How can you build partnerships with employers to promote diversity and inclusion?

Nutzen Sie den Service der Bundesagentur für Arbeit, oder auch Informationen von Charta der Vielfalt, Aktion Mensch, oder anderen Vereinigungen, die sich für Diversity&Inclusion einsetzen.

Using personal connections, through colleagues, clients or others can be incredibly valuable. Personal connections allow deeper conversations about a values, goals and culture. That way a more nuanced understanding can be gained, surpassing what is readily available online. It opens the door to discussions on a deeper level enabling a better grasp of the expectations both ways. Also the employer benefits from this intensified interaction. This approach enables the company to pinpoint candidates who align well with their values and work environment, fostering a more targeted approach to collaboration and nurturing long-term, fruitful relationships between your organization and employers who share similar visions.

I find the employers that are most in need of DEI support are those that likely don't have robust DEI statements or are practicing inclusive hiring techniques. THESE are the employers you WANT to target because your impact and value add would be enormous and meeting a need they can't fulfill themselves. Clearly this is an area of improvement for them, so it's the perfect chance to offer multiple solutions and opportunities to collaborate in a way that augments the current staff and hiring practices. Typically the employers doing the best DEI work don't need my help- I try to find employers open to learning but don't have the knowledge or subject matter expertise in house to do it themselves.

Teilen Sie eigene Erfahrung zum Thema Diversity&Inclusion. Es muss nicht immer alles perfekt sein, Diversity&Inclusion ist eine Reise. Sprechen Sie auch über die Herausforderungen.

I would try to connect with individuals who seem to have influence within the company. Try to establish personal contact, either at a trade fair or via FaceTime. You can achieve this by reaching out to them via email, phone, or LinkedIn, expressing your interest in collaborating on diversity and inclusion initiatives. In this way, you'll initially gain important information about the company that will give you an advantage over other applicants. In the second step, you might succeed in convincing these contacts to potentially advocate for you in the application process. Later, you should try to develop these contacts as mentors or trusted individuals.

Suchen Sie zuerst nach eigenen positiven Beispielen in Ihrem Unternehmen und teilen diese mit der Belegschaft. Oft gibt es schon viele gute Beispiele für Diversity&Inclusion. Man muss sie nur sichtbar machen.

Proposing solutions and benefits that align with the employer's needs is a sensitive matter. It's crucial to refrain from assessing the current status in any way and maintain a neutral stance. Expressing viewpoints that could make your contacts feel devalued or disregarded will result in a loss. Proceed with caution. Craft your proposals in the third person. Reference other companies that have successfully implemented similar strategies—use benchmarks. Before presenting such proposals, thorough familiarity with the company is essential. Develop suggestions that will convincingly appeal to the other party.

Before negotiating terms and expectations with employers, engage in self-reflection. Define your worth in detail – write it down precisely. Gather arguments for it and involve family and friends. Only once you have determined your value, deal with the employer's offers. Define your personal limits and rehearse arguments for them confidently. In this negotiation, your counterpart should not sense any uncertainties from you. Think of dogs, which only bite when they feel fear.

The fifth step involves delivering quality and added value to the employers you collaborate with. Once trust has been established and a partnership formed, significant progress has been made. Now it's about the efforts at ground level – it's time to meet expectations. This is where it can be highly beneficial to gather feedback, suggestions, and testimonials. Doing so ensures that you are always closely aligned with the requirements. It's likely not much effort for you to consistently try to surpass expectations. Whether you fulfill a task at 100% or 120% isn't significantly more work. However, it sends a very important signal when you constantly strive to go the extra mile. It will likely bring an extra reward back to you.

The final step is to expand your relationships with the employers. Try to establish personal connections with the decision-makers. Approach this with a lot of tact, as the decision-makers are several hierarchy levels above you. Eventually, an opportunity may arise where your assistance or expertise is needed. Under no circumstances should you pit the decision-makers against each other. Also, avoid any kind of negative remarks about them. This creates an impression of trustworthiness among the respective decision-makers, and that trust will eventually be reciprocated.

The end of the cycle is the beginning of the new. Define your worth in detail! Become clear about what you want to achieve after two and after five years. Write it down and carry it in your heart. This way, you will radiate your vision. However, speak about it only when asked at first. The time will come when your vision will be heard.