In today’s competitive job market, securing diverse talent is a game-changer for any organization. With insights from a CEO and a Head of Marketing, this article addresses effective inclusive hiring practices. It kicks off with implementing blind recruitment techniques and concludes with using gamified assessments for real-time skills. Discover all ten strategies shared by industry leaders to refine your approach to recruiting.
- Implement Blind Recruitment Techniques
- Share Job Openings in Diverse Networks
- Expand Recruiting Channels into LinkedIn
- Avoid Discouraging Language in Job Ads
- Prioritize Good Character
- Create Structured, Unbiased Job Descriptions
- Use a Values-Based Interview Process
- Focus on Skills Over Personal Details
- Standardize Interviews with Scorecards
- Use Gamified Assessments for Real-Time Skills
Implement Blind Recruitment Techniques
To ensure our hiring practices are inclusive and attract diverse talent, I focus on creating a structured recruitment process that minimizes bias. We implement blind recruitment techniques by removing identifying information from applications, allowing us to assess candidates based solely on their skills and experience.
We’ve partnered with diverse professional networks and organizations to broaden our talent-pool. This strategy not only enhances diversity but also enriches our team with varied perspectives and ideas.
Justin Smith
CEO, Contractor+
Share Job Openings in Diverse Networks
We focus on talent while ensuring our hiring process reaches a wide range of candidates. Keeping job descriptions flexible, we emphasize skills over strict requirements like specific degrees. That approach opens the door for talented individuals from different backgrounds to apply.
We also make a point to share job openings in diverse networks, helping us widen the pool. It’s not just about hiring someone based on their background; it’s about ensuring everyone with the right skills gets an equal chance. That way, we find the best talent while keeping the process inclusive and fair.
Juan Carlos Munoz
Co-Founder, CC Creative Design
Expand Recruiting Channels into LinkedIn
Our strategy for ensuring inclusive and diverse hiring practices is expanding our recruiting channels beyond the traditional job boards. We’ve embraced fielding candidates through LinkedIn, which allows us access to a diverse pool of talent globally. As a hybrid company, we attract candidates from all backgrounds who are enticed by the idea of working with a renowned company remotely.
We have also had great success creating an inclusive workplace and attracting diverse talent by having an employee-referral program in place. We inform our employees of vacancies available in the company and invite them to refer qualified candidates. This contribution diversifies the talent pool and helps us make our hiring practices more inclusive in the long run.
Clooney Wang
CEO, TrackingMore
Avoid Discouraging Language in Job Ads
We pay close attention to how we word our job ads, avoiding language that might unintentionally discourage certain groups from applying. We clearly state that we are committed to fostering an open and fair workplace and that we don’t discriminate based on background, race, gender, or sexual orientation, or any other form of discrimination. We also highlight during the interviews that we are a team of more than 15 nationalities and emphasize our inclusive culture. This transparent approach helps create a welcoming tone and encourages a broader range of candidates to apply.
Being up-front about our values has made a noticeable difference. We’ve attracted more candidates from diverse backgrounds, which has helped us build a stronger, more innovative team. Having this diversity brings fresh perspectives that are incredibly valuable in tackling challenges and driving company growth.
Kinga Fodor
Head of Marketing, PatentRenewal.com
Prioritize Good Character
Our firm focuses on both qualifications and character. One strategy we use is broadening our recruitment channels. Instead of relying solely on traditional legal job boards, we partner with diverse professional organizations, law schools, and community networks to reach a wider pool of candidates from different backgrounds.
We also prioritize blind-resume reviews in the initial stages of hiring. By removing names, gender, and other personal identifiers, we ensure that the focus is on each candidate’s skills, experience, and potential. This approach helps eliminate unconscious bias and allows us to attract diverse talent that enriches our firm’s culture and enhances our ability to represent a wide range of clients effectively. Through these efforts, we foster an inclusive environment where different perspectives are valued and contribute to our collective success.
Scott Monroe
Founder and Criminal Defense Attorney, Monroe Law, P.A.
Create Structured, Unbiased Job Descriptions
To ensure inclusive hiring practices, we create structured, unbiased job descriptions. We audit each listing to remove language that might deter diverse candidates. Simple adjustments—avoiding jargon, using gender-neutral terms, and focusing on essential skills—make a big difference.
We also use anonymous applications in the early stages. By hiding names, photos, and other personal details, we keep the focus on skills and experience, not assumptions. This approach attracts a wider range of candidates and ensures everyone has a fair chance to move forward.
We don’t stop there. Regular training on unconscious bias helps hiring managers assess candidates more fairly. It’s about building a recruitment process where everyone feels they belong from the start, fostering an inclusive and diverse workforce.
Dhari Alabdulhadi
CTO and Founder, Ubuy Netherlands
Use a Values-Based Interview Process
Creating an inclusive hiring practice starts with recognizing the importance of character alongside qualifications. In the field of family law, it’s important to have team members who understand the law and also connect with clients on a human level. We have implemented a values-based interview process that goes beyond traditional assessments of legal knowledge and skills. We aim to identify candidates who resonate with our firm’s core values of empathy, integrity, and collaboration.
During interviews, we ask situational questions designed to elicit responses that showcase a candidate’s problem-solving abilities, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills. For example, we might present a scenario where a client is distressed and struggling to communicate their needs. We ask candidates how they would approach this situation, encouraging them to share past experiences where they had to navigate similar challenges. This will reveal their technical competence as well as their capacity to empathize with clients, ensuring that they can provide the compassionate support our clients need during difficult times.
A values-based approach supports a culture of inclusivity within our firm. By emphasizing character traits in our hiring process, we are able to attract individuals from diverse backgrounds who may have faced different challenges and have unique perspectives to contribute.
Joy Owenby
Founder and Family Law Attorney, Owenby Law, P.A.
Focus on Skills Over Personal Details
At Wimpole Clinic, where we focus on hair health, our hiring practices must be inclusive to have a diverse team to support our patients.
One thing we do is use blind recruitment in the first stages of hiring. This means we review candidates based on their skills and experience without seeing personal details like names or photos, which helps reduce bias.
For example, when hiring trichologists, we only look at their qualifications and experience in hair health. This has helped us bring in people from different backgrounds, which is great for treating various hair types and issues. Having a diverse team makes us better at caring for our clients.
Dr. Michael May
Medical Director, Wimpole Clinic
Standardize Interviews with Scorecards
Our strategy to ensure inclusive hiring practices is standardizing interviews.
We use the same set of questions for each candidate to help reduce the chances we’re accidentally giving one candidate a harder time than another.
We also use scorecards to mark candidates on skills and competencies so that we can make a hiring decision based on their abilities and fit for the role, rather than any other factor.
Matt Collingwood
Founder and Managing Director, VIQU IT Recruitment
Use Gamified Assessments for Real-Time Skills
Over the years, one thing that’s really shifted how we approach hiring is using gamified assessments. In place of the typical résumé reviews or interviews, we’ve started using these game-like challenges to see how candidates think on their feet. It’s not just about what’s on paper, but it’s about how they solve problems in real-time, and it’s been a huge eye-opener.
I’ve noticed that this method has leveled the playing field. We’re not just looking at someone’s previous job titles or where they went to school. We’re watching them in action, seeing their actual skills. What’s really interesting is that it’s brought in people we might have missed if we stuck to the old ways of hiring.
Plus, these assessments give us a sense of how someone makes decisions under pressure—something that’s essential in a fast-paced, remote-work environment. Overall, this has helped us build a team that’s diverse in background but also highly skilled. It’s been a game-changer for us.
Lucas Botzen
Talent Acquisition Specialist & CEO, Rivermate