Veteran PE journalist offers free channel to reach women/minority candidates...Holds Breath...Turns Blue...

Since launching the weekly Private Equity Career News last May I've offered firms the chance to run a free recruitment posting in my newsletter.

But even as the newsletter raced past 2,000 subscribers last week I've only had a handful of takers--well under 10. Many of my subscribers are women and minorities bent on breaking into the industry or, if already in, finding new opportunities.

PE executives say that they care a lot about diversity. Several big firms have even hired chief diversity officers. In private conversations many executives lament that they're doing all they can to find women and minority candidates--but that, alas, women and minorities simply aren't applying in sufficient quantity.

The next time you're in a conversation with someone who says they're doing all they can to find women and minority candidates, ask them specifically what they've done. Do they have a career page on their Web site? Do they advertise open positions broadly? Here's what I've observed in over a year of covering PE hiring practices:

* HR executives or external executive recruiters hired to fill posts do, of course, reach out to potential candidates to see if they're interested and to ask for referrals;

* On the other hand, most PE firms don't have career sections on their Web sites advertising open positions and you won't find many PE recruitment ads on the most popular job boards;

* Executive recruiters who place recruitment ads by and large don't disclose the names of the hiring firms; so it's impossible to know if the jobs are real;

I imagine some PE executives tell their HR partners and executive recruiters that they care about diversity. They tell them that they want to see women and minority candidates.

But overall the industry is coming up short in doing all it can to find women and minority candidates.

PE firms can start with this simple step: Let the world know on their Web sites and via recruitment ads about specific open positions and that they welcome applications from women and minority candidates.

What do you think? Could the PE industry be doing more to diversify its talent pool?

Sign up here for the free version of my weekly newsletter, Private Equity Career News. Email job openings or links to recruitment ads to [email protected].