Editor’s note: Serial entrepreneur and investor Donald Thompson is a regular contributor to WRAL TechWire. His columns appear on Wednesdays.
RALEIGH – As any business leader will tell you, when you’re recruiting for an open position, you don’t want someone who’s just “a pretty good fit for the job.” You want to know that you have found the very best possible candidate – a unique individual who brings a strong skill set and the right mix of personality and character traits to be highly successful in this role.
As we discussed in last week’s column, economists and Human Resource leaders are predicting that the summer of 2021 will see a high number of resignations – and a corresponding need for new hires – as the COVID-19 pandemic begins to end. This week, I want to encourage you to reframe any necessary turnover as a positive opportunity for change: a chance to refresh your recruitment process and diversify your internal team. And, I’ll give you my top tips for creating a more diverse talent pipeline.
Donald Thompson
The truth is, finding the best candidate for any job requires an intentionally inclusive recruiting process in order to mitigate our personal biases and root out any prejudice or favoritism that might be hiding in our existing systems. Ideally, you will have a diverse team in charge of recruitment, hiring and promotions. However, even if you only have one person in your HR department, simple changes to your hiring strategy can make a big difference in attracting diverse candidates that are well-qualified for your open roles.
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Here are my six steps for building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive talent pipeline.
- Educate Your Team
Any person who might be involved at any point in the hiring process should understand how bias works and what specific actions they are expected to take to mitigate its impact. Openly communicate the process you are planning and why these steps are important for good business. In all cases, seek to find the best candidate for the role: someone with the right traits and skills who brings a valuable perspective to your current team. Avoid the old trope of a “good cultural fit,” and look for someone who is a “good cultural addition” instead.
- Craft Your Job Descriptions Carefully
Clearly state your organization’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in every job description. Make sure that the posting, application and complete end-to-end hiring process are fully accessible to candidates with disabilities, and ask a diverse audience to review each posting for how it may imply a certain ability, gender, age, or thinking style.
Use inclusive language for all identities, and pay special attention to gender-coded words. Adjectives that imply competition or dominance — like driven, assertive, fearless, independent, and outspoken — tend to attract men, while words that imply caregiving or collaboration — like sensitive, honest, compassionate, nurture, and share — often attract women.
Use the gender-inclusive singular “they,” instead of the binary “he or she,” and remove all idioms, metaphors or expressions that may be culturally exclusive or confusing, like “knock it out of the park,” “rock star” or “piece of cake.” (If you’re Gen X, like me, singular “they” might take some getting used to, but it’s now considered grammatically correct by all of the big four grammar groups: The Associated Press, Modern Language Association, American Psychological Association, and Chicago Manual of Style.)
Also, make sure you are carefully considering what experience is necessary for success in this role. Is a college degree truly a make-or-break prerequisite for this position? Does the person really need 10-15 years of previous experience in this field? Take things back to the drawing board to decide what matters and what might be just nice to have.
- Diversify Your Recruitment Platforms
You cannot tap into new talent pools if you’re only looking in the same few places, so get creative about where you advertise. Use diverse job boards and social media to help you spread the word. Expand your search for qualified candidates by connecting with professional associations, community and technical colleges, HBCUs and recruiters who prioritize diverse candidates or who tap into specific demographic groups. Three of my favorites are Circa (formerly Disability Job Exchange), Apres Group for women getting back into the workforce and Jopwell for racially and ethnically diverse professionals, but you can find dozens more online.
- Remove Discriminating Information From All Resumes
Our brains are naturally wired for bias, which means we often sort people into groups with no foundation in facts. Consider using blind recruitment software like BeApplied or GapJumpers, which will help you avoid personal bias by removing names, ages, ethnic backgrounds, education histories and personal interests from all resumes.
- Standardize Your Interview Process
You should be using a diverse panel of interviewers at every stage of the process, including people from multiple demographic groups and from all levels of your organization. If your internal team is not already diverse, consider partnering with external professionals of various genders, ethnicities, ages, abilities and more.
Standardize which questions they will ask, and minimize informal small talk, which often invites bias toward those who share our personal interests, views or hobbies. After the interview, ask each interviewer to complete a standard rubric for their comments and to not discuss their perceptions with each other beforehand, which can actively discourage independent thinking and lead to conformity or groupthink instead.
- Follow Up With Candidates Who Decline
Follow up with job candidates who decline your offers, and ask for their honest feedback on why they did not accept. Communicate that you are trying to learn and to identify potential issues in your process, then be open and ready to receive whatever they may tell you. If you find that diverse candidates are declining at a higher rate than non-diverse candidates, it’s worth following up to understand why. Specifically, ask each person to share their deciding factor in declining the offer. If those factors can be fixed or mitigated, then do what you can to improve the process.
For instance, you may find that the length of time from application to offer is simply too long compared to other jobs in the same industry and market. Therefore, it’s the process that needs to change. Or, you may discover that the candidates did not feel your organization’s environment or values aligned with their own. In that case, you need to evaluate who is involved in the hiring process, how interviews are being conducted and the internal and external perception of your work environment.
Building a diverse talent pipeline requires a thoughtful and intentional approach, but in the long run, it’s one that will help you reap the benefits of a more productive, vibrant and dynamic workplace culture. As you put these practices in place, I’d love to hear what you are learning and experiencing. Reach out to me on LinkedIn and at donaldthompson.com.
About the Author
Donald Thompson is an executive coach, entrepreneur, public speaker, author, and podcaster, recently named one of “Forbes’ Next 1000: Upstart Entrepreneurs Redefining the American Dream.” He is currently CEO of Walk West, a multi-award-winning digital marketing firm, and co-founder / CEO of The Diversity Movement, a technology-driven business consultancy with a diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) lens. He is also a board member for several organizations in healthcare, banking, technology, marketing, and sports, a Certified Diversity Executive (CDE), and a thought leader on goal achievement and influencing company culture. His newly-launched podcast, Winning with Diversity, focuses on the business case for DEI with actionable steps executives can follow to reap the benefits of a more inclusive workplace.
