Want to Attract Diverse Talent? Read this Checklist Before Publishing Your Job Posting.
Over the past decade, I’ve worked on programs that empower underrepresented groups in tech so I know firsthand that, despite the prevailing stereotypes, a software engineer can look like anyone. This idea is reinforced by the fact that community groups/meetups have over 300,000 engineers (at least) focused on women, people of color, veterans and more. But despite these sizable populations of diverse technical talent, there are companies that have not recruited even one engineer that identifies as a woman or person of color.
This is frustrating not just for applicants, but for employers as well. Running a diversity and inclusion advisory firm, I hear often from clients who come to me for help — They post a job. They get back a homogenous group of applicants.
If this problem sounds familiar to your company, it’s time to audit your brand signals because diverse talent is out there — they’re just choosing not to apply to your company.
With nearly 47% of millennials indicating that Diversity and Inclusion is an important factor in their job search and a fast movement from certain companies to show they care, the employers who haven’t updated their job descriptions to optimize for diversity are getting overlooked by candidates. Job descriptions are one of the first touchpoints an applicant may have with your brand in their job search. If your organization genuinely wants to attract a more diverse workforce, here’s a five-point checklist to follow:
(1) Focus on Skills vs. Requirements
According to a popular statistic from Hewlett Packard, men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, whereas women apply only if they meet 100% of them. Here’s a tip: skip the qualifications and directly outline the skills the position requires. Not only does it more clearly define the type of candidate you’re looking for, but it opens the door for applicants who may not fill all the qualifications but still have the skills to do the job. For example, on average, only 5% of computer science degree graduates are black and around 60% of Americans don’t hold a college degree. Could the Computer Science degree requirement be replaced with “Proven experience building software (e.g GitHub repo)?”
(2) Ensure Your Language Is Attractive to a Wider Audience
The language in your job description is sending a message — make sure it’s the message you want to send. Did you know that “develop a team” resonates more with women versus “manage a team?” New software like Textio, an augmented writing platform, allows you to insert your job descriptions to ensure your post is more gender-balanced in who it attracts. You can input your job descriptions and receive recommended changes within seconds. After implementing the tool, NVIDIA noticed a 28% increase in the percentage of women in their applicant pools.
(3) Broaden the Benefits You Promote
While it’s exciting to have company excursions to Mammoth or weekly happy hours, offering a diverse range of benefits sends the signal your company considers benefits for different backgrounds and lifestyles. Expand your benefits to include a wide range of offers such as volunteer days, flexible schedules, childcare benefits, generous relocation packages or LGBT inclusion in family planning and care policies — all more inclusive signals.
(4) Incorporate Next Steps to Reduce Fear
What happens after someone applies? It can be intimidating to apply to a company where only a few people— if anyone — looks like you. You may also be the first person in your family to enter this particular industry. The intimidation factor can be big for underrepresented groups. One way to combat that fear is to include clear next steps of the process once an applicant applies. A structured process helps applicants know what they can expect and feel prepared and less intimidated by what’s ahead.
(5) Include — and Customize — the Equal Opportunity Employer Statement
Candidates want to know your company cares. As a result, some companies are adding Equal Opportunity Employer statements to show the importance in fair hiring practices — and it’s working. Textio’s analysis of 350 million job posts showed that posts with an equal opportunity statement fill 10% faster on average.
To truly stand out, however, the Equal Opportunity Employer Statement is a great place to show the work your company is doing to support how much it values diversity. This shows potential applicants that your company doesn’t just “talk the talk,” but “walks the walk.” Here’s an example from San Francisco start-up InformedK12:
“We are an Equal Opportunity employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce. In fact, one of our four company values is “Work hard for inclusion.” We believe that our team must reflect the diversity of our customers and that a diverse team where everyone feels comfortable being themselves will be a long-term advantage. We implement policies like the Rooney rule in hiring and work with organizations such as Code2040. We actively seek out diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability.”
Assessing and adjusting traditional hiring practices — including job descriptions — is an effective way to improve the percentage of underrepresented talent at your company. Applicants want to know your company is making a genuine effort. Before blaming it on the pipeline, take a look at the signals your employer brand is sending. Job descriptions are a great place to start.
Paria Rajai is the founder and CEO of ModelExpand, a diversity and inclusion firm that specializes in employer branding and talent acquisition. The firm helps clients implement practical steps to attract and retain diverse talent. Paria was recently recognized in Forbes for being a leader in the world diversity and tech.
