In today’s increasingly multicultural and global workforce, employers know the importance of implementing dedicated diversity recruiting strategies. (Not to mention regularly refining them.)

That is, execs at large-scale orgs like yours know improving diversity company-wide can lead to increased creativity, better decision-making, and a more vibrant company culture.

As Employ SVP Customer Success Jessica Green told StrategicCHRO360, though, that’s not the case. Rather, your diversity recruiting strategies and DEI initiatives must be a true team effort among your DEI committee, C-suite, TA team, CHRO, and people managers.

Only when that’s the case can you make real, lasting progress.

“The challenge for many [orgs] today is moving away from a single owner and making diversity, equity and inclusion the responsibility of every leader and individual in the company,” said Jessica.

“When the … mindset shifts from a single owner to everyone participating, the DEI progress can be more stable, consistent, and pervasive throughout the organization.”

So, that begs the question: How can you and your company develop new (or alter existing) diversity recruiting strategies to better attract, engage, and convert more diverse talent?

5 diversity recruiting strategies to implement

Diversity and inclusion are critical within the workplace. A concerted focus on improving both leads to increasingly diverse teams and better productivity. (Facts you certainly already know.)

Employing individuals from historically marginalized groups; making these folks feel seen, heard, and welcome from day one; and setting each new hire up for success in their respective roles fosters greater innovation, creates a positive work environment, and improves employee engagement.

Put another way? Hire people of different ethnicities, genders, gender identities, ages, and sexual orientations, and this broad representation at your org will have dual benefits:

• Your workforce will experience greater satisfaction and stick around your company longer.
• Your org will see bottom-line growth, due largely to direct contributions from these workers.

But, what exact diversity recruiting strategies should you try? We’ve got some we think can help. Here are five DEI hiring approaches we’ve seen Jobvite customers put into place in recent years.

Strategy #1: Reevaluating job descriptions

This is more of a tactical change than a strategy. That said, making this a top priority will pay long-term dividends for your employer brand and ability to attract qualified diverse talent.

The language used in job descriptions plays a significant role in attracting diverse candidates. Update your approach to writing postings to include solely inclusive terms and avoid gender-biased words (e.g., “hacker,” “rockstar”), and you’ll better appeal to candidates from underrepresented groups. 

Additionally, include an equal opportunity employer statement in your listings. This will reiterate your company’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion for potential job leads.

Strategy #2: Expanding sourcing channels

Often, the key to finding diverse talent is to tap into networks and communities where diverse candidates already engage. Broaden your usual sourcing avenues to reach talent of different backgrounds (i.e., job boards for Black, Hispanic, and Asian developers and tech talent).

Forward-thinking talent teams collaborate with local orgs and educational institutions to access broader candidate pools and invite potential applicants from underrepresented demographics. They also take part in diversity hiring fairs to find fresh talent who are ideal fits for open roles.

“Expanding the talent pool should also include widening the geographic focus,” McKinsey and Co. partners recently wrote. They noted that, while it’s tempting to look solely at places like San Francisco and Austin to source high-quality tech talent, employers should also look at other metro areas not widely known for their tech talent, but nonetheless have burgeoning tech communities.

Strategy #3: Cultivating a strong culture

One of the most effective diversity recruiting strategies is gradually addressing issues with and improving the quality of your company culture to ensure it fully embraces diversity.

Consider personal testimonials from current employees. For instance, those who run or are simply part of employee resources groups (ERGs) who come from diverse backgrounds can speak to your org’s commitment to DEI progress, including as it pertains to hiring a wide array of diverse talent

You can then share these stories on social media, in blog posts, and via your brand website.

Just remember: Establishing a diverse workforce begins with fostering an inclusive and hospitable work environment. This involves developing company-wide DEI policies, organizing employee diversity training sessions, and offering resources to underrepresented groups within your org.

Strategy #4: Hosting bias reduction training

Unconscious biases can creep up during the hiring process even for DEI “leaders.” When it does, it can negatively impact the hiring process and hinder one’s ability to attract and hire diverse talent.

The easiest way to address unconscious bias is to train your TA team, hiring managers, and others who may partake in interview panels on how to recognize and mitigate their own unconscious bias.

“By establishing a culture of continuous improvement, companies can put in place regular review mechanisms … for their hiring processes to identify areas where biases may be present, and then take action to address them,” HumanLearn CEO Andre Shojaie recently wrote for Forbes.

Strategy #5: Enhancing the interview process

Ensuring diversity in your interview panel members can lead to a more balanced decision-making process. When candidates see a diverse interview panel, they understand that your org values diversity, helping to create a positive impression. Moreover, diverse panels can help to reduce bias during the interview process, ultimately leading to more diverse hiring outcomes.

Implementing a structured interview process can also help reduce potential variances resulting from implicit biases. If every candidate has the same questions to answer, it’s far easier to consider them on an equal playing field compared to having a different convo in every interview.

Using the right enterprise ATS to execute your diversity recruiting strategies

In today’s digital age, tech plays a big role in shaping the recruiting and hiring landscape.

At Jobvite, we understand the power of leveraging tech to improve diversity recruiting strategies. Our best-in-class platform is designed to provide employers with the tools they need to create an efficient and equitable recruitment process that promotes inclusivity for all candidates.

“In today’s challenging labor market, those who prioritize [DEI] will find more qualified candidates, which can turn into new hires,” Employ SVP People & Talent Corey Berkey recently wrote for The Undercover Recruiter. “Talent teams can improve the diversity of their candidate slates by taking charge and applying the right strategies throughout the hiring process.”

And the “right” strategies entail using a leading ATS with candidate relationship management and analytics capabilities that makes it easy to identify, engage, analyze, and employ top diverse talent.

Learn how Jobvite can strengthen your diversity recruiting. Book a demo to learn how our powerful enterprise ATS can help you thrive in today’s — and tomorrow’s — hiring landscape.

The post What Today’s Top Diversity Recruiting Strategies Entail first appeared on Jobvite.

In today’s fiercely competitive business climate, enterprise companies are constantly seeking fresh strategies to outpace rivals and carve out their distinctive edge. Building a diverse workforce is rarely considered one of these strategies.

