Welcome to Inclusion Unpacked! Your weekly newsletter where we unpack diversity topics to help founders, managers, and community leaders navigate the current climate.
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Today We Are Answering your Questions! Remember, if you have a diversity-related question, email us at (hello@inclusionunpacked.com) and we will choose one to unpack in our newsletter each week.
This Week’s Question:
“How do you attract diverse talent when your current talent pool fears being tokenized or is (understandably) wary of being the First/Only in a predominantly white space. We have to start somewhere, yet when we repeatedly try to start, we’re ultimately passed on because we’re “too white.”
-Help Wanted
Dear Help Wanted,
I agree that you have to start somewhere, and it is great that your company wants to invest more resources into hiring diverse talent. By now, it is common knowledge that hiring culturally diverse teams helps foster a more creative, innovative, and productive work environment.
Here are some tips you can use today:
Be vocal about your values throughout the hiring process. Share your company values. Inform all future hires that you desire to foster a diverse work environment and create inclusivity among employees. In addition to promoting inclusivity, expressing diversity values helps weed-out potential employees whose values don't align.
Acknowledge your company's lack of diversity. You have to start somewhere, be upfront with where you are and where you hope to be. Tell diverse candidates what you plan to do to make their work environment more equitable for them once they join.
Ex. outline promotion processes/career planning, investment in diverse organizations, upcoming diversity programming, etc.
Leverage diversity hiring platforms - When you think about hiring, do not merely rest on your network. Leverage diversity hiring platforms in your candidate search. Use this medium article which highlights 20 companies dedicated to assisting companies in hiring diverse talent.
Thank you for sharing your diversity hiring question! Keep going. It may take a while to see progress but don't give up.
-Tori
CEO & Founder, Inclusion Unpacked
tori@inclusionunpacked.com