The employment market is going through a major shake-up. The impact of the last two years has changed the way that talent is recruited and altered candidates’ expectations of their potential employers.
A more socially conscious workforce is emerging from the pandemic, so businesses must keep pace with these shifting expectations to attract and retain talent effectively. In fact, 76 per cent of job seekers now say that diversity is an important factor when considering a company(1). With that in mind, GC Business Growth Hub – part of the Growth Company and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund – has identified three actions that you can take to recruit diverse talent streams more effectively.
Create inclusive job advertisements
Adopting a wide-reaching approach to recruitment begins with the job advert – and concise, inclusive descriptions are a positive first step. By eliminating unnecessary industry jargon and clearly detailing the relevant skills and competencies, you can reach a wider and more diverse talent pool. This approach is especially effective when the ad is consciously placed in relevant locations where a diverse pool of candidates can access it.
Review your interview process
Interviews are as important for your business as they are for applicants. This is one of the first opportunities that they will have to assess your company’s make-up and culture for themselves, so aim to have a diverse panel with at least two people interviewing. To put as many candidates as possible at ease, you could also allow for reasonable adjustments during the process and stick to questions that relate to their skills and competencies. For maximum fairness and inclusivity, you might also consider standardising the interview process by asking each candidate the same questions and scoring them accordingly. Being mindful of these adjustments could prove the difference in attracting the talent that you want or losing them to a competitor.
Address unconscious bias
Commitment to diversity and inclusion cannot stop once team members are through the door: a company looking to broaden its talent net and benefit from a diverse workforce should consider taking part in unconscious bias training to show that it is driven towards continuous development inside and out. One way to remove unconscious bias from the recruitment process is to remove names, schools, locations, and dates of birth from CVs, to ensure that you only focus on skills and competencies when assessing candidates. Embracing diversity and inclusivity shouldn’t be something to be feared by businesses, but something to embrace. The results speak for themselves: a McKinsey report in 2020(2) found that companies with diverse management teams were more likely than ever to outperform non-diverse businesses on profitability.
Where do you start?
Support is available for Greater Manchester’s SMEs, says Dawn Duggan, Head of People, Skills & Talent at GC Business Growth Hub: “Our expert advisors can help your business, with guidance tailored to its specific needs in this fast-changing world. From training sessions on unconscious bias to advice on how best to structure job advertisements, the Hub can put you in a great position to attract diverse talent stream in a fast-changing world.”
Download GC Business Growth Hub’s free guide for SME leaders, Attracting and Retaining Talent in a Changing World.
1 Glassdoor’s 2020 Diversity Hiring Survey.
2 McKinsey & Company’s Diversity Wins 2020 report.
Unlocking Potential in Business
GC Business Growth Hub makes businesses in Greater Manchester the very best they can be.
The Hub unlocks potential in business by helping them drive sustainability, spark innovation, develop leadership and talent, become more efficient, sell more and open new markets, and access finance and funding, as well as helping entrepreneurs start their own business.
Experienced advisors spend time getting to know you and your business objectives, enabling them to create a bespoke growth plan which adapts as your company evolves.
The tailored support they deliver is often fully-funded (at no cost to your business) and includes specialist programmes, one-to-one and peer-to-peer advice, events, exclusive resources.
Contact GC Business Growth Hub today on
0161 359 3050
BGH@growthco.uk
or via www.businessgrowthhub.com
GC Business Growth Hub is part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the a project designed to help ambitious SME businesses achieve growth and increase employment in Greater Manchester. The Hub is also supported by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Greater Manchester local authorities.
