3. Inclusive Careers Pages
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Inclusive Careers Page Guide
We know a company who wanted to build a diverse workforce by creating a careers page that showed visual diversity. Great idea.
Problem: they didn’t have a diverse workforce.
Their Solution: photo shop people from visible minorities into company photos, then post the doctored photos onto their company website.
We all want to prove our commitment to diversity, but that shouldn’t come at the cost of misrepresenting our team. Could there be a better way to make everyone feel welcome without misleading jobseekers to the actual diversity of the company?
Careers Pages
In this guide, we’re going to share some of the best careers pages of B Corps who’ve already wrestled through these questions. We’ll break them down into practical steps, so you can create a careers page that is welcoming to everybody.
While people may hear about your company from a variety of sources, your website will be the first stop in their research. When they arrive, you want them to feel welcomed.
There’s a lot of overlap between the principles that work on careers pages and the ones that are effective for inclusive job ads. However, a careers page is even easier to do, because you only build it once and then tweak as you go.
Here are three tips to make your careers page more inclusive:
1. Include a Diversity Statement
If you want people to feel welcomed, tell them so! It’s even better if you can show your visitors why their unique perspective is valuable to the company. People have a pretty high sensitivity for green washing, and when they think you’re adding something for legal reasons. Explaining how diversity is a big part of your company’s identity, and why it’s important that people bring their whole selves to work, tells a much clearer story.
Here’s a great example from Arabella Advisor’s diversity, equity & inclusion section on their careers page:
Arabella strives to be a Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion leader in philanthropy. We seek and celebrate diversity and value our colleagues and clients for their unique backgrounds. Our culture of listening and radical empathy connects Arabellans and rewards challenging the status quo. We do this in service of each other, our clients, and all of our communities.
And here’s the first thing you read when you visit Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream careers page.
We are a company of people—human, fallible, imperfect, uneven. Our differences are our strengths. We bring our full selves when we walk through the door. All of it. That’s what gives us our edge.
When I read these statements, it’s clear that everyone is welcome, and that this attitude is baked into the DNA of these companies.
2. Visual Diversity
People have an easier time imagining themselves somewhere when they can see they are represented. You can do this through pictures or even better, through videos.
BDC has a great example on their careers page. The videos give a clear idea of what it’s like to work at BDC and of the diverse group of people who already work there.
In a study called “Target Practice”, researchers found that minority and female applicants also pay attention to how they were represented: were there any women in senior or leadership positions? Did minorities feature in important roles or only at the entry level? This gives people a clue about whether they will have opportunities for advancement or not.
Stock Photos vs. Real Photos
When your website is marketing to other businesses or consumers, stock photos can fill a great role. However, jobseekers who are visiting your careers page want to see what you’re really like.
Potential Challenges
What if you’re not racially diverse?
Unless your workplace consists entirely of clones, there’s going to be important differences between members of your staff. Consider the other types of diversity you might be able to represent visually – age, gender identity, disability, etc.
If you still don’t see diversity, talk about how your company is inclusive, and encourages everyone to bring their whole selves to work, like the example above from Jeni’s.
The “Target Practice” study also shows that female and minority applicants are likely to apply to companies who admitted that they weren’t as diverse as they would like, but wanted their help.
It’s refreshing when honesty works!
3. Evidence of Successful Diversity Practices
If you have statistics, awards, and/or successful programs that show you company is inclusive, show them.
Statistics
BDC shows how diversity is represented on their team in many ways – age, languages spoken, and gender.
Awards/Certifications
Maybe you’ve won an award that shows how diversity is celebrated at your company, or maybe one is coming soon. Maybe you have a certification that shows you’re a part of a community like B Corps.
If you don’t have the budget for a slick video, you can always use the one B Lab has already put together for some extra visual content.
Successful Diversity Programs
The Harvard Business Review put out a study called Why Diversity Programs Fail. In the article, they share what programs have been most successful at growing diversity in companies across the US:
- Access to training
- Mentoring programs
- Equal opportunity policies for promotion
Maybe you have something completely different that’s working – if so, mention it!
A Store Window
Your careers page should be like a store window, not a glossy digitally altered image. Both might encourage people to come in and apply for your jobs, but only one is going to keep them excited when it’s time to get to work.
Check out the careers pages of the B Corps mentioned above and show jobseekers why everyone is welcome at your company!