Diversify Now

By: Brett Kashanitz
Date: 3/1/2007

Employers are emphasizing and addressing diversity more than ever due to the impending shift in workforce demographics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics estimated that by 2008, 70% of new workforce entrants will be women or minorities. The U.S. Census Bureau states the Hispanic population accounts for half of the domestic population growth since 2000. Move now to address diversity recruitment with your clients so you can positively impact your clients' organizations and show you are a true partner looking out for their best interests.

To be a solid, diversity recruitment consultant, you need to understand the tangible and intangible benefits of having a diverse workforce. There is a pattern of greater profitability for organizations that embrace diversity as compared to those with a more homogeneous workforce, according to the study "Does Diversity Pay? Racial Composition of Firms and the Business Case for Diversity," by University of Illinois - Chicago sociology professor, Cedric Herring.

This study also suggests diverse organizations have larger market shares, higher sales revenues, and more customers. "There is now tangible evidence that there is a positive relationship between the racial diversity of firms and their business functioning," Herring wrote.

Understanding the impact diversity can have on business will help you prove the importance of recruiting a diverse candidate pool. As your clients start to understand the importance of diversity and see workforce demographics and the overall business environment change, they will look to you to help them implement diversity initiatives. Some companies already require their staffing partners to provide them with at least 30% diverse candidates for every open opportunity. Other common diversity programs include mentoring programs, affinity groups, or diversity councils.

Once you understand a client's diversity needs, the challenge is to attract diverse candidates to their job openings. Recruiting for a diverse workforce requires a conscious effort. To find candidates who are looking for inclusive, diverse company cultures, you need to speak to them in your daily conversations and in your job postings.

When many recruiters advertise clients' opportunities, they look mostly at the skill sets required for the candidate and spend relatively little time selling the candidates on the opportunity. Spend the same time and effort you put into building the candidates' requirements on understanding the culture we are selling to the candidate. If you can find a candidate with a good cultural and skills fit for the client, retention of that candidate becomes less of an issue.

Our survey of passive job seekers found culture and camaraderie is one of the top five things job seekers look for in a new opportunity. With employees working 50-plus hours per week, people want to work where they feel their values are shared and they are part of a community. It is imperative to highlight culture when selling your clients' opportunities to potential candidates. In a tight labor market, emphasizing culture and diversity can positively impact your potential candidate pool.

Major job boards track how candidates search their sites and have seen the terms "diverse," "diversity" and "inclusion" grow consistently in candidates' search criteria during the past year. Putting "EOE" or "equal opportunity employer" at the bottom of your posting is not enough to sell a candidate on a position. Diversity candidates want details. They want to understand what programs they have in place or what they can expect.

However, you do not want to over-promise what your clients will provide. The promises made today in recruiting are the retention issues of tomorrow, so don't sell an experience the candidate will never receive. As you gather information from your clients and add the information to job postings, be careful to balance what the client has in place and what the company aspires to be.

Here are a few, easy suggestions on what to include in your job postings to build the value proposition of your client company in the candidates' minds:

1. Diversity mission statements: Include your client's diversity mission or a quote from senior leadership on diversity or culture. These items showcase the organization's commitment from the top down.

2. Employee quotes: Quotes from current employees show other potential candidates the company has a positive environment and is a good place to work. In addition, retention is a huge issue in diversity. By showcasing long-term diverse employees, it helps candidates understand this is not just a sales pitch to come work for them, but something that is in practice every day.

3. Benefits: Showcasing strong work-life balance programs will demonstrate the employer's dedication to its work force. This can be especially helpful for organizations looking to boost their employee moral and culture.

4. Community involvement: Including information on involvement with the community shows the organization as a good corporate citizen. This is an attractive idea to candidates who are socially active and looking for an organization that shares their passion.

5. Awards and programs: Sharing information on awards or internal diversity programs shows diversity is more then just a recruitment pitch - it is part of their ongoing culture. That commitment extends to the candidates. In their minds, if the company is committed to its diversity programs, it will also be committed to its employees, and that leads to long-term retention.

Brett Kashanitz is the Diversity Marketing Manager at CareerBuilder.com. He can be contacted at 773.527.3632, or by email at brett.kashanitz@careerbuilder.com.