But, insights from leading large-scale orgs suggests it should be:

• Citi’s 2023 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report detailed how the company’s focus on diversity hiring led to a 10% increase in their overall business performance score.​
• The 2023 Global Social Impact Report from Starbucks noted how the coffee chain’s commitment to diversity and inclusion helped them expand their reach to over 80 markets worldwide​.
• And a McKinsey study found that enterprises in the top quartile for gender diversity on their executive teams were 21% more likely to experience above-average profitability.

Diversity, though often seen mainly (or solely) through the lens of social responsibility or compliance, is increasingly being recognized as a powerful competitive differentiator for businesses small and large.

With the world becoming increasingly interconnected, a diverse workplace is no longer just a nice-to-have. It’s now essential for any org that wants to thrive — and continually attract and retain top talent.

Building a diverse workforce: The right thing for enterprises — but also the smart thing

“There is broad agreement that diverse and inclusive workplaces are a good thing,” business experts Gena Cox and David Lancefield recently wrote for Harvard Business Review.

Your enterprise, like countless others in the past decade, has undoubtedly embraced diversity and inclusion — not for the sake of appearances, but to hire a wide range of diverse individuals with numerous distinct life experiences and areas of expertise who can become valuable contributors.

Identifying, engaging, and employing people of different genders, races, ethnicities, ages, sexual orientations, and physical abilities is certainly a joint effort by your C-suite, HR staff, and TA team.

That said, it’s clear it’s worthwhile, given it can help your business:

• Attract top talent by showing you provide equal opportunities to all employees
• Reduce employee turnover by consistently improving your work environment
• Ensure an inclusive workforce that includes all employees in the company culture
• Build a strong level of trust, due to leadership’s commitment to achieving DEI goals

Per Great Place to Work Culture Coaching Lead Matt Bush, DEI is “more than policies, programs, or headcounts.” Truly inclusive and equitable employers “outpace their competitors by respecting the unique needs, perspectives and potential of all their team members,” Matt added. “As a result, diverse and inclusive workplaces earn deeper trust and more commitment from their employees.”

To get on your way to constructing a more diverse workforce, it’s just a matter of auditing your TA people, processes, and tech — with a big focus on the latter focus area — to set your recruiters up for success with contacting, connecting with, and converting diverse candidates.

Realizing a more diverse workforce with an advanced applicant tracking system

Nearly seven in 10 talent acquisition pros said diversity hiring is a top priority for their companies in 2023 and will be for the foreseeable future, a recent Employ Quarterly Insights Report found.

The one big need to accelerate their DEI recruiting? An advanced applicant tracking system.

Notably, ones that can help your large-scale org become a more diverse company by transforming how your recruiters and hiring team members source, nurture, interview, and evaluate diverse talent.

These include:

• Bias mitigation: Jobvite helps mitigate both conscious and unconscious bias in recruiting. This, in turn, leads to more objective decision-making in the hiring process. Consider our Bias Blocker functionality. It automatically hides PII that could lead to bias from a candidate’s resume before it is reviewed by the hiring manager. Something job seekers certainly want to see from potential employers.
• Inclusive employer branding: Jobvite also enables brands to develop highly inclusive messaging for their career site pages, job descriptions, and nurture campaigns (via email, text, and social media). This messaging helps them promotes the diversity and inclusivity of their orgs to active and passive candidates.
• DEI analysis: Jobvite offers tools to track and report on the effectiveness of DEI hiring initiatives too. This allows orgs to identify the best sources for diverse talent, see the significance of DEI content, and monitor the progression of diverse applicants through the TA process​.

Look no further for evidence of a successful DEI recruiting and hiring approach executed with the aid of our advanced applicant tracking system than Jobvite customer ACCO Brands.

The multinational manufacturing company with nearly 7,000 employees in more than 20 countries across the globe has made a concerted effort to build a diverse workforce in recent years:

• Proving to job seekers and existing employees alike that the company is a big DEI advocate and wants to form a truly diverse workforce is a primary objective for ACCO.
• By sharing insights into its DEI initiatives in its recruitment marketing collateral and website pages, including its career site and job postings — channels its can optimize with help from Jobvite — ACCO has been able to prove its commitment to DEI. This, in turn, helps the business engage diverse talent for open roles and teams across its business.
• ACCO’s recruiters consistently connect with passive candidates from a variety of different backgrounds who have the requisite skill sets and experience desired by hiring managers for openings on their team.

While Jobvite helps with the attraction of diverse talent, ACCO’s diversity “task force,” which has a dozen-plus members, works hard to execute and iterate on ongoing DEI initiatives and involve new and veteran employees alike in said programs. Something that aids with its retention efforts.

Chat with our team to learn how our Talent Acquisition Suite can help you build a more diverse workforce and achieve your org’s distinct DEI and growth goals.

The post Why a Diverse Workforce Is a Competitive Differentiator first appeared on Jobvite.

Whether you’re a CHRO, talent leader, recruiter, or other business stakeholder, you can play a pivotal role in ensuring your org attracts and retains the diverse talent it needs to thrive.

The trick is knowing how to get your first DEI initiative in the workplace up and running.

5 tips to kickstart your first DEI initiative

The good news is it’s not a one-person task. Rather, everyone interested in creating a safe and more inclusive work environment — from C-suite members to entry-level employees — can work in tandem to establish goals, execute on the agreed-upon plan, and assess success over time.

Here are five best practices to follow when establishing your initial DEI initiatives.

1) Set DEI goals and identify underrepresented groups

To begin, examine your current workforce composition and identify underrepresented groups. This will enable you to set meaningful DEI goals that reflect the specific needs of your org.

For example, you might choose targets relating to increased gender diversity in leadership positions or improved representation of people from ethnic and other minority backgrounds.

If one of your goals is to hire 50% more black female engineers, assess your talent database to gauge existing prospects that align with this particular demographic. If the total number of these candidates is low, that means switching up sourcing to more diverse communities (online and offline) is likely your first step to achieve said goal.

