"Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced." -James Baldwin
In the Career Center, we are engaging with our employer partners to face the systemic barriers that are often present in traditional hiring practices, leading to bias, discrimination, and anti-Blackness when sourcing, recruiting, and hiring candidates. Our belief is that by sharing resources and information on more intentional recruiting processes, we can accelerate change to create more equitable and diverse workplaces.
Attracting Students of Color:
Your organization’s mission, vision and values helps students of color evaluate you as a potential employer because they define your workplace culture, vision for change, development of your employees, and engagement in the community. As the Glassdoor statistics below, being transparent about your diversity and inclusion strategies is key to demonstrating your commitment to transform your workplace to meet the expectations of a diverse workforce.
Engaging students from marginalized backgrounds early & often helps source and support BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) candidates who are looking for jobs/internships in organizations that demonstrate:
Website/company materials that speak to your commitment to diversity and non-discrimination.
Employee directories where racial/ethnic diversity exists amongst the employees, senior management & leadership, and board of directors.
Recruiters/Employees offering specific examples of how the company is actively contributing towards becoming more equitable and inclusive.
Collaborations and relationships with professional organizations for people of color.
In-house employee supports and social networks for people of color.
Clear pathways for professional development and growth.
Below are resources that organizations have found helpful to be more intentional in their sourcing, recruiting and candidate selection process.
Job Postings
Create diverse hiring committees that are part of each step of the process from reviewing job descriptions, posting in diverse locations, interviewing, and selecting candidates.
Be clear in job postings – what skills are needed to do the job- share that you are an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer
Diversity Job Boards: generate a list of places to reach diverse candidates and are visible to multiple communities and networks.
Use recruiting technology to keep job descriptions bias-free such as Textio and Gender Decoder.
Recruiting
Deconstruct dominant ways of viewing professionalism
Train your hiring team to identify and reduce bias: Blind Recruiting/Whitening Resumes
Build a diverse internship program that leads to an entry-level pipeline.
Find mid-career professionals by developing relationships with key recruiters, search firms, and organizations that have strong reputations for sourcing and developing diverse talent- The Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement, Ascend (Pan-Asian professionals), and the Executive Leadership Council (Black professionals)
Interviewing & Selecting Candidates
Create a DEI hiring plan to create systemic practices that promote equity
Strive for Culture Add instead of Culture Fit
Re-write your behavioral interview questions to be more inclusive
Offer salary negotiations that are representative of equal pay standards
Additional Educational Materials
Watch: Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable: Race, Isms, Justice, and the Role White People Need to Play
Reference: How to Build Your DEI Hiring Strategy
Follow: A step-by-step guide to Workplace Diversity Through Recruitment
Strive: Toward a Racially Just Workplace
