Recruiting for diversity: How to find top talent

Job seekers are placing increasing importance on workplace diversity

BY Jodi Walters 20 Apr 2022

Job seekers are placing increasing importance on workplace diversity so it’s important to have a recruitment strategy that cultivates diversity.

Diversity in recruitment involves an organisation being very intentional about hiring a wide range of employees with different backgrounds and experiences.

Research has found that diversity and inclusiveness lead to better solutions and innovation and more productive employees with higher output.

A 2015 report found that diverse companies were more likely to have financial returns above their industry mean.

Building diversity has challenges. The most common challenge reported is how to align diversity hiring practices with organisational goals.

Another challenge is internal resistance – while there is growing support for diversity there may be some employees that are sceptical.

Recruitment tips to build diversity in the workplace

Establish clear, timely and achievable diversity targets in your hiring process. Ensure those targets benefit their employees, open new opportunities, and improve upon the existing culture.
Hire employees that add to culture. It’s tempting to hire someone that fits with your existing culture, but this leads to a homogenous workplace.
Create inclusive corporate policies – specific policies that relate to disabled workers, parents, women, and workers with mental health issues.
Grow diversity through internship opportunities. Team up with schools and community groups to make internships available to a more diverse set of candidates to create internal diversity programs.

The first step for any organisation is understanding that diversity is important in a workplace and an essential component of any good recruitment strategy.