As for existing diverse members of your workforce, empower these employees by helping them form employee resource groups (ERGs): communities where they can meet with similar backgrounds and experiences can share ideas and advocate for DEI goals.

Working with your DEI committee and employees with interest to create these groups can provide valuable feedback, insights, and ideas to drive diversity within the org and contribute to an inclusive company culture.

2) Engage stakeholders to incorporate them in decision-making

To ensure the success of your DEI initiatives, it’s essential to involve key stakeholders from across the org. This includes not only HR pros and recruiters, but also senior leaders, managers, and entry- and mid-level employees.

Each of these individuals can all play a vital role in championing diversity and inclusion in the workplace by bringing their own unique views, opinions, and ideas.

This can range from more equitable advancement opportunities, the intro of mentorship programs, or simply greater representation of historically marginalized groups.

Just ensure that your C-suite is not only committed to seeing each of these respective DEI initiates through, but also that they are visible and vocal in driving these efforts.

About three-quarters (77%) of “leaders” in terms of DEI program success have visible support from execs, a recent Harvard Business Review and SHRM survey found. That compares to just one-third (34%) of DEI “laggards.”

3) Modify your hiring practices to better reach diverse candidates

Transform your hiring practices to remove barriers faced by diverse candidates. This might involve using more inclusive language in job descriptions, offering flexible working arrangements, or introducing blind recruitment to minimize unconscious bias.

Also, build relationships with community orgs to tap into underrepresented groups and reach out to professional networks and social media groups that cater to diverse demographics.

Attracting and retaining diverse talent requires altering your recruitment strategies from a long-term perspective. Diversifying job boards, partnering with diversity-focused entities, and showcasing company culture through public-facing channels can help in reaching out to diverse candidates.

4) Implement dedicated DEI training and inclusion programs

Diversity training is a crucial element of any effective DEI strategy, helping employees to understand and challenge any ingrained prejudices they might hold. However, it’s essential that this training is engaging, interactive, and tailored to the specific needs of your workforce.

Also, consider introducing targeted interventions to support employees from underrepresented groups, such as mentoring, coaching, and leadership development programs.

Specific topics to cover in your diversity training as part of your DEI initiative include educating your workforce about unconscious bias, micro-aggressions, and inclusive language.

5) Measure the success of your DEI efforts

“One of the most important aspects of creating inclusive organizations is about measurement,” Evolution Managing Partner Stuart McCalla told CIO. “Numbers don’t lie.”

Track your DEI efforts by gathering and analyzing data on your org’s core diversity metrics in a centralized location. Then, use this data to set measurable milestones and evaluate progress over time.

Key metrics worth monitoring include:

Demographics (including by department)

Collect data on race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, and disability status. This will help you identify any gaps with building a more diverse workforce and help you prioritize focus areas for your DEI initiatives. To gauge representation ask:

• What is the demographic makeup of this in leadership positions?
• Do certain teams lack i diversity (in general or a specific group)?
• Are sourcers reaching diverse populations of qualified candidates?
• How many diverse prospects advance far in our overall pipeline?

Tracking representation data will help you pinpoint areas that need improvement.

Employee engagement and satisfaction

A key factor in retention is ensuring all employees are satisfied with their jobs and managers and highly engaged in the company culture. A sense of belonging and purpose goes a long way in retaining top-performing employees.

With that in mind, survey your workforce regularly to gauge their perceptions of your DEI initiatives.

At the end of the day, each DEI initiative you enact is about creating a culture of psychological safety in which every employee feels valued, respected, and heard.

Routinely securing feedback from employees can provide valuable insight into the effectiveness of your distinct diversity, equity, and inclusion-centric programs.

Career mobility and advancement

Growth opportunities and upward mobility are critical components of an inclusive workplace. Scrutinize data tied to promotions and pay increases across demographics to ensure that every worker at your org has equal opportunities for professional development and advancement.

Pay equity is crucial for ensuring all employees are compensated fairly. Tracking this metric monthly can tell you if your org is meeting its goals when it comes to providing equal pay for equal work.

Unfortunately, disparities in pay for minority groups still exist, even in the most well-intentioned companies. Thus, placing an emphasis on improving pay equity on an ongoing basis must a top priority.

A major focal point of many DEI initiatives today is to improve diversity hiring. Learn how your talent team can better source, engage, and hire diverse candidates with Jobvite.

The post How to Get Your Org’s First DEI Initiatives Off the Ground first appeared on Jobvite.

In fact, many candidates are now willing to pass on roles within companies that do not demonstrate commitment to equity and inclusion, make employees feel welcome and heard, and provide a safe and equitable work environment — regardless of pay or career opportunities offered.

Meanwhile, 38% of candidates would turn down a job offer if the company lacked diversity in its workforce or had no clear goals for improving DEI and adding more diverse employees.

Simply put, if you’re looking to help your business transform into a more inclusive workplace where there is diverse talent company-wide and leadership encourages employees to voice their opinions on day-to-day work and the long term vision of the company, you’ve come to the right place.

Why your C-suite must prioritize the creation of a more inclusive workplace today

Companies that focus on DEI in the workplace increase employee engagement and commitment and drive greater levels of performance — productivity that boosts the bottom line.

Put plainly, those orgs with a diversity of representation in employee ability, sexual orientation, gender identity, ethnicity, neurodiversity, familial status, personal beliefs and other areas are more likely to succeed in their industries compared to others that lack this crucial component.

This wider diversity of representation across the company increases innovation, a sense of belonging, employee happiness, and even the bottom line. It’s even become a key metric for success that it’s now an evaluation category for the Fortune 500 list.

Need proof? We’ve got the data. Workers today also want their employer to have an active voice in moral and social justice conversations. And they do their homework. Employ research reals:

• 81% of candidates check a company’s website for their stance on DEI before applying
• 71% of candidates review job postings to ensure inclusive language is used
• 65% of candidates research a company’s stance on social issues in the recent past
• 64% of candidates check the company’s website for diversity and inclusion stats
• 57% of candidates ask the employer about the culture of DEI at the company

In such a competitive hiring market that favors candidates, your company must clearly communicate your commitment to DEI and demonstrate program effectiveness to attract top talent.

