Posted August 5th, 2022

Hiring seems to be on everyone’s minds these days. There appears to be no end in sight to the recent labor shortage; as a result, talent sourcing has never been more competitive. In addition to standard hiring goals, there has been an increased focus on the importance of workforce diversity.

On average, companies with diverse teams tend to be more profitable and productive. Showcasing progress on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals also positively impacts employer brand, making recruitment and hiring that much easier. Yet many businesses still struggle with their diversity sourcing strategies. Outdated recruiting methods and a lack of access to underrepresented candidates lead to stalled hiring and missed recruitment goals.

We consulted hiring experts and got their tips for upgrading and optimizing your company’s talent sourcing strategy. Here’s what they had to say.

Source Diverse Talent with Social Media and Referrals

The Senior Vice President of HR at GoodHire, Tina Hawk, has twenty-five years of experience sourcing candidates. During an interview, she advised hiring managers to take on a more creative approach when it comes to recruitment:

“The single biggest resource any DEI and HR team has in sourcing diverse candidates is their creativity. Many of your ideal candidates will be working outside of the networks which we typically utilize, so thinking about how we can bring our recruitment efforts outside of and beyond those networks is key.”

Social media and mobile recruiting are becoming increasingly important. Reaching candidates where they already are is an integral part of any recruitment strategy. Hawk advises searching for and connecting with underrepresented talent on LinkedIn. LinkedIn boasts a variety of groups for professionals, including groups specializing in increasing opportunities for those in historically excluded and underrepresented communities.

In addition to social media and mobile recruiting, Hawk says that hiring teams shouldn’t underestimate the power of referrals:

“Finally, employee referral schemes continue to be a popular source of recruitment in a tight labor market. As well as lowering employment costs overall, employee referrals can quickly point you to the candidates that best fit your requirements.”

These sourcing strategies will ultimately increase the size of your network and the scope of your organization’s outreach. It can also positively impact employer brand; the more candidates see a company recruiting on their feed, the more likely they are to get curious and apply.

Test Out Blind Resume Reviews

Regarding diversity talent sourcing strategies, Upshift Work co-founder Steve Anevski recommends utilizing blind resumes to identify quality applicants. Unconscious bias can stall a hiring process without many ever realizing it. Blind resumes, which include no identifying information, enable hiring managers to evaluate candidates without the risk of bias impacting their decision-making.

“Through the blind review process, you can instruct your recruiting assistant to hide information such as race or ethnicity of the job applicant. When the resumes land at your desk, their expertise and experience in the relevant field would be the only differentiating factor,” Anevski said during an interview.

Identifying details such as names, ethnicity, and even address can influence a hiring team’s assessment of a candidate. Removing this information entirely means the applicant’s accomplishments and expertise are the only differentiators left. This ensures that all applicants are on a level playing field and can increase the overall quality of your new hires.

Partner with the Community and Professional Groups

Other hiring experts recommend a more hands-on approach to your diversity sourcing strategy. Irene McConnell is a career coach, hiring manager, and Managing Director of Arielle Executive. She recommends partnering with local schools and job fairs when sourcing underrepresented applicants.

“Many colleges and schools throughout the country serve underrepresented groups. Recruiters can plan extensive campaigns and job fairs that specifically target these schools to diversify their workforce. Some examples of these schools are Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Serving Institutions.”

She adds that recruiters can also search for more experienced alums by the school on LinkedIn, which helps locate seasoned professionals. This sourcing strategy helps organizations find fresh, qualified talent without neglecting progress toward diversity goals. Connecting with relevant professional organizations is another invaluable method of sourcing quality talent.

Regarding diversity sourcing, it’s also essential to be transparent about hiring goals and any progress made towards them. Being upfront with candidates and employees about your company’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion objectives can attract underrepresented applicants and increase trust in your employer’s brand.

Automate for Efficient Recruiting

In addition to these sourcing strategies, automation can also be used to streamline recruitment and hiring. For example, diversity recruiting platforms empower talent acquisition teams to remove biases in their hiring process and scale their diversity recruitment pipeline.

Considering that recruiters spend half of their salaried hours sourcing candidates, inbound sourcing with a platform can save companies thousands in recruiting costs by reducing time spent searching for talent.

Implementing automation can not only help your organization save time and money on recruitment but also increase representation and workforce diversity across the board. Regarding candidate sourcing, automation can be the difference between a leaky recruitment pipeline and an efficient one.

Final Tips for Talent Acquisition

There are a variety of avenues talent professionals can take to enhance their sourcing strategies. Meeting candidates where they are, reducing opportunities for bias, and connecting with communities are all excellent ways to attract and recruit underrepresented talent. Automation can help streamline this process and save your team valuable time on candidate sourcing. However, you enhance your diversity recruiting efforts, be sure to communicate your DEI goals to applicants and employees alike.