Alongside internal DEI initiatives, it's crucial to make your recruitment strategy inclusive to attract a diverse range of candidates.
Pride month celebrations are in full flow. Whether you are hosting events and workshops, raising awareness, or donating to LGBTQ+ charities. But when it comes to recruitment, have you considered if your hiring processes are inclusive for LGBTQ+ candidates?
Sexuality and gender identity are important aspects of diversity, but in the workplace, they may be overlooked either because they aren't as visible as race or gender, or because employees don't feel comfortable sharing this aspect of their identity.
Alongside your internal Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, it's crucial to make your recruitment strategy inclusive to attract and hire a diverse range of candidates.
If you are keen to ensure that your hiring processes are as inclusive as possible, check out our five ways to make your recruitment strategy inclusive for LGBTQ+ candidates:
Five ways to make your hiring strategy LGBTQ+ inclusive
1. Train your staff Awareness is key. Anyone involved in the hiring process should be trained in using the right language, inclusion, and unconscious bias. Make sure staff are aware of issues like using the correct pronouns, confidentiality, facility usage, etc to ensure LGBTQ+ candidates have an equal and inclusive experience during the recruitment process. 2. Collect data and set benchmarks It’s important to be able to benchmark and understand how your company is performing when it comes to diversity. Conduct anonymous surveys to find out how current staff identify and include diversity monitoring questions to collect data on applicants. This data will help you identify where and how to focus your efforts. Asking candidates for feedback will also help to understand where you can improve. 3. Consider your policies and benefits All family leave, medical benefits, and other policies must be equal and inclusive for employees in same-sex relationships, or who identify as transgender. For example, check that the language used in parental leave policies allows for a diverse range of relationships and circumstances and that it doesn’t inadvertently exclude anyone. For example, using terms like ‘parental leave’ rather than ‘maternity’ and ‘paternity’. 4. Be proactive If you aren’t currently attracting LGBTQ+ candidates, review your adverts, placements, and job boards to look at where you are recruiting. Consider whether your adverts are inclusive and appeal to diverse audiences. Seek out LGBTQ+ job boards and networks to advertise your roles and don’t forget to communicate and showcase your commitment to DEI and the experiences of a diverse range of employees. 5. Listen to your staff If you don’t already have an LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group, look at setting one up to support your efforts in inclusion, and help audit your recruitment strategy. Listen to the perspectives and stories of staff members. The group can be open to staff members who are allies as well as those who identify as LGBTQ+. It’s important not to pressure anyone to be involved or to feel they have to come out. You should also make sure that the group is a resource and not used to carry all the responsibility of LGTBQ+ inclusion efforts. Implementing a more inclusive hiring strategy and recruitment process will help you to not only attract and hire a more diverse range of candidates but support them from the very beginning of their journey with your company. Diversify the Future is shaping the future of STEM by ensuring that diverse and under-represented communities have access to education and qualifications. We are supported by Engtal, a leading US technology and engineering staffing firm. For every under-represented candidate that Engtal places, they donate $1000 to our scholarship fund for individuals from under-represented or disadvantaged backgrounds to access STEM-specific college scholarships.