That begs the question: What can your business do to bolster its DEI programs and enhance and build an premier workplace that leads to a stellar employee experience due to a highly inclusive environment?

How to achieve a more inclusive workplace

Committing time, resources, and a budget to prioritize DEI-centric initiatives can seem challenging at first. But, any talent team can improve their organization with the right resources.

Here are five key strategies your company can use to increase the diversity of candidate slates and create an inclusive work environment this year — one that can help you attract and retain top talent

1) Prioritize DEI at every level

To create a supportive and inclusive workplace environment, company leaders must come together with recruiting teams to prioritize DEI at every level across the org.

Recruiting strategies should reflect this priority for the business and include a wide variety of employee and community voices. The good news is this year, 51% of HR decision makers plan to increase their technology investments in DEI.

2) Measure and improve DEI effectiveness

Before you commit to trying an entirely new DEI investment, gather data and analyze DEI efforts at your business. Learn where your hiring practices are successful in recruiting diverse candidates, and where they are not.

Measure key recruiting metrics like source of candidate, conversion rates, and candidate engagement to get to know your talent pool. Metrics help to easily pinpoint areas of improvement as well as create tangible goals for DEI in the org.

3) Use inclusive job descriptions

Employers and recruiting teams can miss the mark when it comes to posting inclusive job descriptions. Sometimes, job postings feature language that may be offensive or exclusive to diverse candidates.

Make sure to prioritize creating more inclusive job descriptions that reduce biased language. Tap into job description grading tools that analyze your job posting and help you overcome recruitment obstacles to attract the best applicants.

4) Focus on sourcing efforts with a DEI lens

Prioritize finding candidates who are from diverse backgrounds. Look for intelligent sourcing tools that eliminate bias and identify qualified candidates from a variety of sources. Focus on finding diverse candidates from specific groups like veterans, recent college graduates and interns, or active military. Broadcasting your requisition to a variety of job boards and channels will also help ensure a wide range of applicants.

5) Prioritize and showcase inclusive content

With candidates focusing on the recruitment content presented by employers, make sure all your recruitment marketing messages on career sites, social media, and other forms of outreach demonstrate inclusivity.

Prioritize telling employee stories of diverse workers, share community stories, and tap into a variety of viewpoints and lived experiences to showcase your company’s DEI commitment.

If you have a number of employee resource groups at your org, ask team members if they’d be willing to get in front of the camera to provide a testimonial of sorts for your business that details their experience with their ERG. Or, see if they’d like to write a guest post for your blog on DEI.

Staying focused on creating an inclusive workplace a must for your enterprise org

Whether your team is looking to expand an already robust DEI program or is learning how to make it a priority as part of your recruiting efforts, remember, DEI is a journey, not a destination.

Ensure you are investing in the people, processes, and tech to move the needle on your DEI programs and showcase to candidates — and current employees — that you take building a more inclusive, equitable workplace seriously and want to build a culture in which everyone is welcomed and thrives.

For more insights on bolstering DEI in your company, download the in-depth eBook: Why Your Company Should Double Down on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives This Year.

The post How to Realize a More Diverse and Inclusive Workplace first appeared on Jobvite.

On this International Women’s Day, we pause to remember women past, present, and future who have all made tremendous strides toward achieving equity through their own courage, resilience, and bravery.

Let’s recommit ourselves to taking real action toward embracing equity for women by creating better working environments, where everyone feels included, respected, and empowered to reach their full potential.

While this celebration takes place annually, IWD recognizes the focus of its efforts must occur year-round and requires a commitment of people and companies working together to promote the advancement of women daily.

As a woman, a mother, a wife, and a member of the labor force, I am thrilled to be part of this year’s celebration. I’d like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the challenges we face collectively and the steps we can take to support women and advance their outlook in organizations today.

Let’s first take a look at the participation of women in the U.S. labor market.

Looking at the state of women in the workplace

When the pandemic struck, more than two million women dropped out of the labor force virtually overnight. Now, three years later, the number of women working has almost fully recovered. The U.S. Department of Labor reports that the labor force participation rate of women is 57% as of January 2023, back to pre-pandemic levels.

So what can employers do to move toward greater inclusion and support of women in the global workforce?

In the spirit of International Women’s Day, let’s strive in our companies for greater opportunities that support women where they are. Here are three areas where organizations can take specific actions to achieve greater inclusion and equity for women from all walks of life.

How to effectively support women in your organization

#1: Recognize the care burden

A friend of mine once said women today are expected to work like they have no caregiving responsibilities and to serve as caregivers like they have no work. This paradox represents the reality many women are facing today.

As a woman in the workforce, I have experienced first-hand the challenges of being a caregiver to children, once being forced to reduce my own work from full-time to part-time to keep up with the demands of both roles.

According to the Fidelity Investments 2022 American Caregivers Study, female caregivers who are also employed either full or part-time spend an average of 36.2 hours each week on caregiving, 35% more than men.

The same is true in caregiving for adults. Women are the predominant caregivers for the elderly, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, accounting globally for between 57% to upwards of 80% of all caregiving for the elderly.

And according to the same Fidelity Investments Study, this had a great impact on a caregiver’s ability to work. Thirty-three percent permanently lost or reduced their source of work income, and 24% fear this may be a long-term solution.

Understanding that the burden of caring for others is real to women and has a tangible impact on them is the first step toward greater equity — not only within companies today, but in overall society.

#2: Provide flexible work and supportive programs

Addressing the burden that falls on women starts by creating a culture of inclusivity, flexibility, and accommodation.

First, in relation to the caregiver burden, organizations can actively establish — and promote — flexible work hours, supportive leave policies, remote and hybrid work options, mental health services, counseling, and other employee assistance programs that directly affirm women in their roles and achieve greater equity.

A 2021 Fidelity Study reported that “64% of working caregivers said they had not asked their employer whether specific benefits or flexible work options were available,” but of that 36% who did ask, “61% reported their employer was willing to work to accommodate their needs.”

Second, ensure that your company takes an active role in developing and promoting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives.

