Want to build your (recruitment) dream team?

Build a recruitment team that not only understands the importance of DEI but also implements it effectively.

A recruitment team committed to DEI plays a critical role in creating a diverse and inclusive workforce, which in turn fosters innovation, enhances employee satisfaction, and strengthens business performance. However, building such a team requires intentional training, a focus on continuous education, and a strategic approach to collaborative hiring practices.

Key Skills to Develop

To create a recruitment team that effectively champions DEI values, it’s crucial to develop specific skills that enable them to engage with diverse candidates and foster an inclusive hiring process. Below are key skills to focus on:

1. Cultural Competence

Why? Cultural competence is the ability to understand, appreciate, and interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds. In recruitment, this skill is vital because it helps recruiters avoid cultural misunderstandings and biases that could alienate potential candidates.

2. Unconscious Bias Awareness

Why? Unconscious biases are the automatic, often unintentional judgments or stereotypes that can influence hiring decisions. Without awareness, these biases can lead to discriminatory practices and hinder the recruitment of a truly diverse workforce.

3. Inclusive Communication

Why? Inclusive communication involves using language and behaviour that respects and values all individuals. This skill is essential in recruitment to ensure that all candidates, regardless of their background, feel comfortable and respected during the hiring process.

4. Data-Driven Decision Making

Why? Data-driven decision-making involves using metrics and analytics to guide recruitment strategies and assess the effectiveness of DEI initiatives. This skill is essential for identifying trends, measuring success, and making informed decisions.

5. Collaborative Hiring

Why? Collaborative hiring involves engaging multiple stakeholders in the recruitment process to ensure diverse perspectives are considered. This approach helps to mitigate individual biases and create a more balanced hiring decision.

Most Common Areas for Improvement

When training a recruitment team, certain areas often require particular attention to align with DEI goals:

– Reducing Bias in Job Descriptions: Language in job descriptions can inadvertently deter diverse candidates. Teams should be trained to identify and eliminate biased language, such as using gender-coded words or unnecessarily strict qualification requirements.

– Standardising Interview Processes: Standardising the interview process ensures that all candidates are assessed against the same criteria, reducing the influence of subjective biases and promoting fairness.

– Inclusive Interview Panels: Assemble interview panels that reflect the diversity of the organisation. This not only helps in fair evaluation but also signals the organisation’s commitment to DEI to candidates.

– Broadening Talent Pools: Traditional recruiting methods may overlook candidates from underrepresented groups. Training recruiters to seek out non-traditional talent pools, such as community organisations, diversity job boards, and networks, can help attract a wider range of candidates. At Xena, we can help you diversify your pipeline.

– Ongoing Education: DEI is a continuously evolving field. Encouraging recruiters to engage in regular training and stay updated on DEI best practices is crucial for maintaining focus and effectiveness. See below some TED Talks to inspire your team:

How to Get Serious About Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace by Janet Stovall – Offers practical steps for building diverse and inclusive workplaces.

What It Takes to Be a Great Leader by Roselinde Torres – Explores the importance of inclusive leadership in driving organisational success.

The Danger of a Single Story by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – Highlights the importance of recognising multiple perspectives and narratives in shaping an inclusive environment.

How to Overcome Our Biases? Walk Boldly Toward Them by Verna Myers – A powerful talk on confronting and overcoming unconscious biases.

How to Measure Success

Success in developing a DEI-focused recruitment team can be measured through both qualitative and quantitative metrics. Here are some examples on how to approach this:

Diversity Metrics

Analyse the composition of your candidate pool, shortlist, and final hires. If you see an increase in the number of underrepresented candidates advancing through the stages, it indicates progress.

Why? Regularly tracking diversity metrics allows you to identify patterns, gaps, and areas where additional effort may be needed. It also helps in setting realistic goals and measuring progress over time.

Employee Feedback

Conduct anonymous surveys or focus groups with employees, particularly those from underrepresented groups, to gather feedback on their experiences during the hiring process and within the organisation.

Why? Direct feedback provides qualitative insights into how inclusive your recruitment process is and whether new hires feel valued and supported. This can highlight areas for improvement that data alone might not reveal and is important for building trust.

Hiring Outcomes

Measure the performance, engagement, and cultural fit of hires from diverse backgrounds. Track their progression within the company to ensure they have equal opportunities for advancement.

Why? Successful hiring is not just about bringing in diverse talent but also about ensuring that these hires thrive within the organisation. Positive hiring outcomes for diverse candidates indicate that your recruitment and onboarding processes are effectively inclusive.

Long-term Retention

 Track the retention rates of diverse hires over a significant period, such as one to three years. Compare these rates with the overall retention rates to identify any discrepancies.

Why? High retention rates among diverse hires suggest that your organisation is not only attracting but also retaining and nurturing diverse talent, which is a strong indicator of a truly inclusive workplace.

Measuring success through well-defined milestones and metrics ensures that your DEI goals are not just aspirational but achievable, leading to a more inclusive and equitable workplace for all.