- Why read this?
- Start with a few reflections
- Structure the thinking using the hiring playbook
- Outline candidate engagement materials
- Design for diverse candidates
- Engaging diverse candidates
- Celebrate the wins and embed DEI
Why read this?
Because with a few small steps, investor-backed businesses can strengthen their teams by embedding DEI throughout their hiring process.
Start with a few reflections
What does DEI mean to us? (both visible and invisible characteristics)
What is the current leadership team’s composition?
What candidates from underrepresented groups do we wish to attract?
Structure the thinking using the hiring playbook
Have we developed unbiased criteria of what good looks like in the role?
Have we thought about what abilities would be suitable in the context of what we need the candidate to do?
Are we focusing on competencies and potential instead of on ‘experience’?
What are the must-haves and the nice-to-haves? Why have we chosen these skills?
Did we tweak the assessment criteria to help us objectively evaluate competencies and potential?
Outline candidate engagement materials
Are we focusing on the candidate’s aptitude and mindset?
This will open up the longlist to suitable candidates with alternative career trajectories (i.e. different educational backgrounds and job titles)
Are we being flexible on the desired / must-have ‘experiences’?
These lead to bias and lazy pattern recognition, they limit the candidate pool and engineer the search towards homogenous candidates with traditional career paths (i.e. white men)i.e. focusing on ‘experience’
Have we used tools like Textio to make the language of job materials more objective?
This can help ensure search materials are objective, both for public-facing LinkedIn adverts or privately-sent job descriptions
Have we considered updating our candidate referral scheme?
Have we considered how much travel the role really requires?
For instance, you could double the reward for referring diverse candidates. For more insight, read Frank, L.’s (2018) How to use employee referrals without giving up workplace diversity.
Lots of travel might reduce applicants with young families or disability needs
Are we being transparent about the salary ranges and using benchmarking data to decide compensation packages?
Design for diverse candidates
Have we considered co-designing with our employees?
Do we know the structures that appeal to different groups?
Have we considered engaging a DEI search partner and/or mandated a diverse-first approach?
Have we agreed on how to keep our search partner accountable for diversity across the entire search process? e.g. will we use a diversity grid?
Have we given ourselves 1-4 weeks extra time to draw in a diverse pipeline?
Have we considered the assessment experience we are creating for the candidate?
Be mindful that the assessment process is not filtering out amazing diverse talent e.g. a task that requires a weekend’s work is not something all candidates will have the luxury of being able to complete.
Engaging diverse candidates
Have we translated our criteria of ‘what good looks like’ in the role into a scorecard?
Is our hiring team prepared to apply it consistently and fairly when assessing candidates?
Prioritise comparable quantitative metrics over qualitative feedback
Are we prepared to show how much we want them and articulate what they will gain from joining our company?
Don’t take no as the first answer. A diverse candidate is more likely to rule themself out due to ‘imposter syndrome’
Are we willing to make a choice that doesn’t fit the ‘expected’ career?
Try first-time board members with different career experience
Are we prepared to give candidates at least three days to consider an offer, so they have time to reflect, discuss with dependents and negotiate?
Celebrate the wins and embed DEI
Have we considered how we’ll celebrate our DEI journey, internally and externally?
Have we considered hosting educational events on cognitive diversity?
Do we have a communication channel dedicated to culture and belonging?
Which initiatives with inclusive community groups do we champion?
Do we use competencies to analyse our DEI on a regular basis to help stay accountable on DEI and track our progress across various processes - from hiring and promotions to customer satisfaction and GTM success?