According to Employ data, 45% of workers want their employer to have an active voice in moral and social justice conversations. Nearly two in five (38%) would turn down a job offer if the company lacked diversity in its workforce or had no clear goals for improving diversity.

Create a welcoming environment that is inclusive for all walks of life — from age, race, sex, gender, religious affiliation, parental status, disability status, military status, and neurodivergence.

Also, create opportunities for women in underrepresented sectors.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, become a leader in relation to the disparity of women in the workforce. Work to actively change the tangible pay gap that exists, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data, where women earn just 82 cents for every dollar a man earns.

Creating an environment where women feel welcome, supported, and recognized for their contributions both within the organization — and outside of work — will pay dividends for employee engagement, loyalty, productivity, and innovation.

#3: End the employment gap bias

One inherent bias that exists for employers today is generalizing employment history gaps for those individuals seeking work. Long gaps in work service are seen as negative to organizations and may blind them to potential talent who were fulfilling home or familial obligations in a system that does not support caregivers.

The Fidelity Investments Study found that 33% of caregivers permanently lost or reduced their source of income and, on average, women spend 3.6 years longer than men providing care for their loved ones.

This is the point at which the gap in work history becomes much harder to overcome. In fact, one study suggests interview chances significantly decreased for applicants with work gaps of three or more years.

For women wanting to re-enter the workforce, particularly after a long pause, organizations must proactively support hiring women despite longer career breaks.

They should advocate for systems and structures that support the demands placed on women and demonstrate their commitment to the value women add to the workforce.

Let’s celebrate today, then get to work

International Women’s Day offers the moment organizations need to rally together, showcase the achievements of women, and support them in their efforts to create a more accepting, welcoming, and progressive workplace.

Let’s dig in and do the work together where the workforce becomes a representation of our society and embraces equity by providing opportunities that support women in their jobs and in their lives.

For more insights, download Why Your Company Should Double Down on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Initiatives This Year. Get actionable strategies to create a more inclusive workplace. Or, stay current on the latest trends in talent when you subscribe to our blog.

The post Embracing Equity for International Women’s Day first appeared on Jobvite.

It’s become a key metric for success that it’s now an evaluation category for the Fortune 500 list, reminding companies just how important it is to consistently improve their organizational DEI — and proving that the best lead by example.

Diversity begins with recruiting: 8 things to consider with your enterprise’s DEI recruiting strategy

A diverse company begins with recruiting and focusing on its importance cannot be overstated.

Within talent acquisition, 80% of recruiting professionals said diversity hiring was a top priority last year. However, companies still struggle to build a diverse pipeline of talent to meet the standards job candidates expect.

But, the critical point to remember is that modern DEI makes considerations for much more than ever before. Here are the eight ways to look at DEI across recruiting:

1) Racial diversity

The phrase DEI usually evokes thoughts of racial diversity, a vital component of inclusion plans in any organization. Race refers to a person’s grouping based on physical traits despite races not being biologically defined. Examples of racial identifications include Caucasian, African, and Asian.

2) Cultural diversity

Cultural diversity can mean something different to everyone, but in this case, we’re using it to refer to culture in regard to ethnicity. There are a great many ethnic groups acknowledged worldwide, but examples include Black or African American, American Indian, Hispanic, Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific Islander.

3) Gender diversity

Traditionally, gender has been depicted as either male or female. As the spectrum of gender is more inclusive, gender diversity can include cisgender, gender fluid, or agender individuals.

Companies considering gender inclusion in their company will avoid gender-specific language in job descriptions and other content to avoid accidental discrimination or alienation of any particular identification.

4) Generational diversity

Generational diversity is the concept of employing a wide range of generations within a company. Today there are likely four different generations in your talent pipeline: Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers.

5) Sexual orientation

Diversity in sexual orientation means making space for individuals using classifications gathered under the acronym LGBTQIA+. This stands for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual, with the ‘plus’ indicating this list continues for many more characterizations.

6) Familial status

Familial status refers to inclusion in the workplace regardless of a person’s role outside of the home. Supporting DEI regardless of familial status includes those with or without children and allows for multiple definitions of family.

7) Physical and mental disabilities

The disability community is diverse, but very often overlooked. Disability diversity may come in physical form, from wheelchair accommodations to audio aid for visually impaired people. But, disability inclusion also includes neurodivergence, which refers to cognitive functioning which is outside of what is considered ‘typical’.

This can include conditions such as Autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome, Dyslexia, and many more.

8) Work experience diversity

Diversity of experience encompasses the breadth and depth of work experience across many roles, functions, types of organizations, industries, and more. Similarly, educational diversity demonstrates an understanding that not every role requires a certain level of education.

Inclusion in this area means understanding the many different backgrounds and experiences that can make a person well-suited for a role, rather than a single line of promotions.

The state of DEI in the workplace

When it comes to securing a job, employees often feel their race, gender or ethnicity had a major impact on their employment. Half of employees believe their race, gender, or ethnicity has hindered them in securing a job.

Many employees have made an active effort to hide parts of their identity (e.g., removing profile pictures from LinkedIn; hiding their accent, physical disability, or natural hair) to increase their chances of getting hired.

Not only are candidates looking at what you say about DEI, but they’re also not shy about holding companies accountable. About 80% of job candidates have checked a company’s website for their stance on DEI before applying. And 57% of employees ask their employer about the culture of DEI at the company in the interview.

This data reveals that companies must clearly communicate their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, but also execute these programs well to attract (and keep) top talent.

Where companies are hitting the mark with DEI recruiting and hiring efforts today

Drastic improvements have been made over the last year, ranging from DEI-centered hiring to increased training for onboarding experiences. Compared to last year, companies have improved communications around DEI efforts, shared their DEI stats publicly, and required DEI training as a part of their onboarding experience.

Looking forward with promise

Many thought leaders in the industry believe that progress within DEI efforts starts with a diverse pipeline.

While this is a major contributor to having a more diverse talent pool, the key to success is a strong culture of inclusivity and belonging. The improvement in these areas is a promising sign, as we look toward the future.

For deeper insight into DEI across recruiting, download the comprehensive report: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Spotlight: Examining DEI Across the Talent Lifecycle.

