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If you have implemented various diversity hiring strategies to ensure that you have a good mix of people from all backgrounds, including the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, and veterans, for example, but you have not seen the kind of success you would have imagined, if you are not getting many suitable applicants from minority groups, you might be wondering what you are doing wrong.
You don‘t think you have a problem
Could it be your business is not successfully recruiting a diverse workforce because you don’t think you have a problem? If you think that your company culture is open and accepting, but actually your hiring criteria exclude veterans who may be struggling with mental health issues or your office is not set up for disabled access, then you are obviously not going to be successful when it comes to hiring those candidates, be honest, admit your flaws and work on changing them.
Diversity at the top is lacking
If there is no diversity at the top of your organization, there is unlikely to be much diversity at lower levels either. Why? Because the people at the top set the standard; they set the expectations within and organization and if they are all straight white and able-bodied, then it is harder for minorities to see themselves working there. Not only that, but the people doing the hiring might think you are not a diverse company, so may end up rejecting diverse applications out of hand.
You aren’t teaming up with charities
There are a number of charities, like these special forces charities and Trans Equality, which work to promote the rights of various minority groups, and many of them will not only advise you on how to make your workplace more welcoming to the groups they represent but will also help to get their members back into employment. By teaming up with them, you can more easily find the right people for the job while broadening diversity within your organization.
Your job descriptions are biased
Many employers write job descriptions that are inherently biased without them even realizing that is the case, For example, they will use terms like “assertive” which most people read as male, or “sociable” which can put off neurodiverse people. It’s always a good idea to make your job descriptions as neutral as you can while still honestly portraying what the role will be like if you want to attract as many people as possible.
Your team is not inclusive
If your existing team is not inclusive of people from all walks of life with all kinds of experiences, then not only are they more likely to discriminate when hiring but once LGBT+ people or people of color, for example, start working for you, they will probably end up feeling left out and possibly even attacked, This will not help you recruit with those populations int he future,m which is why diversity training is a valuable tool in your armor.
If that is the case, read on to see if one of these issues is preventing you from building the diverse team you know will help you chive great things.
