Diversify Your Recruitment Advertising

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

Respondents were split on the issue of minority recruiting costs--a real issue in magazine and other print advertising--but a clear majority (61 percent) said the benefits of a diverse workplace outweigh extra costs. "This indicates that targeted recruiting efforts will continue on the upswing," according to SHRM; 48 percent of companies said they will exert greater efforts to hire from minority groups; 35 percent will continue programs already in place; and only 3 percent plan to scale back attempts to hire inclusively.

Varied Benefits

Diversity recruitment has both external and internal business advantages. As Reed, who is black, notes, "When I see our company with a banner ad on a web site or a print ad targeted to me, I feel the company is interested in me as an individual. When I see such ads, I feel good about my company, so it benefits internal morale."

The benefits have included "expanding the visibility of our brand and logo to a larger audience," Reed says. Diversity recruiting has resulted in 20 percent to 25 percent of company hires being members of various diverse groups. Employee referrals are an increasingly formal element of the effort, with a new program having recently been implemented. Visible diversity recruiting efforts build morale and encourage referrals by helping employees feel good about the company. "We've done really well," she says.

At Microsoft, "We view diversity through a wide lens," Dorsey says. "Our recruiting practices, in particular those associated with our ongoing diversity outreach efforts, do have an impact in promoting the company's culture of valuing diversity." Using advertising to make its diversity commitment visible outside the company as well as within also makes it more likely that employees will refer friends and colleagues when openings occur. "We believe that if people are happy in their jobs, they will likely refer others."

The message today is clear: Advertise and promote the commitment to diversity, and everyone will benefit.

Ruth E. Thaler-Carter is a freelance writer/editor based in Rochester, N.Y. She has edited two newsletters for the Society for Human Resource Management on international HR and on diversity issues.

Scratch Off
Diverse candidates were asked, have
you ever eliminated a company from
consideration because of a lack of
gender or ethnic diversity?
All respondents   33%
Male              31
Female            34
White             25
African American  44
Latino            32
Asian             28
Other             22
Source: 2001 Diversity Recruitment Report, WetFeet.com
Back-Up Ads
Most important diversity-related
attributes
Training and career development   37%
programs
Diverse upper management          22
Diverse workforce                 16
Mentoring                          9
Community outreach                 4
Networking groups at the company   2
Diverse recruitment staff          2
Recruitment marketing to diverse   1
candidates
Source: 2001 Diversity Recruitment Report, WetFeet.com
How diverse candidates
search for and find jobs
Top 5 Search Methods
1. Corporate web sites            70%
2. General job-listing sites      67
3. Classified ads                 53
4. Referrals                      52
5. Headhunters/agencies           35
Top 5 Ways Candidates Found Jobs
1. Referrals                      25%
2. General job-listing sites      17
3. Headhunters/agencies           17
4. Classified ads                 15
5. Corporate web sites             6
Source: 2001 Diversity Recruitment Report, WetFeet.com