Leveraging LinkedIn For Diverse And Inclusive Hiring
Diversity and inclusion are common practices. But how do you apply that on LinkedIn? Here are some tips on Leveraging LinkedIn for Diverse and Inclusive Hiring
Diverse and inclusive hiring can bring various benefits to a company/organization. Diversity in the workplace allows a company to grow better and achieve its tasks more efficiently.
Sadly, even with all the advantages of diversity and inclusion, many companies are still facing several complications while trying to have a diverse and inclusive hiring process.
Because applying diversity and inclusion in the recruitment process isn’t an easy task, there are many obstacles a company has to overcome to have a diverse and inclusive hiring method or process.
But there’s now an excellent tool for companies that are willing to have a diverse and inclusive workplace, which is LinkedIn.
By leveraging the features of LinkedIn, a company can effortlessly reach more diverse candidates and establish a robust inclusive hiring process.
This article is for you; If your organization wants to implement a diverse and inclusive hiring process using LinkedIn.
In this article, we’ll learn tips on leveraging LinkedIn for diverse and inclusive hiring, what it is, its benefits, etc.
What Is Diverse And Inclusive Hiring?
Diversity and inclusion hiring is the practice of searching, selecting, interviewing, and hiring candidates from a wide range of backgrounds. This can include candidates with different ethnicities, races, genders, sexual orientations, religions, and abilities to create a more diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone gets to work together and strive to achieve goals without any barriers.
In a diverse and inclusive hiring environment, all employees feel valued, respected, and able to contribute their unique perspectives and talents.
Leveraging LinkedIn For Diverse And Inclusive Hiring
Every recruiter now knows that LinkedIn is one of the best platforms for recruiting. But do you know that you can also turn your LinkedIn recruiting effort for diver and inclusive hiring?
You can accelerate your diverse and inclusive hiring process just by utilizing a few tips on LinkedIn.
Let’s see how you can leverage LinkedIn for diverse and inclusive hiring.
- Create job posts carefully
Job posts are the best way to attract candidates from LinkedIn. Job posts play the first and one of the most vital roles when it comes to diverse and inclusive hiring.
When creating job posts, many recruiters unwittingly use some languages or words which make the post biased.
While creating job descriptions for diverse and inclusive hiring, make sure that the job post doesn’t contain any words or phrases that can hurt a particular gender or race, such as Asian, Hispanic, and Black candidates.
As a recruiter, you should make certain that job descriptions are non-discriminatory and free of bias so that anybody, regardless of gender, color, ethnicity, religion, or other personal traits, can apply. Job descriptions that don’t have any types of racism and are bias-free attract a more diverse pool of candidates.
- Promote diversity and inclusion
Another way to use LinkedIn for diverse and inclusive hiring is to promote diversity and inclusion through the company and personal profile. You’ll draw more people to your profile and company page by sharing diverse and inclusive content.
This will also promote your company; in the future, you can convert followers into recruits!
So what’s the trick for promoting diversity and inclusion through LinkedIn?
Consider sharing content! Contents can easily engage with people, and sharing LinkedIn content is also effective. You can share text, image-based, or video content to let people know that you or the company you’re hiring emphasizes employee diversity and inclusion.
- Join diversified groups
LinkedIn groups are also a powerful tool for diverse and inclusive hiring. If you are having trouble promoting or getting diverse and talented candidates, you can join LinkedIn groups focused on specific communities.
For example, there are groups for Black, Asian, Hispanic, Women, and LGBTQ professionals. Consider joining those groups and sharing content that promotes how your company values diversity and employees work together by respecting each other’s beliefs and perspectives.
This single strategy can greatly help attract a diverse range of prospects and gain followers who may apply for future positions in your organization.
- Stay connected
Stay connected with candidates, whether they are hired or not. Staying in touch with prospects can bring significant benefits to organizations. It helps build and maintain positive relationships with job seekers and potential future employees, leading to increased brand awareness and loyalty.
Candidates who have positive experiences with a company may be more likely to recommend it to others or consider it for future job opportunities.
- Be clear about your commitment to diversity and inclusion
Start reaching with an introduction that reflects your company’s values and commitment to diversity and inclusion. Make sure your messaging is inclusive and avoids languages that may demotivate them.
Also, be obvious, don’t hide anything or give candidates any wrong information or false hope to make them accept the offer. It’ll ruin the company’s image and brand value.
Be straightforward; this helps candidates make informed decisions about whether they want to move forward with the application process.
- Provide training
Training your team on diverse and inclusive hiring practices can help them recognize and avoid unconscious biases because unconscious biases are natural but the recruiting team has to be careful as a single bias can lead to harmful consequences in the recruitment process, such as excluding certain people and reducing the diversity of the candidate pool.
