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Many companies say they have a diverse and inclusive workforce, but just because companies have employees of different races and cultures, doesn't necessary mean those companies are diverse.
To truly understand whether or not a workforce is diverse, business leaders must be willing to look within, and ask tough questions.
Stacey Lewis, founder of HR Interrupted, recently sat down with Work It Daily founder and CEO, J.T. O'Donnell, for an episode of "JT Talks Jobs." Lewis said one of the biggest mistakes companies make is hiring diverse candidates for the sake of having a diverse workforce, without first truly committing to a culture change and building a strategy for these employees to be successful.
To have a diverse workforce that is meaningful, companies should keep the following things in mind:
Leadership Must Be Committed To A Culture Change
This commitment involves everyone, from the CEO, to department managers and supervisors, and human resources. Lewis said when crafting policies about diversity, leadership has to plan on these employees playing important roles in the company, not think of them as a diversity quota.
"We can put on our roster or website that we have a black person, but what practices and policies do you have in place to make sure that black employee has a path in the organization, or are they just good for the website?" Lewis asks. "It has to be more than just a hire. It is a culture change."
Lewis says it's no good having a lot of black people on staff if there's no defined roles or path forward. She said she would rather have two strong black workers on staff than 15 that are only there to project a sense of diversity for the company.
If leadership wants a diverse company, they need to properly plan for it, otherwise it's just a feel-good measure.
Make Sure Your Employees Feel A Sense Of Belonging
Managers and supervisors need to make an effort to get to know their employees, and understand their strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, you need to get a sense of whether each employee feels like they belong within the company.
Being a minority employee in a workforce striving for diversity is like being invited to a party. But just because you're invited doesn't mean you're going to have a good time, according to Lewis. When it comes to the difference between diversity, inclusion, and belonging, Lewis breaks it down like this.
Diversity - Gets you invited to the party.
Inclusion - Means when you're at the party, you get invited to dance.
Belonging - Means you actively plan the party.
"It's about being invited to the table," Lewis says.
If you're not familiar with your workforce, or have a path in place for your minority employees to advance their careers and continually engage with the company's growth, you'll never know whether they feel a sense of belonging.
An example of a diversity policy not working is a company's only black employee working in the same position for 15 years, according to Lewis. It's very likely that the employee never felt a sense of belonging at the company, was never properly engaged, and isn't happy in their job.
Take Advantage Of Employee Resource Groups
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Employee resource groups are groups of employees who join together in their workplace based on shared characteristics or life experiences. ERGs are generally based on providing support, enhancing career development, and contributing to personal development in the work environment.
If your company's diversity policies are working well, these groups should form organically, and will further engage your workforce.
In addition to the employee resource groups, it's also helpful to have an overall diversity committee with a mixture of employees and managers from all cultures. The committee and resource groups can act as a checks and balances for company leadership to make sure the company's diversity plans are working, and that all employees feel a sense of belonging in the company.
Such groups can also organize special training opportunities pertaining to race and culture, and help to facilitate important conversations.
Having a diverse workforce is just a label if you don't put the proper effort into it. Every employee should feel a sense of belonging and have the same opportunities to advance their careers. If done right, a company gains high-quality employees that can bring a unique background and perspective to the company, and ultimately make the company stronger.
Many thanks to Stacey Lewis, whose passion for re-engineering the HR agenda led her to create HR Interrupted, a community organization for HR Influencers with grit who unapologetically interrupt historical workplace ideologies and practices through inspiration and insight.
Learn more at hrinterrupted.com or follow her on Instagram @hrinterrupted.From Your Site Articles
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- Race & The Workplace: What Employers And Employees Should ... ›
- 4 Core Values That Every Organization Should Have - Work It Daily ... ›
- Microaggressions At Work: Definitions, Examples & Prevention - Work It Daily | Where Careers Go To Grow ›
- Importance Of Diversity: Customer-Facing Products & Services - Work It Daily ›
- Quest For Top Talent And The Neurodiversity Superpower ›
- DE&I In The Workplace: How Candidates Can Assess Inclusion - Work It Daily ›
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Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
BigstockMake a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
- How did I learn about this job?
- How did I apply for the job?
- Did I earn an interview?
- What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
BigstockAre you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
Let's start with resumes!
Every resume should be tailored to the position in order for it to stand out to recruiters and hiring managers. It may seem like a lot of work, but it's actually less work than submitting the same resume over and over again and never hearing back.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
BigstockYour job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
- Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
- Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
- Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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