How to Start Your Diversity & Inclusion Recruitment Effort

Now, more than ever, employees are not only passionate about diversity, they are expecting that their employers have an action plan on how to recruit diverse talent. However, most companies have no idea where to get started.

We talked to over 50 companies about diversity recruitment and here are the most common ways teams have started.

1. Identify which perspectives are missing from your team.

To add more diverse perspectives, you need to know what is missing. The most common perspective that companies are looking to attract in 2018 is more ethnic and gender diverse candidates. Once you have identified what is missing, the goal is to augment your candidate pool with additional talent pipelines. By adding more talent pools, it will increase your chances of hiring more diverse talent.

For example, if your team is looking to attract more women, did you know that there are over 35 women’s colleges in the United States? Attending a career fair at an all women’s college such as Simmons College or Wellesley College could be a great way to get started.

2. Dedicate a budget to diversity recruitment.

Former Vice President, Joe Biden, said “Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget and I will tell you what you value.” This quote couldn’t be more true for understanding how a company values diversity recruitment. By dedicating a budget for diversity, you’re showing that not only are you willing to talk about diversity, you’re willing to put resources behind it to achieve it.

3. What is the right budget for diversity recruitment?

We believe that for every 50 people in your company, you should set aside $5,000 to invest in diversity recruitment. Often times, companies choose to use this budget to invest in increasing their brand awareness at career fairs for diverse talent, sponsoring diversity-related non-profits, or attending conferences related to the professional development of diverse talent.

Ready to learn more about fostering a diverse workforce? Read the full guide here.