Diverse and Inclusive Hiring

Diversity and inclusion is a topic that is receiving increasing attention in the cultural sector and beyond. It is also explicitly addressed in the Code of Fair Practice. In this article, we’ll explore ways organizations can recruit in a diverse and inclusive manner. On this page, you’ll find a variety of tips related to hiring new employees. We’ll discuss diversity and inclusion at each stage of the recruitment and selection process. You can make the biggest impact when your primary goal in this process is to hire someone who represents diversity, in whatever capacity that may be. When thinking about a diverse profile, don’t just consider ethnicity or gender, but also age, physical ability, educational level, cultural background, life experience, skills, language, and so on. Which profiles are missing from your organization and could help enrich and broaden it? Your entire organization must stand behind the decision to recruit in a diverse and inclusive manner, as it has an impact at all levels.

There are countless reasons why increasing diversity within your organization is valuable, aside from the fact that it is increasingly in line with today’s society. In a workshop led by Karima el Bouchtaoui of Ocullus Consultancy in 2020, she highlighted a number of them:

• You have a much larger pool of people from which to draw talent;
• You can reach new audiences;
• It boosts creativity within your organization;
• New insights regarding the composition of a program may emerge;
• Employees who can be themselves at work are more productive;
• Because you have a wider range of views, opinions, skills, and perspectives, you can make better and more well-considered decisions.

Drafting the job posting

Once you’ve decided to recruit in a diverse and inclusive manner, the process begins with drafting the job posting. Write the job posting as objectively as possible. You can include the following points:

• List no more than five job requirements in the job posting. You can omit anything that people could learn later on. For example, a first-aid certification can always be obtained later;
• Focus specifically on the competencies a candidate must possess for this position. List up to five. For inspiration, check out this website, for example, which provides examples of competencies;
• Do not list a specific degree as a requirement. Instead, specify a certain level of work experience and analytical ability.
• Try to frame quantitative aspects—such as X number of years of work experience—in qualitative terms. Ask yourself why you consider those X number of years so important;
• In any case, you can include the following at the bottom of the job posting: “We prefer …”;
• You can also include a statement in your job posting explaining why your organization is committed to diversity and inclusion.

Post the job opening

Of course, you want people to respond to your job posting, which is why you’re going to share it. The first step involves your own communication channels, such as a website and social media. Make sure these channels are accessible to everyone. To bring the job posting to the attention of a diverse audience, it’s a good idea to post it outside your own bubble as well. To do this, reach out to people with diverse backgrounds within your own organization, or collaborate with people or organizations outside your own network. Ask them to share the job posting within their networks; this will help you reach a new group. If you notice that most of the responses are coming from people with the same profile, posting the job opening in these “new networks” is a very effective strategy.

Selecting the Right Candidate

From the responses you’ve received to your job posting, select a few people to invite for an interview. If you ensure that more than half of those candidates fit a profile that makes your organization more diverse, you’re much more likely to ultimately choose someone with a diverse background. We have a few more tips for the interview itself:

• Make sure you have a standard interview process that you use with everyone and that is the same for all candidates;
• Use objective decision-making forms, such as those based on scores;
• Try not to jump to conclusions. For example, don't base your judgment on whether you click with someone;
• Pay particular attention to the qualifications you listed for the job opening and determine whether the candidate meets them.

Interesting links on inclusive hiring

Below, we’ve included a number of links that can help you learn more about diverse and inclusive hiring. Webinar on Diverse and Inclusive Hiring Here, you can watch the recording of the webinar “Diverse and Inclusive Hiring” hosted by the Social and Economic Council in February 2021. Knowledge Document on Diverse Hiring and Selection This document contains a wealth of information on the topic and was published by the Social and Economic Council. E-Book on Inclusive Recruitment and Selection In this digital book by Direction, you’ll learn what concrete steps you can take to truly implement inclusive recruitment and selection practices.

Disclaimer

This article was developed in part based on the input we received from two workshops led by Karima el Bouchtaoui of Ocullus Consultancy.

If, from your expertise, you yourself have knowledge that would fit this topic, or if you see opportunities to improve this text, we look forward to receiving your message at info@cultuuracademy.nl.