How can you create a recruitment strategy that prioritizes diversity?

1 Define your diversity goals

The first step to creating a recruitment strategy that prioritizes diversity is to define what diversity means for your startup. Diversity can refer to various dimensions of identity, such as race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, culture, education, and more. You need to identify which dimensions are most relevant and important for your startup's vision, mission, and values. You also need to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for increasing diversity in your team. For example, you might aim to hire at least 30% women and 20% people of color in your engineering team by the end of the year.

2 Review your hiring process

The next step to creating a recruitment strategy that prioritizes diversity is to review your hiring process and identify any potential biases or barriers that might prevent diverse candidates from applying or succeeding. You need to examine every stage of your hiring process, from sourcing to screening to interviewing to offering, and look for ways to make it more inclusive and fair. For example, you might use gender-neutral language and avoid jargon in your job descriptions, use structured and standardized criteria and tools to assess candidates' skills and fit, use diverse and trained interview panels to reduce unconscious bias, and offer flexible and transparent compensation and benefits packages.

3 Expand your talent pool

The third step to creating a recruitment strategy that prioritizes diversity is to expand your talent pool and reach out to more diverse sources of candidates. You need to diversify your recruitment channels and methods, and leverage your network and partnerships to attract more diverse talent. For example, you might post your job openings on niche job boards, social media groups, and online communities that cater to diverse audiences, attend or sponsor events and programs that promote diversity and inclusion in your industry, partner with organizations and institutions that support underrepresented groups in your field, and encourage referrals and recommendations from your existing diverse employees.