If you want to hire a diverse workforce, you need a diverse hiring team
Are you looking to hire recruiters for your team but finding it extremely difficult? It’s a familiar story for many organizations. Demand is high, but there is a real shortage of recruitment talent and a real demand for recruitment services. In fact, I recently saw that there are more open positions for recruiters on LinkedIn at the moment than software engineers. Can you believe that?
As with many industries, recruitment was hit incredibly hard by the pandemic. Many recruiters had to reorient themselves and pursue entirely new careers.
But just like with every major challenge, there is an opportunity. In SocialTalent, we are seeing our partners hiring large numbers of people that haven’t worked in recruitment before and instilling the best practices of the role through a mix of learning, mentoring, and hands-on experience. This has made one thing crystal clear to me:
The old excuse of not having a diverse talent acquisition team as you can’t find experienced diverse candidates, is gone!
And therein lies the opportunity. If you are looking to build a more diverse organization, one guaranteed way to improve your diverse hiring is through building a diverse hiring team. This is largely down to three key areas.
Empathy
Recruiters from under-represented backgrounds are better able to understand the challenges of diverse candidates. They can use this knowledge to recommend improvements to the entire hiring process as well as to work better with candidates.
Representation
Hearing that your organization has an inclusive culture means a lot more when it is coming from a diverse group of people that actually work there. It’s as simple as that.
Innovation
It is well noted that diverse teams are more innovative in organizations, and why would it be any different for recruitment teams? With people from a range of backgrounds, you get more ideas, unique perspectives and more approaches to problem-solving.
Training and mentorship
Learning and development are the keys to this approach when looking at talent without recruiting experience. At SocialTalent, we know our expert training can reduce the ramp-up times of new recruitment hires by over 66%. L&D enables you to broaden your definition of talent so you can find the best people for your organization.
Coinciding with this, mentorship also plays a huge role in creating opportunity. We’re fortunate enough to have partnered with many organizations, like Open Doors Initiative and National Industries for the Blind, that help candidates from under-represented backgrounds find careers. Through these programs, people can find advice, support and most importantly – advocacy.
But, I have to admit, I have an ulterior motive for writing this article. While SocialTalent is committed to helping marginalized individuals find work in the recruiting sector through our training, we (and the organizations I just mentioned) need your help. Mentorship is vitally important for success, so this is a call-to-arms! If you think you could spare some time to help mentor people from under-represented areas, get in-touch with myself or the team at SocialTalent.
I know many companies are facing challenges when it comes to recruitment shortages at the moment, but there is a clear solution. And one that comes with an important outcome. Broaden your scope, embrace upskilling and mentorship, diversify your TA team. It isn’t going to solve your diverse hiring issues by itself but it will have a positive impact.
Check out my recent Shortlist episodes on mentorship with the Open Doors Initiative and National Industries for the Blind below.