Companies will often claim to be committed to increasing #racial and ethnic diversity in their workforce – but in practice, fall back on the excuse that they don’t receive enough applications from underrepresented groups.
Sticking to the same hiring process won’t yield different results and employers must go further to level the playing field.
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“Traditional hiring processes disadvantage marginalised candidates,” says Khyati Sundaram, CEO of ethical hiring experts, Applied. “So, no matter how good their intentions, companies will be unable to shake homogeneity for as long as they rely on CVs, cover letters and unstructured interviews. Companies that are truly committed to diversity must rethink the way they hire.
“Roles must be advertised externally, and through a range of platforms to broaden the reach of job adverts.”
Research by Applied shows that ethnic minority hires can increase by up to 300% following an anonymous, skills-based approach, she notes.
“Because existing inequalities run so deep, additional measures like diversity quotas can offer a useful way of tracking and accelerating the pace of change. Genuine diversity is about creating equal opportunities for job candidates at all stages of the hiring process – from the moment jobs are advertised, right through to the point at which candidates are assessed and scored.”
From where you advertise to who you invite for internships, here are some organisations doing great work to support and amplify the talents of marginalised groups – and others helping hiring teams discover them.
Acutely aware of the lack of representation in their industry, four people came together to launch a programme to offer 100 black students paid internships in investment management. Now the programme is called 10,000 Black Interns and they organise opportunities for thousands of black and black heritage students across over 25 industries – including law, finance, engineering, HR, property, non-profit and marketing.
Prospective interns need to apply, complete interviews and assessments, and successful candidates are supported by the foundation with training and development beforehand. Each receives at least six weeks in a particular industry, with a mentor – and, importantly, the positions are paid.
The foundation also runs 10,000 Able Interns – supporting disabled students.
Nearly 20 years ago Dr Tony Sewell CBE (now the government’s chair of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities) helped 10 boys from disadvantaged backgrounds go to a STEM summer school. He later set up Generating Genius to support talented students, who face challenges due to their race and other socioeconomic factors, to excel in some of the toughest and highly regarded careers in STEM.
There is still a huge shortage of black professionals within many STEM industries, so the organisation offers year 12 students of black African or Caribbean heritage at non-selective state schools long-term support through A-Levels, university and into the job world – for free for the students. They need to have achieved 5 grades at A*, 9, 8, or 7 at GCSE and be studying at least one science, technology, engineering or maths subject at A-Level.
Businesses and universities work with Generating Genius to get access to talented students.
3. Applied
Recruitment platform Applied provide hiring teams with technology designed to help companies identify the best candidates for roles, while preventing human bias from interfering with the process.
Some 60% of hires made through Applied would be missed during traditional CV sifts, says Sundaram. The platform uses ‘ethically-trained AI’ to flag language that might put off certain groups from applying. It also anonymises CVs, helps identify skills needed for specific roles and creates skills-based assessments.
Multiple members of the hiring team can use skills-focused criteria to assess applicants’ answers independently, blind and in a randomised order. “It means that diverse candidates are judged based on their true potential, rather than their background,” says Sundaram.
4. Access UK
Careers solutions specialist, Access UK (African Caribbean Careers and Employment Support Services UK), offers services to young black beneficiaries to help them secure places at Russell Group universities, start businesses or secure employment (working closely with corporations to do so).
They also offer personalised guidance and support for gang members and ex-offenders aiming to remove employer stigma for these groups.
Companies can work with Access UK to provide work experience opportunities, deliver corporate insight workshops or give corporate donations to support.x
5. Clu
Job marketplace Clu is an inclusive recruitment platform aiming to shatter barriers to entry for overlooked and underutilised talent by focusing on skills-based hiring.
Clients including Deloitte, BBC and Asos, make use of the algorithms to generate ‘skills matrixes’ from job descriptions and then matches opportunities to job seekers with those skills in a safeguarded and accessible environment.
Co-founders Cayelan Mendoza and Joseph Williams started the platform after finding they were often overlooked for job opportunities and filtered out of application processes because they didn’t hold degrees and came from non-traditional working backgrounds.
In ESG news this week:
- Any attempt to politicise climate action would be a ‘mistake’ – Conservative MP Chris Skidmore
- Tesco’s chief executive has called on political parties to stand by their net zero commitments and give businesses confidence to invest in the transition.
- The UK has experienced the hottest September day since 2016, with temperatures reaching 32C in Kew Gardens, London, the Met Office has said.
- Private sector investment worth up to £100 billion is needed to deliver key projects to safeguard UK energy security, according to the offshore energies industry.
- Electric vehicle (EV) production has started at Stellantis’s factory in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire.
Find out more about jobs on offer HERE On this new diverse jobs board.
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Looking for a job in a company that supports diversity click here
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