The post 8 Key Considerations for Your DEI Recruiting Strategy first appeared on Jobvite.

In fact, building a diverse workforce is one of the most important steps any business today can (and should) take to respond to a market that is growing increasingly competitive and dynamic.

So, what are tangible advantages of having a diverse and inclusive workforce? Below are some of the top benefits you should know when it comes to bolstering DEI initiatives in your company.

5 benefits of a diverse and inclusive workforce

1) Diversity and inclusion inspire creativity and innovation

It’s been said that “great minds think alike,” but too much thinking alike can result in stagnancy and a lack of innovation. Having a number of different employees all bringing their own unique backgrounds and life experiences to the table is a great way to stimulate creativity and add new ideas to the mix.

If your business isn’t evolving, it’s in trouble; having a diverse and inclusive workforce ensures that you’re always growing, changing, and adapting to meet the challenges of the day.

2) Diversity and inclusion help increase productivity

Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. The more diverse your workforce, the better equipped you are to balance out one person’s weaknesses with another person’s strengths.

With proper organization, you can leverage those strengths for all they’re worth, while reducing or eliminating any weaknesses. This, in turn, makes your company more effective, and productive. It also provides you with access to a broader range of skills that can help streamline efficiencies and workflows.

3) Diversity and inclusion are vital for employee retention

Just as important as finding good, qualified employees is retaining them. The best way to do that is to make sure the people who work for you feel seen and fulfilled.

Valuing diversity and inclusion helps communicate to your employees that you care about them not just as workers, but as people. It helps boost morale and develop a richer, more vibrant employee community.

Employees who are encouraged to show mutual respect and appreciation despite their differences build stronger bonds and more fruitful working relationships.

4) Diversity and inclusion are good for your reputation

One mistake that too many businesses make is not actively cultivating diversity in their workforce. Instead, they simply sit back and hope it takes care of itself. Unconscious bias is an insidious thing; not making an effort to actively overcome it can leave you open to making costly mistakes.

On the other hand, being proactive about fostering a diverse workforce demonstrates both to your employees and to the general public what really matters to you. A good reputation goes a long way towards attracting job seekers, while also appealing to potential clients and customers.

5) Diversity and inclusion help reach new audiences

On a related note, it’s worth keeping in mind that your workforce isn’t just a reflection of who you are. It also holds a mirror up to your audience. If customers look into that mirror and don’t see themselves reflected back, they will likely search of a business that they feel does reflect them.

In other words, a more diverse and inclusive workforce appeals to a more diverse audience. It allows you to appeal to a much wider number of demographics and opens the door to new opportunities.

Build a more diverse and inclusive workforce with Jobvite’s talent acquisition suite

Remember, diversity, equity, and inclusion is a journey, not a destination. Start building stronger teams and make your workforce more inclusive with Jobvite Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Hiring Tools.

Put your DEI goals into action with the right people, processes, and technologies that create opportunities for underrepresented communities and mitigate hiring bias.

If you want to go deeper on the importance of building strong DEI programs in your business, download our latest report: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Spotlight: Examining DEI Across the Talent Lifecycle. Find out new data and insights on DEI across each stage of hiring and get key strategies for tackling DEI in your organization.

Speak with one of our team members today to learn how you can build a diverse workforce with Evolve, our advanced recruiting and hiring solution for large-scale businesses.

The post Why Diversity and Inclusion Is More Important Than Ever first appeared on Jobvite.

A recent Harvard Business School study found that African American and Asian-American job applicants who mask their race on resumes get more job interviews.

To help answer this, we asked hiring managers, recruiters, and business leaders for their insights.

From training hiring managers and teams against recruitment bias to conducting blind skills challenges, there are several tips that you may follow to implement an effective talent acquisition process that reduces hiring bias in your entire recruiting function.

Train hiring managers and teams against recruitment bias

Eliminating bias in the recruiting process is essential to improving the number of candidates from underrepresented groups. One way to eliminate bias is to ensure that all hiring managers receive training and are held accountable if they incorporate bias during the interview process.

In addition, companies should implement inclusive hiring guidelines to ensure that interview panels contain racial and gender diversity.

If your company struggles with putting together a panel that reflects this level of diversity, you have additional problems to solve. While masking resumes are one way to solve the challenge of eliminating bias, it does not address the systemic issues within your organization.

Ensuring all hiring managers receive training to eradicate bias and incorporate conscious inclusion is one crucial step to removing this obstacle.

Tawanda Johnson, People and Culture Thought Leader at Sporting Smiles

Ensure job requirements are genuinely free from hiring bias

Defining and agreeing to the requirements of a position you are hiring serves as the foundation for a non-biased hiring process. Determining the position includes answering these questions:

• What does success look like for this role for your industry, organization, or team?
• What are the “must-haves” and the “nice-to-haves” concerning the skills, talents, behaviors, and experiences for this role?”
• Which are the areas where a steeper learning curve is acceptable?

Ensuring that a position’s requirements are clear will allow the best practices for minimizing biases in the hiring process to work!

Etty Burk, President of Leading with Difference

Use gender and other neutral descriptions in job postings

The recruiting department is obliged to write an inclusive job description. Avoiding gender-coded words and using gender-neutral descriptions can help widen the reach of your recruitment ads. 

Research also shows that women are less likely to apply for jobs with a very long list of “desirable” attributes because they don’t want to waste their employer’s time if they don’t fit perfectly. Gender bias can also be avoided by masking names and gender while screening resumes.

Debbie Meeuws, Owner and CEO of Nature’s Arc Organic

Conduct work sample tests

The work sample test is one of the ways where you can reduce bias in the hiring procedure. It is the process where the candidate has to pass the task that he will be assigned in real-time.

These are considered indicators of future job performance. Evaluating work sample tests from multiple applicants helps you calibrate the best candidate.

In a way, asking the candidates to work on the real-time work or the problems arising due to that yields a more important sight for the employee.

Standardize this way of the hiring process and efficient candidates can be hired rather than other illogical criteria set such as gender, experience and personality.

