Groups And Skill Pools.

Then comes the job posting. Consider the following:

Where are you going to place the ad?                                                                                                              Are you considering the many groups that may wish to apply?

Not long ago, I heard a tale about someone who wondered why their company wasn’t hiring more people with a specific protected attribute. “They don’t apply,” was the remark. Instead of criticizing the candidates, this organization should have carefully reviewed whether they were promoting their positions in the correct location.

So, how can you broaden your applicant pool? You may now post job openings on huge recruiting websites, LinkedIn, or in broadsheet newspapers, but you can also be creative.

Spread the word through promotional social media postings or the many networking and affiliated clubs that deal with under-represented populations.

3. Create The Application Process Together.

Consider how simple it will be for a varied range of job hopefuls to apply for positions.

Ensure that the words and instructions provided throughout the application form-filling process in your recruiting system are welcoming and inclusive, rather than unduly formal and punishing. Create an application procedure that is easy and does not confuse or frustrate candidates.

Don’t forget the fundamentals. The dedication of your organization to equal chances is important to different candidates; does your equality and diversity policy stand out as it should?

4. Make The shortlisting Process Equitable.

Shortlisting should be simple if you have been very clear about the criteria you will use to evaluate applications.

It’s ideal to nominate at least two persons in a formal meeting setting so that they may actively debate any assumptions made by the other.

Examining CVs without providing any personal information also helps to eliminate prejudice towards diverse applicants.

This entails having someone who is not engaged in the shortlisting process ensure that the panel does not see names, schools, localities, or dates of birth, so that assessors’ judgments only account for the candidate’s talents and experience – the things that matter.

Read also: Building A Standard CV For Job Interview

5. Allow for Acceptable Modifications During The Interview

If the interviewee requires any reasonable adjustments, remember to make them ahead of time and explain them to the applicant.

This is not only good practice; there have been cases where petitioners have won their cases based on the insufficiency of the arrangements offered.

6. Get Ready For An All-inclusive Interview.

The more you prepare for the interview, the less likely you are to make a biased choice and the more likely you are to make an evidence-based decision since you know precisely what you are looking for and how to extract the information you require.

Preparation entails agreeing ahead of time: Your panel members' individual roles the questions you will ask, how you will grade each applicant's replies, and whether you will ask any more questions about the possibility of implicit or unconscious prejudice (find out about unconscious bias training).

Your preparation will allow you the time you need to focus on the most important aspects of the interview: establishing the appropriate tone, determining the best way for applicants to exhibit their talents, asking questions, listening, and taking notes because many interviews are now conducted online, you should allow for additional time in interviews to account for screen freezing and other technological challenges that may arise.

7. Inclusive Interviews: Set The Proper Tone And Ask Appropriate Questions.

Having a varied panel is an important part of creating the correct interview tone. This is an opportunity to demonstrate that you are a diverse organization right in the room, ensuring prospects that you employ individuals like them.

It is also crucial to create a mood. In a 2005 study conducted by Woodzicka and LaFrance, students who were given inappropriate or offensive questions during a job interview ‘paused,’ ‘tailed off,’ and ‘screwed up the interview’ as compared to the control group.

Prior to the interview, the majority expected them to ask improper questions. When the question was asked during the interviews, the students in the experiment responded.

It subsequently performed worse than the control group, which was not subjected to objectionable questions. This sends a clear message to recruiting managers: being forceful during an interview is ultimately counter-productive.

Focus your inquiries on the candidate’s motivation as well as the job’s unique criteria. Only after the interview has concluded should you evaluate the person’s suitability for the position.

Read also: Work From Home 2021:The Top 100 Companies For Remote Jobs

This assists you in keeping the jobs separate and managing ‘cognitive load.’ Overburdening your brain might result in skewed decision-making.

Also, while doing online interviews, remember to:

Test the technology to ensure that it works for both the candidate and the panel, ideally before the interview.

• Check to see whether the candidate can hear you.
• Make any online modifications that are reasonable.
• Create a more inclusive recruitment process in collaboration with EW Group.

Inclusive hiring may have a significant impact on improving diversity in your organization.