Are you achieving your recruiting goals in terms of diversity?
To be honest, probably not. The chances that you've reached a structure that reflects the large population structure of your city are extremely low. There are a number of ways to prioritize diversity in the recruiting process - including recruiting from new talent pools. But even if you've taken all of this into consideration, there may still be several areas where people are unintentionally excluded due to their background.
The key to ensuring that your process is not discriminatory is simple: empathy.
Place yourself in the position of someone with a different background than your own and ask if he is treated fairly in your process.
Are there prejudices in your assessment?
It is often the case that, in the course of an interview, there are general and non-technical questions that aim to determine the candidate's classification - specifically, how the candidates would approach certain task assignments and what thinking they would represent. However, such a strict black-and-white painting leads to the exclusion of people who would choose a different approach in this theoretical question.
Such a problem would never have arisen if someone had looked at the interview from the perspective of people who are different from themselves. Many companies deal with this problem by appointing a special lead for diversity, equity and inclusion to ensure that all perspectives are considered. Ask employees from underrepresented groups to review the interview plans as well, as they are more likely to notice something.
Do you emphasize what is actually important to potential employees?
Even if setting up diversity is an important initiative in your company, elements of your employer brand can unintentionally come across as exclusive. It's time to take "work hard, play hard" and the "fully stocked snack wall" off of your career page. Consider adding more specific information about health benefits, employee childcare, and retirement account support. When IT talent is assessing whether your company offers support for their life, they're not looking for the boilerplate "equal opportunity employer"--they're looking for concrete examples of your commitment.
While you're at it, remove "rock star," "ninja," and "guru" from your job descriptions, too. Not because they are exclusive, but because they are stupid.
Do your employee testimonials reflect your company?
There is some debate about how to compose team group photos. In one corner there are those who believe in presenting a representative panel to show candidates that they are a company where people of all backgrounds are already thriving. These people argue that this leads to more empathy in the application process.
On the other hand, many argue that the above approach categorizes individuals for the sake of optics. Therefore, you should present this team with full honesty - even if it is not particularly diverse.
As with most problems, the solution probably lies somewhere in the middle.
