How to Source More Diverse Candidates

Make a list of how your company sources potential candidates. Are you posting on job boards? Social media? Attending job fairs? Colleges? Relying on referrals from current employees? If increasing diversity (of age, race, gender, disability, or other marker of diversity) is your goal, then do an audit of each sourcing method and the demographics of the candidates that come from it. For example, women aren’t as active on specialty job boards or developer communities like Github. So if you’re looking for female tech talent, those job boards probably aren’t the place to look. Another example, you may be using a job board that isn’t accessible for people with disabilities. If you’re hoping to increase representation of disabled workers, make sure they’re able to apply to your jobs.

Most demographics are easy enough to find if you look- job boards will often share their candidate breakdown with companies. If you advertise on social media you can usually (depending on your country) see the age, gender, and common interests of those who engaged with your post. If you’re attending college job fairs, make sure you keep track of the demographics of those who are offered internships or jobs.

After doing an audit of your candidate demographics, consider places for growth. Are you only attracting young workers? Mostly hiring men? When it comes to sourcing methods, there usually isn’t one correct answer. The best way to increase your candidate pipeline is to leverage different sources. It is important, though, to be cognizant of the potential pitfalls of certain sourcing methods.

Job boards 

• Our own research of over 400 professionals showed that while 41% said they would look to a job board to find a new job, only 8.7% had found their last job on a job board. Some other research estimates have put that number even lower. While it seems like a foolproof set up- having a platform with millions of users and posting job openings to it, the core issue with job boards is that their business isn’t finding people jobs, their business is selling job ads. They make millions off of advertisements and charging on a pay-per-click basis. Thus, most job postings don’t get fulfilled through the site. 
• Job postings frequently stay online well after the company has found a candidate to fill the position, leading many candidates to spend time and energy crafting their applications only to never hear back. If you’re using job boards- make sure you stay on top of the postings and remove them when a job is fulfilled or no longer accepting new applications. You could also use them for evergreen jobs- positions your company is always hiring for. Either way, make sure candidates don’t associate your company with the job search black hole.

Social Media

• Social media is a great branding tool, but not necessarily a great way to hire. For one thing, the average age of users on social media trends young. 
• Companies are required to follow EEOC guidelines when promoting jobs on social media. Which is good- it ensures that companies can’t discriminate based on age, gender, or other markers of diversity. Yet, these social media companies are not required to show job ads to a demographically even audience. Ads are shown to those who are most likely to engage with them. 
• No real progress has been made on this issue despite years of public outcry whenever a new study reveals bias. For example, in 2021, Facebook’s ad algorithm was revealed to show ads for technical jobs at Netflix to women, a company with a high representation of female talent, and ads for the same technical jobs at Nvidia, a company with a high representation of men, to men. The algorithm was showing ads to the users it believed would engage, yet in doing so was perpetuating bias and reinforcing the companies’ demographics. 
• If you’re using social media to promote jobs- keep a very close eye on the demographics statistics. Companies aren’t allowed to discriminate in their job ads, but social media companies face no such scrutiny.

LinkedIn

• LinkedIn is a slightly stronger social media for job ads, and a popular tool for sourcing candidates, but it’s not necessarily the most effective. Our research showed that just 4.8% of respondents found their last job on LinkedIn, despite over half of them indicating they would look to LinkedIn when seeking new opportunities. Companies like LinkedIn will push jobs towards candidates that interact with the platform the most. Thus, finding the candidates that are most active on LinkedIn, not necessarily the most qualified or the best match.

Referrals

• Referral hiring is one of the most common ways of hiring- for obvious reasons. It’s easy, it helps find responsive candidates, and current employees whom you trust can vouch for candidates. However, candidates sourced via referral are likely to have been to the same colleges as your current employees, worked at the same companies, and held similar positions. This has shown to perpetuate a lack of diversity.  
• A report from PayScale found that White Men account for 40% of successful referrals. 30% are White Women, 17% Men of Color, and just 13% are Women of Color, making them 35% less likely to receive a referral than a White Man. The report also found that men referred via a business contact received an average salary increase of $8,200. Women received a bonus of less than half of that amount, at an average of $3,700. While referral hiring is an efficient and easy way to find pre-vetted and enthusiastic candidates, it also likely perpetuates inequality in your organization.  
• Yet, companies have proven that referrals can be a source of diverse candidates as well. Pinterest took a unique approach. They simply challenged employees to refer candidates from underrepresented backgrounds. It worked. In six weeks, they saw a 24% increase in female referrals and a 55x increase in candidates from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds

We have found outreach and engagement much more successful than a passive job board search. The best way to find candidates is to look for them where they are. Job boards, LinkedIn, and other sources tend to be transient places. Candidates come when they’re job searching and then disengage when they’re not. Get creative when sourcing, especially if diversity is a goal. Small, closed affinity groups like Women in STEM groups or other communities are a great place for passive candidates. Remember, just being responsive and open goes a long way. When you’re sourcing candidates, make sure you respond to everyone to the best of your ability.

Looking for more information on equitable hiring? Team Meytier is deeply passionate about this subject. Do you have a question about equitable hiring you’d like us to write about? Reach out here.

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