Approach
In addition to searching for talent through personal contacts or referrals, employers should actively invite unsolicited applications on their websites and gather suitable candidates in a talent pool. Vacancies should always be advertised publicly and distributed through channels that target underrepresented diversity groups. These include recruitment agencies, job portals, magazines, and other media. The announcement should be made accessible and available in all relevant languages of the region. Information fairs and networking events targeting specific diversity groups are also valuable recruitment channels. As an official representative of the organization, the contacts for candidates and selection committees should be selected as diversely as possible. They should be easily approachable for those interested.
Effect
Key positions are often not advertised and are instead awarded “under the table”. This can lead to the exclusion of underrepresented diversity groups, promote homogeneous team compositions, and result in power imbalances in the organization. This risk is countered by diversifying recruitment channels.
Openings should be advertised internally and externally to attract the best individuals and ensure that the workforce is as diverse as possible. Disseminating inclusive job profiles across multiple recruiting channels targets different diversity groups and attracts the largest possible pool of applicants.