Ten tips to help you implement diversity in your own teams
Start from the top
Incorporate diversity into the company’s DNA. The most forward thinking businesses I know have second interview diversity quotas. Sourcing a big enough funnel of talent might take a little longer upfront, but it pays off massively in the long run.
Lead by example
You get the best out of people if they can bring their whole selves to work. For example, my email signature reads ‘delightfully dyslexic, excuse typos!’. My dyslexia comes with some challenges (like I’m terrible at spelling), but it’s also my superpower in that dyslexics have high levels of perseverance, intuition, creativity and empathy, meaning we thrive as leaders, creatives and entrepreneurs. The more leaders are open about their specific superpowers/challenges like neurodiversities, the more mid-levels and juniors coming through can also feel empowered.
Think carefully about job descriptions
You might be putting off a whole raft of people that might otherwise apply for your position simply by using the wrong language or overloading the job description with too many required skills and experience. For example, men and women do not perceive job descriptions the same way – on average a man will be more likely to apply for any job they’re interested in, while women tend to apply if they feel they have all the qualifications needed. I recommend stripping out everything that isn’t essential, as many things can be taught in-house. This will result in a more diverse selection of applicants.
Hire for value fit not culture fit
So often I hear people saying ‘we've got to hire for culture fit’. I become worried about that, as hiring for culture fit tends to mean hiring someone you think you’ll get on with – someone you would potentially go to the pub with. This attitude tends to lead to very non-diverse teams because you're hiring people like you and if we’re all the same how can we think differently? What's more important is hiring talented people who share your company's values.
Remove bias from your recruitment process
Interviewing by committee (c.3 people) is a great way for removing bias from the interview process. Blind recruitment is also great, and is a practice that has become increasingly common amongst recruiters in recent years. At its core, blind recruitment is a way to remove personally identifiable data such as name, photo, gender and age from incoming CVs. This results in companies considering applications solely based on talent and skill, thereby removing immediate bias at the first stage of the hiring process. This has lead us to develop a bias-free browsing mode when companies search The Dots to hire talent.