Improve Your DEI Through Your Hiring Process

Improving diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace is an ongoing process that requires a commitment from all levels of an organization.

One important way to make progress in DEI is through the hiring process. By being mindful of the practices and strategies you use to identify, attract, and onboard new employees, you can create a more diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace.

Aligning Your Hiring Process

Here are a few steps you can take to drive DEI commitments through your hiring practices:

1. Define your DEI goals and how they align with your organization’s mission. Before you begin the hiring process, it’s important to have a clear understanding of your DEI goals and how they fit into your overall mission as a company. This will help guide your decision-making and ensure that you are attracting candidates who align with your values.

2. Create a diverse pool of candidates. One way to improve diversity in your hiring process is to broaden the pool of candidates you consider. This involves reaching out to organizations that represent underrepresented groups, such as professional associations for women or minorities, or using targeted advertising to attract a more diverse pool of applicants.

3. Recognize how non-traditional paths also lead to success. By focusing on skills rather than degrees, companies can also recognize and value non-traditional paths to acquiring knowledge and expertise. This may include candidates who have self-taught themselves valuable skills or who have gained experience through internships, side projects, or other non-traditional methods.

4. Use objective criteria to evaluate candidates. It’s important to have clear, objective criteria for evaluating candidates, rather than relying on subjective or biased opinions. This could include using standardized assessments to evaluate skills and qualifications or using structured interviews that ask the same questions of all candidates.

5. Consider the entire candidate experience. The candidate experience extends beyond the interview process and includes everything from the job posting to the onboarding process. Make sure you are creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all candidates and consider how you can support diverse candidates throughout the hiring process.

6. Foster a culture of DEI within your organization. Ultimately, improving DEI in the hiring process is just one part of the puzzle. To truly create a diverse and inclusive workplace, it’s important to foster a culture of inclusivity throughout the organization. This might involve providing training on diversity and inclusion, creating employee resource groups, and promoting DEI in company policies and practices.

Driving DEI commitments through your hiring practices is a continuous process that requires effort and commitment. By being mindful of the steps you take to attract and onboard diverse candidates, you can create a more inclusive workplace that benefits everyone.

Learn more about what we value at BGSF here.