Scott Krager, Owner of WODReview

Implement software to anonymize candidate profiles

Companies that are serious about mitigating bias in their recruitment efforts should consider investing in software designed to do just that.

In my former role leading Diversity Talent Management for a global Technology company, we implemented software to anonymize candidate profiles to remove gender and ethnicity indicators.

This software also enabled us to gain insight on how candidates from various backgrounds progressed at each stage of the hiring process. It also led to us implementing targeted initiatives to address bias at the phone screen and onsite interview stages.

While no technology is perfect, having the ability to systematically offset bias in your recruiting process is an advantage to candidates and ultimately helps companies select the best hires from a more diverse applicant pool.

Regina Lawless, DEI Consultant at Regina Lawless Consulting

Train your hiring teams to practice equity

Don’t mask your applicants. Build accountability and reporting matrices of the applicant pipeline. Develop your hiring teams to practice equity. When you mask your applicants you are not allowing for the individual DEI development and training of your staff.

You cannot mitigate hiring bias if you do not have the opportunity to expose and correct them. The global workforce is diverse. It’s time to accept that reality.

Wanda Lee Florestine, Talent & Acquisition Director (DEI) GRID Alternatives

Use AI-based resume scanners

Many human resource departments are becoming aware of the (sometimes) unintentional biases which occur during the hiring process.

The beauty of using artificial intelligence to review resumes is that the software is blind to the physical appearance of any applicant. The technology focuses on recognizing candidate qualifications to filter through top talent.

This removes human involvement in applicant selections, at least for the initial round of interviews.

However, if hiring bias seems prevalent within the department, it may be time to consider having an organizational conversation about the importance of diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Brian Nagele, CEO of Restaurant Clicks

Conduct structured interviews to provide fairer assessments

Most hiring mistakes can be traced to poor interviewer judgment. The main issue is that when evaluating other people, we are impacted by various biases. For example, we unconsciously prefer candidates that remind us of ourselves.

A common human error that we can do little about, but it’s horrible for diversity.

We switched to structured interviews to better guide interviewers in giving fair assessments of candidates, and we haven’t looked back.

In structured interviews, all candidates are asked the same predetermined questions, and what’s even more important, their answers are rated against the same pre-determined criteria.

Interviews are consistent so every candidate gets an equal opportunity to perform, and every candidate’s rating needs to be based on evidence. This forces a stronger, positive emphasis on what the candidate actually said, and not their accent, looks, or handshake.

Max Korpinen, Co-Founder and CEO of Hireproof

Mask relevant items on candidates’ resumes

Our recruitment department masks certain things on the resumes that may give away a person’s ethnicity and religion. One of those things is the college or university attended.

While many attend standard public universities that wouldn’t identify their race or religion, others attend black colleges and universities, all-girl schools, or universities tied to a religious denomination.

All of these things could present a bias, so my HR just masks the university and leaves their college career highlights and achievements for hiring managers to see.

Amruth Laxman, Founding Partner of 4Voice

Conduct anonymous assessments of prospects

Equality and diversity are central to our culture and we truly believe that we do not have an issue with any biases in our hiring process. However, to ensure that candidates for open roles are assessed purely on talent, we begin the application based only on the candidate’s email address.

This means that in the vast majority of cases, HR is unaware of the candidate’s race. On successfully completing the assessment, the interview is held by a multi-cultural panel, ensuring that race does not become a matter of consideration in the final selection process.

Colin Palfrey, Chief Marketing Officer of Crediful

Serialize your applications before reviewing

The one thing that we do in our organization is to serialize job applications before reviewing them. This means that the names and pictures of the persons associated with the applications are removed to only retain the candidates’ qualifications and competencies.

This ensures that the recruiters don’t engage the process with a clouded judgment based on the applicant’s identity. It is a great way to mask applications and eliminate biases that occur when conducting one-on-one recruitment.

yongming Song, CEO of Imgkits Photo Editor

Hire candidates through LinkedIn

LinkedIn has emerged as a crucial platform to hire people without any prejudice, straight based on their networking skills and the qualities they have been endorsed for.

LinkedIn generates scores that show how active people are and how they can be better marketers in the digital world. Through these real-time scores, you can easily list out those who are most suitable for the job and then can start going through the further levels of the recruitment process.

It would be fair enough to leave it to the professional application as the scores can not be forged. When there are real-time stats in front of you, the result could become crystal clear.

Steve Sacona, Legal Writer at Top10lawyers

Conduct blind skills challenges related to an open role

Remove details in a CV that can lead to biased decisions, such as race, ethnicity, nationality, age, and gender. Have someone black out all these details from CVs before handing them to HR. 

You can also try doing away with CVs altogether so that even names and email addresses are unknown. Conduct blind skill challenges related to the position being hired for instead.

This puts applicants on equal footing as a starting point. Besides guarding against unconscious bias, you will also discover which applicants have the proper skills and talent you need.

Peter Hoopis, Owner and CEO of Peter Hoopis

Find out how your enterprise talent team can minimize hiring bias — and enhance your hiring quality, speed, and efficiency — with Jobvite’s Evolve Talent Acquisition Suite.

The post How Talent Teams Can Minimize Their Hiring Bias first appeared on Jobvite.

So, just how can you better use data to transform your talent acquisition function? Take a look at three top ways that your talent team can use recruiting data and key talent acquisition metrics to evolve your candidate experience and hire quality employees.

#2: Hire and retain higher quality talent

A data-driven approach and the right recruiting analytics can help you analyze where candidates are entering the funnel so you can better nurture relationships and set your new hires up for success. When you gain insight into your talent funnel, you can deliver a better candidate experience that drives recruiting results, and that leads to more engaged employees who will be engaged in their roles and stay at your company longer. Understanding potential pain points based on data and identifying opportunities in the hiring process can help your talent team better find, attract, and nurture top talent.

You can also use recruiting data to source and hire a better quality of candidate. Talent acquisition technology can help to match potential applicants with roles they are best suited for based on necessary skills, experience, certifications, or other key characteristics. Plus managing expectations at every stage of the recruiting process can help you deliver quality candidates to hiring managers, a smoother, more engaging onboarding experience, and ultimately happier employees.

