B Work’s Guide for Diversity and Inclusion Hiring

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!