7 recruitment strategies for a more diverse company workforce

7 recruitment strategies for a more diverse company workforce

Author: Scott Fiore

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A diverse workplace, made up of employees with varied backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives, can benefit a company’s performance and bottom line. However, developing such an environment—co-workers of different ages, genders, and ethnicities—requires well-planned recruitment strategies.

A survey by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 57 percent of recruiters say their recruitment strategies are meant to attract a diverse body of candidates. The remaining recruiters would be wise to develop such strategies of their own. Why? A survey by Glassdoor (a website for job hunters), found that 67 percent of job seekers say a diverse workforce is important to them when evaluating companies and job offers.

That means companies that recruit and manage a diverse group of employees will have a recruitment advantage over their competitors. But the competitive advantage may go further than that. According to Forbes Insights (the strategic research arm of Forbes Media), workplace diversity is a key driver of internal innovation and business growth—that is, greater revenue.

The upside—and yes, the downside—of expanding workplace diversity

A study published in the American Sociological Review, based on input from 500 organizations, found that employee diversity resulted in increased sales revenue and company profit. Every 1% increase in gender diversity correlated with a 3% increase in sales revenue, and every 1% increase in racial diversity correlated with a 9% increase. These positive outcomes can be attributed to a larger customer base, as well as more varied innovation and creativity.

But these differences among employees can lead to interpersonal conflict due to contrasting outlooks and opinions. We can’t emphasize enough, then, the importance of clear and thorough communications so that employees understand each other’s perspectives. Some discussions might be best conducted in employee meetings, possibly supervised by trained facilitators.

7 ideas to include in your recruitment strategies for greater diversity

If you’re interested in increasing the diversity of your employee workforce, here are a few ideas to consider for your recruitment strategies:

  1. Solicit feedback on your company’s diversity recruitment efforts from candidates who have applied for positions.
  2. Post and advertise positions to diverse professional groups on social media, particularly LinkedIn.
  3. Recruit for positions from schools with diverse student bodies.
  4. Sponsor and present at events held by organizations of professional women and of minority groups.
  5. Converse with women and members of minorities at career fairs as a first step in recruitment.
  6. Benchmark your diversity efforts by comparing your results with competitors, like-size businesses, and local demographic data.
  7. Work with recruiters (headhunters) to find candidates through professional associations, at trade shows, and on online professional forums, discussion groups, and networking sites.

As experienced recruiters, we can help you find candidates you want

While job recruitment can be challenging right now, you can still find candidates for your available positions. But it’s true that more companies are using recruitment outsourcing to meet their employment needs.

Here at TriStarr, our experienced job recruiters can help you search for and find the best candidates who are a great fit, so we make a Good People Guarantee. If you’re not satisfied with a new recruit, we will replace him or her with another job candidate at no cost or provide a refund.

If you would like help with finding the right candidates in a tough recruitment market, contact us online or call us at (717) 560-2111. TriStarr job recruiters are ready to help you as we have so many other clients in the Lancaster, York, Harrisburg, Hershey, and Reading areas.

A diverse workplace, made up of employees with varied backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives, can benefit a company’s performance and bottom line. However, developing such an environment—co-workers of different ages, genders, and ethnicities—requires well-planned recruitment strategies.

A survey by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 57 percent of recruiters say their recruitment strategies are meant to attract a diverse body of candidates. The remaining recruiters would be wise to develop such strategies of their own. Why? A survey by Glassdoor (a website for job hunters), found that 67 percent of job seekers say a diverse workforce is important to them when evaluating companies and job offers.

That means companies that recruit and manage a diverse group of employees will have a recruitment advantage over their competitors. But the competitive advantage may go further than that. According to Forbes Insights (the strategic research arm of Forbes Media), workplace diversity is a key driver of internal innovation and business growth—that is, greater revenue.

The upside—and yes, the downside—of expanding workplace diversity

A study published in the American Sociological Review, based on input from 500 organizations, found that employee diversity resulted in increased sales revenue and company profit. Every 1% increase in gender diversity correlated with a 3% increase in sales revenue, and every 1% increase in racial diversity correlated with a 9% increase. These positive outcomes can be attributed to a larger customer base, as well as more varied innovation and creativity.

But these differences among employees can lead to interpersonal conflict due to contrasting outlooks and opinions. We can’t emphasize enough, then, the importance of clear and thorough communications so that employees understand each other’s perspectives. Some discussions might be best conducted in employee meetings, possibly supervised by trained facilitators.

7 ideas to include in your recruitment strategies for greater diversity

If you’re interested in increasing the diversity of your employee workforce, here are a few ideas to consider for your recruitment strategies:

  1. Solicit feedback on your company’s diversity recruitment efforts from candidates who have applied for positions.
  2. Post and advertise positions to diverse professional groups on social media, particularly LinkedIn.
  3. Recruit for positions from schools with diverse student bodies.
  4. Sponsor and present at events held by organizations of professional women and of minority groups.
  5. Converse with women and members of minorities at career fairs as a first step in recruitment.
  6. Benchmark your diversity efforts by comparing your results with competitors, like-size businesses, and local demographic data.
  7. Work with recruiters (headhunters) to find candidates through professional associations, at trade shows, and on online professional forums, discussion groups, and networking sites.

As experienced recruiters, we can help you find candidates you want

While job recruitment can be challenging right now, you can still find candidates for your available positions. But it’s true that more companies are using recruitment outsourcing to meet their employment needs.

Here at TriStarr, our experienced job recruiters can help you search for and find the best candidates who are a great fit, so we make a Good People Guarantee. If you’re not satisfied with a new recruit, we will replace him or her with another job candidate at no cost or provide a refund.

If you would like help with finding the right candidates in a tough recruitment market, contact us online or call us at (717) 560-2111. TriStarr job recruiters are ready to help you as we have so many other clients in the Lancaster, York, Harrisburg, Hershey, and Reading areas.