Remember, the recruiting and onboarding process is where talent acquisition teams set expectations and deliver initial impressions with candidates. This process should include providing things like accurate role descriptions, realistic views of the company culture, and information about remote work flexibility. Give candidates everything they need to decide on your company and the role, and leave them with an experience that confirms they are making a good decision in moving forward your organization. Nobody wants to start at a company and find out that their expectations of the role, management, and company culture were wrong.

#3: Improve diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in your organization

Candidates want to know that a company prioritizes DEI in their organization and will offer a supportive workplace culture, where they can show up authentically and genuinely contribute to the company’s success. When your recruiting team focuses on improving DEI in the hiring process and uses data to make informed decisions, candidates are more likely to consider your company as a place to work.

In fact, Jobvite research shows that 49% of candidates ask about a company’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs during the interview process and 44% say an organization’s commitment to DEI is a key factor in accepting a job offer. Recruiting automation and AI add efficiency and help reduce bias by streamlining tasks like candidate sourcing and screening. Expand the diversity of your talent pools and improve engagement by analyzing the candidate and employee experience.

Consider sending candidates a quick survey about their experiences throughout the hiring process and use that data to improve your recruiting practices. Ensure you collect feedback from candidates who both go through your entire process as well as those who drop off along the way. Getting feedback from candidates who are not hired is a great way to uncover how you can improve your experiences for applicants.

The post Three Ways Data-Driven Recruiting Leads to Talent Acquisition Success first appeared on Jobvite.

Each year, when Mother’s Day comes around, I get slightly anxious. I am the mother of two amazing kids, with a loving and supporting husband, yet I find myself sometimes dreading the actual celebration itself. The flowers are beautiful, the gifts are lovely, and breakfast in bed is perfect.

But, while Mother’s Day is a pause for recognizing the contributions, love, sacrifices, and support that mothers everywhere provide, I can’t help feeling that it seems somewhat artificial.

I am definitely not trying to seem cynical. I truly appreciate the gratitude that is shown each May. Yet I can’t help but wonder, what if moms everywhere — working in an office or building, working from home, or managing the home — were recognized every day for their contributions and impact?

Data on women and mothers in the workplace

Based on a report from UN Women, women’s economic empowerment is a major contributor in boosting productivity and growing the economy. Even more, achieving economic equality for women by providing employment and leadership opportunities benefits organizations directly.

McKinsey & Company indicates that “companies with three or more women in senior management functions score higher in all dimensions of organizational performance.”

But, when it comes to mothers, the pandemic has largely taken a toll on their employment status. According to the latest BLS data from April 2022, the labor force participation rate of all mothers with children under age 18 was 71.2%, down from 72.3% in 2019.

More telling, mothers with young kids are less likely to participate in the labor force than mothers with older children. In fact, only two out of three moms with young children are currently working.

With this data in mind, what should your org’s response be, when it comes to moms in the workforce?

How employers should respond to working moms

A recent Forbes article may have best summarized the challenges moms face when it comes to working. “Companies have invested in the training and education of their female workforce only to find that when they become mothers, a leaky pipeline of talent begins.

Collectively, organizations must press to keep women working even as they become mothers, and more importantly, create policies and programs that support them.

How does this look?

Well, it means means creating a culture of inclusivity, flexibility, and accommodation through flexible work hours, supportive leave policies, remote and hybrid work options, mental health services, counseling, and other employee assistance programs that directly affirm women in their roles.

It also means your leadership team and managers purposefully recognizing and supporting women in the workforce for their unique contributions and situation.

But, despite being the primary earners in their families, “mothers continue to bear both the physical and mental load of motherhood disproportionately more than their partners.

Without addressing issues like the motherhood penalty, affordable childcare, parental leave, and creating flexible work options that enable working mothers to integrate their work and mothering responsibilities,” women will continue to leave the workforce at a higher rate than men.

Second, it means developing and focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Create a welcoming environment for all people that is inclusive of all walks of life — from age, race, sex, gender identity, religious affiliation, orientation, parental status, disability status, military status, and neurodivergence.

Because when they do, women lift up economies and build more high performing organizations.

By creating an environment where women feel welcome, supported, and recognized for their contributions both within the organization — and outside of work — employers will see increased employee engagement, loyalty, productivity, and innovation.

How recruiters can entice mothers to apply

As recruiters and talent acquisition professionals, it is essential to provide an optimal candidate experience to attract, nurture, and hire top talent. A positive candidate experience really comes down to the relationship or interactions candidates have with your employer brand.

Any time candidates visit your website, view content, read a job description, or apply for a job, they are interacting with your company. And your goal is to create the most optimized and engaging experience for candidates so you can build the best workforce for your brand.

How does this relate to mothers in the workforce? Well, for starters, think about the types of people your organization features on your career site today:

• Are you showing working parents and telling their stories?
• How does your culture support mothers in particular?
• What about offering personalized job recommendations and content?

Are you giving mobile-optimized sites that meet working mothers where they are? Taking it a step further, have you simplified the application process down to its easiest level and provided easy to schedule interviews for busy moms looking for new roles?

Perhaps more unconscious, are you potentially eliminating mothers who have employment gaps in their resume without digging deeper on why those gaps exist? One study suggests the chances of getting an interview fall by more than 50% after two years out of the labor force.

Addressing this type of unconscious bias and the motherhood penalty that inherently exists in our workforce is vital if talent acquisition professionals are to pave the way forward to working moms.

Keeping working mothers’ needs top of mind in your recruiting and hiring processes

The 2022 Job Seeker Nation Report provides recent insights into the motivations of working parents.

Specifically, for workers with children under age 18, 51% are more likely now to actively look for a new job or plan to within the next year, and 56% are likely to switch jobs to make more money.

That means that, out of two working parents, one of them is considering leaving your org right now.

Make sure that as you hire and seek the best talent that you are ensuring moms get a fair shake, and are treated with the respect and dignity they deserve as candidates throughout the hiring process. (And don’t forget to celebrate the mothers in your life.)

The post Mother’s Day Perspectives from a Working Mom first appeared on Jobvite.