WTW

Clare Louise Lewis

In my experience, the following seem to be quick wins that often result in making a big impact when it comes to attracting diverse talent:

1. Being creative in ways to offer a diversity of thought and an inclusive recruitment experience is a key opportunity to successfully build a diverse workforce. While there are undoubtedly certain talent pools that need better representation than others, don’t limit the focus only to select key groups and rather look at it from a broad diverse lens, to offer a holistically inclusive experience. Without inclusivity, how can we ever hope to build a truly diverse organization?

2. Organisations that truly care about their people offer a unique experience that starts when the candidate first engages with the firm. It’s important to remember that candidates in today’s talent market have a choice, and we should treat them as prospective clients, whether or not they get the job. The experience they have with us will stay with them longer than the decision or outcome of the recruitment process.

3. Offering a recruitment experience where candidates see colleagues who are authentic about why they’ve chosen to work there. A great example of this is those who have been able to bring their true self to work from day one, rather than having to be somebody else in order to be seen as ‘successful’.

"You can align your organization with diverse partners and vendors to help share your story - your EVP - and articulate what makes your organization and brand unique"

4. We all have unconscious biases built within us and being able to train and educate your workforce on how to be more inclusive while learning in a safe space, will empower them to find their voice and become brand ambassadors. This positively impacts the organization’s culture and ultimately the ability to attract diverse talent.

5. It’s okay to not always have all the answers – especially as processes and systems are still evolving. However, you can align your organization with diverse partners and vendors to help share your story - your EVP - and articulate what makes your organization and brand unique.

6. Adapt your messaging so that it resonates with your audience. It also enables you to truly engage the five generations we have in the workforce today. Leaders are comfortable stepping outside of their comfort zone and exploring new platforms and ways of engaging talent. Technology and tools will continue to evolve, and organizations can choose to embrace them or potentially risk losing out on great talent.

So much of the above isn’t new or ground-breaking, it’s about getting back to basics. Being able to bring your true self to the interview and subsequent workplace enables us all to feel empowered and celebrated. I am so grateful to be aligned with a firm that has always encouraged me to be the best of myself and my tenure (11 years and counting) is a true testimony to this.

*Clare Lewis shares her personal views; she is an HR specialist with over 20 years of experience in the recruitment and talent industry. She is currently an in-house Talent Acquisition Director at WTW.