Diversity is about access. Yes, this means access to a diverse candidate group (ethnically, socially, etc.), but for you and your company, this also means having access to diverse recruiting strategies to help you run and grow your business. 

Diversity in recruiting has many different meanings. It can mean you have a diverse set of recruiting strategies, or it can mean you are looking for diverse avenues to find candidates and more commonly, it can mean access to a more diverse group of candidates. Whatever your definition, you should have diversity in all of your recruiting efforts.

Diversity in Recruiting 

To do this, you must think of your recruiting efforts holistically, and not just about checking a box. To help get you started, here are three questions you should ask yourself to measure your effectiveness when it comes to diversity recruiting.

Diverse Networks

Are we promoting our company and our jobs to a broad audience? 

Thinking diversely in terms of where and how you look for talent is critical today. Are you continuously diversifying your network, or is it the same audiences or industries that you have always targeted? Expanding will help; but it takes time and resources. Look to put those resources in place now – before you really need them later.

Diverse Sources  

Where will talent come into your company or your industry in the future, and how will you reach out now to that talent pool?  

Ok, technically that's two questions, but think about your talent pool today. Where will you get good candidates tomorrow? What about in five years? Is your candidate pool already stretched thin? This is where diversity really pays off. You can either be ahead of the game, or chasing good candidates with everyone else.

Diverse Recruiting Strategies

How are your recruiting efforts different for different parts of your business?

Not all parts of the business are equal (but, don’t tell them that). High volume, repeatable positions are much different than highly-skilled research and development positions. You need a diverse set of strategies and even more effort to promote diversity in some areas versus others. You also may need those diverse recruiting strategies in one area more than another.

Recruiting diversity is multifaceted. It’s truly the art and the science blended to enhance your ability to get the right talent when you need it. And it’s not something you build or attain overnight. It takes time.

This is why the most diverse companies are thriving today. They have their diverse workforce out there helping them look for people in diverse places, with diverse techniques, within networks that are more diverse than other companies. It really makes sense.

This is also why companies with a diverse set of recruiting resources (a managed service program, recruitment process outsourcing or payrolling) have more success as well. They are not relying on one channel or strategy.

Whatever you do, make diversity a top strategy, not a quota. If you are truly employing diverse techniques like the ones above, you will get the accompanying diversity in your workforce.

This blog was written by Matt Rivera. Matt serves as Vice President, Marketing and Communications and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of Yoh’s marketing and brand communications. Matt holds a degree in Journalism/Public Relations and has been working in the staffing industry for more than 25 years. Prior to this role, Matt held many different roles from branch recruiting and proposal writing to technology management and online marketing.