Black History Month has been celebrated during February in America since 1976. Each president has upheld the tradition, and other countries like Canada and the UK have also designated months to recognize the contributions and achievements of African Americans.
While we all collectively struggle to hire in a candidate-centric economy, we must remember that there are problems with hiring and retaining diverse talent during February and all year long.
As a recruitment marketing technology and services organization, the best way to kick off the month is to share a quick Q&A on DEI hiring best practices and a content roundup on how to get those plans into action.
A quick DEI Q&A
How should organizations celebrate/recognize the month?
While we know that companies will post a LinkedIn image or quote from a black activist today and throughout the month, the best way to determine how your organization should celebrate Black History Month is by communicating and listening. We love to see the recognition and awareness for Black History month, but it needs to go beyond that. Talk to your employees and employee resource groups (ERGs). Find out what they think about sharing internal success stories and overcoming adversity. Find your story.
How can you incorporate diverse hiring practices?
Consistency and organizational awareness are two key components in driving diverse hiring practices. For example, build a consistent interviewing experience that should regularly be evaluated, shared, and communicated with hiring managers. Regularly assess your job descriptions to ensure requirements are clearly stated, job-specific and drop unnecessary clichés or jargon which may not resonate with diverse candidates."
- Emily Alvarez, Vice President, People Success
How to promote diversity, equity and inclusion at your company | A Look at ST's ERG
Train people well enough so they can leave; treat people well enough so that they want to stay.
Catchy mantra, but what does that mean in real life, and how do you treat employees well outside of offering competitive pay, benefits and perks?
The key lies in your ability to:
- Treat employees like people (they aren't just a number added to your headcount)
- Encourage a culture of belonging (they can also challenge existing norms)
- Provide mobility and growth (they can't stay if there isn't a path to move up)
A significant driver towards cultivating an inclusive culture is encouraging employees to join and create employee resource groups (ERGs).
Does DEI guide your recruiting technology's digital transformation?
The truth is recruiting today is not the same as it was five years ago it's not even the same as it was one year ago. The COVID-19 pandemic and social movements have brought to light some things we aren't too proud to see. Recruitment isn't always fair.
Despite this sad reality, you can change the game. Move your company forward with recruiting technology that eliminates manual and redundant processes to save your business time and money AND fuel your digital transformation with DEI best practices.
Is your talent marketing content inclusive? A DEI plugin can help
Whatever role type you're hiring for (hourly, contingent, entry-level, specialized, hard-to-fill), chances are you are thinking strategically about the type of skills a candidate needs to fill the open spot. But is your talent marketing content inclusive and welcoming to all talent?
We took a quick survey of job descriptions, role requirements, career sites and CRM campaigns across 100s of brands and determined that was a lie.
How accessible are your career sites?
Today's candidates have the upper hand. They see 9.1 million open jobs and know that they do not have to settle.
The best way to attract talent to your organization is to leverage recruitment marketing technology and recruitment strategies that stand out. The problem is there's often a part of the hiring process that's broken and cutting you off from a massive pool of candidates.
How? Through ineffective career pages. Not all career sites are purpose-built to include all candidates, which hinders your organization from acquiring top talent.
Worried your organization's career site might be standing between you and top talent? The tips below on career site accessibility can help.
DEI: What it means, why it matters, how to act
DEI is a journey of growth. Your strategies and tactics are fluid, but your mission to attract diverse, top talent and retain critical performers remains key.
This latest edition of our DEI guidebook provides the latest strategies you can use to define your organization's own DEI strategy. We explore the candidate experience through a DEI lens, discuss the importance of a strong, relevant employer brand, and show you how AI can be a tool for reducing hiring bias.
Build a diverse and inclusive candidate pipeline with a guide that levels up your talent acquisition strategy.
