Diversify Your Recruitment Advertising

HR Magazine, June, 2001 by Ruth E. Thaler-Carter

Letting potential employees (and customers) know that a company or organization is diverse and open to applicants (and customers) from diverse populations takes more than clever ad campaigns. "Marketing campaigns alone won't do it," Digh warns. "Only a solid track record of recruitment, retention and promotion will show applicants and customers that your company is serious about diversity. Continuous and consistent messages from the top of the organization; a strong diversity statement; linkages to communities you're trying to reach, over years, not over months; and diversity at the top of the organization. That's what people are looking for."

Digh advises HR professionals responsible for diversity advertising to "understand as much as you can about the cultures of the people you're trying to reach." The best way to "communicate with an individual or a group is ... determined, in part, by the cultural norms in which they have been raised and live. Part of the puzzle for HR practitioners is to realize that, in large part, we respond to diversity from a 'dominant culture' perspective. To be effective, we have to get outside that mindset to see the corporation as others see it--what's working, what subtle messages are being sent [and] how we could better link to the groups we're trying to reach."

Reed agrees. "Benchmark by your own reading and interests, throw ideas off each other and work together to create the perfect ad to appeal to a diverse audience," she says. "Research web usage [by diverse groups] and be aware of trends."

What has worked well for Prudential, she notes, are both Internet and print campaigns. "Web ads in diverse portals are more effective in terms of attracting candidates, while print ads are more effective at keeping the company in front of people's eyes," and at reaching groups that are underrepresented in the electronic world. "You can't assume that everyone has access to the Internet or is web savvy."

The recent SHRM survey agrees, finding that "inclusiveness in the workplace quickly becomes self-perpetuating. Companies with established reputations for inclusiveness have the easiest time increasing their levels of recruitment among diverse populations." Almost three-quarters of the survey respondents (71 percent) reported that employee referrals resulted in the most minority hires. Internet job postings, banners and links were somewhat lower in effectiveness (68 percent) and were tied with job fairs. Newspaper and journal advertising (64 percent) came next, followed by internships and school-to-work programs (61 percent), college campus visits (61 percent), employment agencies (60 percent), professional and trade journal advertising (59 percent), and online or web site job applications (51 percent). Temp-to-hire and personal contacts/networking (both 49 percent) were also among the top 11 choices. TV/cable advertising (19 percent), places of worship (13 percent) and direct mail (11 percent) were considere d the least effective methods.