We live in an era when there is a far greater precedent for inclusivity and diversity than ever before. Social justice has become a large tenet in all industries and we are slowly seeing the effects of this paradigm shift when we look at the changing demographics of the workforce overall. 

The reason why this is becoming such a prominent trend is that people are now starting to realize that talent comes in different shapes and sizes, different personality types and different races, different perspectives, and different religions. For the longest time, there has always been unfair advantage given to people that belong to a certain demographic group — the importance of diversity is finally becoming more recognized. 

Of course, this comes with a heavy set of challenges for organizations because their methods of recruiting employees have always been more catered to certain types of people. If companies are going to prove their commitment to inclusiveness, they are going to have to change some of the processes that they are already used to include a wider set of candidates. After all, that is what inclusiveness is all about, breaking molds, and shattering glass ceilings. 

So what are the steps a company can take to find a more diverse pool of talent? Here are some considerations.

1. Start With Your Content

The first place a company should start to attract more diverse candidates is with their content. A company’s content, whether it be its blog posts, videos, commercials, or website copy, is a great way to tell what a company is all about and is the company’s primary way of communicating its message to its target audience. 

A small step that a company can make with its content is to add more people of color, more prominent roles for women, and by using names in their copy that are not typical Caucasian names. Instead of using Michael as an example, it would be nice to use Malik every now and then. Instead of a man being the CEO in a commercial, why not have a woman in that role instead? 

1. Away With the Bias

Doing away with bias in your company is a very good way to attract more diverse people to work for you. You have to remember that we live in the information age, information about the type of people that you hire is most likely widely available for the world to see. You see these things in business school hiring reports all the time — demographic of candidates hired by a certain company, male to female ratio of recruits, languages spoken by recruits, and more. 

If you want to show your potential candidates that you are someone that appreciates people like them, you need to eliminate all of the biases in your hiring statistics slowly but surely. 

1. Prioritize Diversity At All Levels Of the Company

Of course one of the most inspiring ways to hire new candidates that come from a wider pool of backgrounds is to make sure that your company values diversity in not only the smaller roles but the larger ones as well. You have to truly demonstrate that your company values social mobility and would not think twice about hiring a diverse candidate for a very prominent role if that person is indeed right for the job. 

Companies like Google, for example, are very attractive to some of the best software engineers that come from India because they have seen proof that an Indian person can become the CEO.

1. Include Diversity In Your Branding

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Prioritizing diversity and inclusiveness in your company branding is a very powerful way to not only attract a more diverse pool of customers but a diverse pool of candidates as well. 

One example of this that is worthy of note is a commercial done by Coca-Cola wherein the national anthem of the United States of America was sung not only in English but in many different languages all to the same tune. That was a very creative way of showing that they care about people from all backgrounds. This type of branding really does the job of making diverse candidates more comfortable with your company and thus would inspire them to come work for you.

1. Create Diverse Talent Pools

This strategy to attract a more diverse pool of candidates can not be overlooked because it is probably the most important one. The reason why many candidates do not get to work for certain companies is that the companies simply have not reached out to them. Organizations usually just have their on-campus recruiting events, for example, in the same schools, and in the same neighborhoods. 

If a company truly wants to get a more diverse set of candidates, companies need to start looking further and recruit from many different schools, especially in schools that have more diverse students. 

1. Acknowledge Diverse Good Performers

Finally, the cherry on top when it comes to inspiring diverse candidates to work for you is to simply acknowledge their success as they come. Now, it is important to let any employee know that he or she is doing a good job, but when you do it for diverse candidates — it shows the message that they should not be afraid to come work for your company because your company is one that can help them excel. 

They can not attest to the fact that someone like them has done a great job and the company recognizes it, so they will be more empowered to do the same. 

Diversifying Your Workforce

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With these few tips in mind, you should be well on your way to making your company a more attractive place to work for people from different backgrounds. Consider one more thing though. You should not treat the hiring of diverse candidates as simply a PR stunt. 

The power of doing this goes far beyond just creating an inclusive image for your company, you will be able to truly find the best possible candidates for your organization. There is one simple fact that you cannot deny about finding the right diverse candidates — talent can come from absolutely anywhere. 

Gabe Nelson is a content specialist with over seven years of experience. Just out of high school, he set off crab fishing in the Bering Sea in Alaska. From there he went back home to finish his college degree at the University of Montana. He has written hundreds of content pieces in numerous niches. Currently, he lives in Missouri with his wife and kids.