How Employers Can Effectively Hire Diverse Talent

PC workplace diversity is a strategic, not just a moral, imperative. Companies with varied staff outperform peer companies, navigate change more effectively, and make better decisions. But even with the data, many companies are still grappling with the practicalities of how to hire diverse talent.
So what distinguishes the talkers from those who build diversity into their DNA?

Here, we’ll go through below-the-radar, highly effective measures employers can take, way before the job ad even goes out.

1. Write Inclusive Job Descriptions That Appeal to All

Language can invite someone in or close them out. Many of these traditional job descriptions contain subtle biases signaling to underrepresented groups: This job isn’t for you.
What to do:

Use gender-neutral language. Tools like Gender Decoder identify “masculine-coded” terms (for example, “assertive” or “ninja”), which can scare women away even if they meet the standards.
Avoid exclusive-sounding phrases like “native English speaker,” “young and energetic,” or “recent graduate,” as this potentially discriminates indirectly on age or background.

Prioritise skills and competencies, rather than simply degrees or a specific number of years in just one field. Many of the most talented candidates will take nontraditional paths to get there.
Be clear about your DEI commitment in the job description.

Example:
Instead of saying “Looking for a rockstar developer to join our fast-paced team,” try:
"We’re seeking a skilled software developer passionate about solving real-world problems in a collaborative, inclusive team environment."

2. Broaden Your Talent Pool

If you are advertising a limited pool of jobs through the same mainstream channels (i.e., LinkedIn and Indeed), you’re not reaching as far as you think. To engage with underrepresented groups, you need to meet them where they are.

How to widen your reach:

• Try diversity job boards: Sites such as DiverseJobsMatter, BME Jobs, MyGWork (for LGBTQ+ professionals), Evenbreak (for disabled talent), and SheCanCode all exist to facilitate employers finding diverse candidates.
• Form a partnership with a local community-based organisation, cultural group or nonprofit that offers career training to minorities.
• Connect with university societies like the African-Caribbean Law Students Society, Women in Tech groups, or disability inclusion student networks.
• Host (or sponsor) career fairs or webinars about diversity and inclusion to help build strong, lasting brand trust with diverse communities.

Pro Tip: Look at the demographics of your applicant pool. If the bulk of them are from the same type of background, he said, that’s a signal to re-evaluate how you’re sourcing your hiring pipeline.

3. Invest in Unconscious Bias Training

It’s been a hot topic within the legal community and companies over the last few years, and for good reason. No matter how well-intentioned, even the most open-minded hiring managers have the most insidious of biases lurking in their unconscious. These mental shortcuts determine how we read resumes, handle interviews, and ultimately choose whom to hire. 

Combat bias by:

• Conducting mandatory unconscious bias workshops for all interviewers

• Using structured interviews with predefined questions and scoring rubrics to reduce subjectivity

• Implementing blind resume reviews—removing names, schools, or photos to reduce bias during screening

• Including diverse interview panels to minimise groupthink and provide balanced perspectives

Example:
A Harvard study found that when hiring panels included at least one woman or minority member, underrepresented candidates were 25% more likely to be hired.

4. Show Your DEI in Your Employer Brand

Candidates want to feel like they will be supported, not simply processed like a checkbox. If they don’t see diversity represented on your website, in your leadership, or in your culture, you know what they are going to think? Ways to show your commitment:

• Post employee stories from various walks of life to your career page or social media
• Provide repeated reminders to promote and emphasise your Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) — for parents, for people of color, for LGBTQ+ employees, or any other group you have.
• Issue annual DEI reports with details on hiring goals, achievements, and areas of opportunity.
• Celebrate cultural holidays and provide inclusive workplace benefits (religious leave, gender-neutral bathrooms, mental health days)

Example:
Other companies, such as Salesforce and HubSpot, share their diversity metrics publicly, use inclusive language on all career pages, and showcase their ERGs and community work.

5. Establish a Fair and Flexible Interview Process

The vast majority of traditional hiring practices don’t take into consideration varying communication styles, accessibility needs, or neurodiverse thinking. This is potentially a problem if you are an interviewer of great [skill/capability/experience/etc] but aren’t good under the standard pressures of an interview.

How to keep your interviews inclusive:

• Flexible formats offered (video, written responses, panel vs 1:1)
• Sharing questions for the interview in advance, so candidates can prepare (especially beneficial for neurodiverse and ESL candidates)
• Providing physical and digital access, such as compatibility with screen readers, wheelchair access, and closed captioning
• Request accommodation preferences up front

Bonus: Set expectations for candidates — walk them through the process and the stakeholders, as well as how long each stage will take.

6. Design Orientation for Belonging, Not Just Onboarding

When you bring on someone from a different background, how you onboard that person onto your team is going to make the difference in whether they stay and whether they succeed.
Make onboarding inclusive by:

• Matching new hires with peer mentors from the same underrepresented group or ERGs
• Published internal policies on inclusivity, communication norms, and reporting procedures.
• Creating feedback space in the first 90 days
• Honouring differences — not merely respecting them

Retention tip: Companies with a solid onboarding process experience 82% of new hires retained.

Delivering True Diversity Requires True Commitment

Diversity is not about ticking boxes, nor is it about virtue signaling — it’s about creating a work environment in which people from all backgrounds feel confident enough to contribute, to grow, and to lead.

It starts with inclusive language.
It continues with equitable processes.
It succeeds with a culture of belonging.

Ready to build a truly diverse team? Work with recruiters and platforms committed to inclusive hiring, and embed DEI into every stage of your recruitment journey.