You can create a more inclusive recruitment process and attract more candidates by providing your team with the tools and knowledge to recognize and avoid unconscious bias in job descriptions and messages.
Visit “Advanced LinkedIn Sourcing Techniques for Recruiters” and know some advanced LinkedIn sourcing techniques to make sourcing more simple!
Benefits Of Diverse And Inclusive Hiring
The benefits of diverse and inclusive hiring are many. Not only it’ll help you as a recruiter or company, but it’ll also help the employees and society as a whole.
The advantages that you’ll get with diverse and inclusive hiring are innumerable.
Here are a few advantages of inclusive hiring practices are listed below:
Extend the candidate pool: According to various surveys and reports, companies that give high value to diversity and inclusion in the hiring process are more likely to draw applicants from underrepresented groups, which can help them in increasing the diversity of their workforce.
Better decision-making: A diverse workforce can contribute a variety of viewpoints and experiences, which can result in more intelligent and creative decision-making. Also, diverse teams can offer more creativity and innovation since they can produce a wider variety of ideas.
Increased employee engagement: When employees are engaged and motivated, they feel appreciated and included, which can result in higher productivity and job satisfaction.
Improved reputation: By creating a diverse and inclusive workforce, companies show that they value and respect individuals from different backgrounds and experiences. This eventually helps them draw more stakeholders, such as clients and investors from various backgrounds, which can result in enhanced client relations.
Higher profitability: Diverse and inclusive hiring practices can significantly boost profitability. Reports show that companies with more diverse teams are more innovative and come up with better decisions. This is because a diverse range of employees has a deeper understanding of customers, resulting in better products and services that meet their needs.
In addition, a more inclusive work environment leads to higher levels of retention and increased productivity. When employees feel respected, they are more invested in the company’s success, ultimately driving greater profitability
Reduced turnover: Employee turnover has become a serious problem for every sector. According to various data, every industry has an overall turnover rate of more than 15%! And in some sectors, it’s more than 40%!
High turnover rates are causing companies to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. However, Diverse and inclusive hiring can help reduce turnover in a company.
Because when employees feel that they are appreciated and valued, they are more likely to be engaged and committed to their work, which can assist in lowering turnover and related costs.
Legal compliance: Many states have laws and regulations requiring businesses to prioritize diversity and inclusion in their employment procedures. You might have to face lawsuits if you don’t follow the rules while hiring candidates.
Positive social impact: When businesses give diversity and inclusion high priority in the employment process, they help to advance social justice, equality, and fairness.
Check out LinkedIn Recruiting Best Practices and Tips to speed up your recruiting process.
Discriminatory Language To Avoid During Diverse And Inclusive Hiring
Language is a powerful tool not only in our personal life. During the hiring process, It is essential to be aware of the language you’re using. A few words or phrases may not sound discriminatory, but they are; using them will turn qualified candidates away and limit the talent pool.
Below are some examples of discriminatory language to avoid when focusing on diverse and inclusive hiring:
- Gender-specific
The most common mistake is using gender-specific language, such as “he” or “she,” which can exclude non-binary or transgender candidates.
Instead, use gender-neutral words such as “they” or rephrase the sentence to avoid using pronouns altogether.
- Age-related
There’s nothing wrong with mentioning age in a job description, as the minimum age varies for different roles. But avoid using specific language that may discriminate against older and younger candidates, such as “young and dynamic” or “experienced but outdated.”
- Disability-related
Many disabled people are also looking for jobs. Don’t use disrespectful language when referring to disabilities or physical limitations.
Instead, focus on the candidate’s qualifications and skills, not their disability.
- Racial or ethnic
Avoid making assumptions or stereotyping candidates based on their race or ethnicity. For example, phrases like “well-spoken for a person of color” or “ethnic-sounding name” can be discriminatory.
- Religious
Don’t mention anything about candidates related to religion or religious background. This can lead to discrimination against particular religions and is irrelevant to the job.
Also, Visit & Find Out Some Advanced LinkedIn Sourcing Techniques for Recruiters
Why Diverse And Inclusive Hiring Is Important In 2023?
Every year the environment and practices in the corporate sector are changing, and in recent years, diversity and inclusion in the workplace have been the focal point of people and organizations.
In 2023, it’s predicted that companies will prioritize diverse and inclusive hiring practices even more, to attract top talent and create a friendly working environment
Here is why diverse and inclusive hiring will be important in 2023:
Attract More Candidates: By prioritizing diversity and inclusion in the hiring process, organizations can attract more candidates because they won’t limit who can apply and who can’t. This will help a company to reach a broader candidate pool.
Create a Friendly Working Environment: Diverse and inclusive hiring means creating a friendly and supportive working environment for all employees. And if a company has diversity and inclusion in the workplace, employees feel more valued, engaged, productive, and motivated.