Diversity is still a hot topic and remains a priority for hiring managers, particularly those recruiting in the tech industry. In fact, according to research by LinkedIn, 37% of recruiters ranked sourcing more diverse candidates as a top trend to focus on in the near future.
Diverse hiring means recognising individual differences and hiring people who may have alternative backgrounds, viewpoints and experiences to you. When we talk about diverse hiring, we don’t just mean issues of race or gender. It’s about individual differences. This can mean ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or race, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, political beliefs, religious beliefs, and other backgrounds or mindsets. We’re all different, and when these differences come together, it makes a scaling business great. Many tech founders choose to hire from within their network because they feel they can trust these individuals, and it’s easier to hire people you know when making those initial hires. But this often leads to groupthink and can cause issues when it comes to growth.
Diverse opinions and experiences help scaling businesses in many ways, even those you wouldn’t expect. For example, gender-diverse companies are 15% more likely to have a financial performance above the industry average. In addition, having a more diverse team can also help your talent acquisition efforts. According to Glassdoor, 67% of active and passive job seekers say diversity is important to them when evaluating companies and job offers, meaning a lack of diversity of any kind could prevent people from applying.
Embracing diversity widens your talent pool and creates opportunities for a broader range of talent, which in such a competitive talent market is never a bad thing. With remote working now a feasible option for many businesses, there are more opportunities from candidates who live further afield, even in different countries, or candidates who find travelling to the office complex. Plus, diverse organisations which create a culture of belonging have better employee retention rates. If employees from various backgrounds and experiences know that they can thrive in an organisation, they’re more likely to stay. Creating an inclusive workforce for everyone is in your best interest as an employer.
So how can you show that you prioritise diversity and connect with a broader range of candidates?
Recruitment marketing, of course. Recruitment marketing is how employers can spread the word about open vacancies and their company culture and employer brand. It covers everything from the job advertisements you put out into the world to the Therefore, to diversify your business, you need to become more inclusive in your recruitment marketing efforts. From the language and creative you put into the world to the platforms and strategies you use to reach the talent, your recruitment marketing is highly influential in how people see your company.
Here are some tips for embracing inclusive recruitment marketing and talent attraction campaigns.
Look at your language
We’ve discussed this many times before, but the language you use in your job ads could be detrimental to your talent acquisition efforts. Some words and phrases prompt an adverse reaction in certain people and can be seen as bias; this is particularly common in gender diversity as males and females traditionally respond differently to different descriptors. Plus, it would help to make sure you’re not using slang words that could have negative connotations like “old school” or using words like old or young as placeholders for positive or negative attributes. You need to use inclusive language where possible and ensure that your job ads are read by a diverse range of your team members before you put it live. You must also understand phrases that different communities use to describe themselves to ensure your ads are searchable and inclusive to a wider variety of people.
Understand varying priorities and attitudes to work
To create a genuinely inclusive job ad or recruitment marketing campaign, you need to understand what is important to a wide range of people and cover all priorities. That way, your messaging will not be alienating certain groups or individuals. For example, people with families might care that you offer great maternity packages or great childcare support, but not everyone will care about this. Promoting limited aspects of your employer brand will seriously reduce the talent pool that resonates with your content and get excited about your brand. Through research and talking to people or engaging with an experienced RPO provider, you’ll be able to craft job descriptions and campaigns which remove bias, tailoring messaging to a range of different candidate personas.
Avoid stereotyping
Whether it’s ageism, singling out women, people of colour, or even transgender people, recruitment marketing campaigns can sometimes fall victim to stereotyping. You can’t use an image of these groups in your recruitment marketing if you don’t wholeheartedly support them within your business. Look at awareness months and celebrate them and consider what is important to these people and make their experience as your employee better. Your recruitment marketing campaigns need to be an accurate reflection of who you are, and therefore, your actions need to match up to your words or, indeed, your creative concepts.
To avoid being accused of stereotyping, it would help to tell real stories of people within your organisation. This shows you are an inclusive and supportive employer but also gives real background to your candidates. Share stories and employee-generated content as part of your recruitment marketing, and you will naturally be promoting your inclusive culture. By showing a diverse range of employees have the chance to progress and grow with you, you’re simultaneously showing candidates that they can have the same opportunities regardless of experience or background.
Use digital talent attraction
Traditional recruitment methods still work, but embracing digital talent attraction can help you reach a wider range of active and passive candidates. Search social networks, online communities and groups to source talent and use paid media campaigns to reach those you may not be able to source directly. You can target by skills to ensure you’re reaching relevant people. Using these online platforms will allow your recruitment marketing communications to be seen by a greater variety of people and a more significant number of applicants. Don’t just use LinkedIn to promote yourself as an employer, as this will also limit your talent pool, but think outside of the box and use the platforms where talent is spending time. For tech talent, Quora and Reddit could help you reach a wider variety of passive tech candidates or reach a more youthful audience like graduates or apprentices; why not try TikTok? Research into your key demographics will help you to determine the digital platforms that you should use.
Hold each other accountable
While it’s good to make an effort to try and showcase the diversity in your organisation, we can’t always get it right. For example, sometimes, a word in a job description may not sit right, or you may realise you’re only showcasing male stories on your social media. The best way to ensure your recruitment marketing campaigns are inclusive is to ensure your entire team is kept in the loop and can hold you accountable. If your wider team can criticise and point out areas for improvement in your campaigns, they stand a better chance of resonating with wider audiences. Ask for opinions before campaigns go live and create a culture where employees from all business areas feel comfortable raising any discrepancies.
Talent Works are an RPO provider with extensive experience running inclusive recruitment marketing campaigns, promoting employer brands and company culture, as well as open vacancies. In addition, we help tech companies reach more expansive talent pools through digital talent attraction and messaging, which showcases who they are and aspire to be.
If you’d like to learn more about our flexible approach to RPO and our digital talent attraction or recruitment marketing services, start your conversation with our team today. Contact us.
We’re hosting a free virtual roundtable on September 1st with Shopify, Moderna, LexisNexis, and more talent acquisition experts. We’ll be discussing recruitment challenges of the last year, including a push for diversity and inclusion, as well as strategies for futureproofing talent acquisition in 2022. Don’t miss out. Register here.
