Job Descriptions
Use Inclusive Language
Inclusive language "acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences and promotes equal opportunities."
Inclusive language “acknowledges diversity, conveys respect to all people, is sensitive to differences and promotes equal opportunities.” Avoid using gender-specific terms when referring to professions as well as words that are highly associated with a particular gender, and be sure to carefully consider cultural biases when creating job descriptions.
Limit the Number of Requirement
With the rise of remote work, it is also important to evaluate full, remote, or hybrid work structures. Outlining more flexibility will attract a more diverse set of candidates.
Express your Commitment to Equality and Diversity
Candidates want to know they'll be welcomed in your culture before they make the effort to apply. If your company values are well-defined and promote diversity, infuse the concepts into your job descriptions.
If you have programs specifically available for contingent workers like unconscious bias training, DE&I awareness campaigns, or Employee Resource Groups, highlight these to suppliers and workers. It is important to market unique perks exclusive to Contingent Workers to match the level of involvement present in the full-time employee workforce.
Promote Job Descriptions with Diverse Staffing Suppliers
Outreach is critical to attracting candidates from diverse backgrounds. A great place for sourcing under-represented Contingent Workers is with diverse staffing suppliers or suppliers with a tangible focus on reaching pipelines of talent from diverse backgrounds
Job Description Biases
Explicit Bias
Explicit biases are thoughts and actions done consciously and directly towards a specific group. Therefore, the aggressor is aware of these biases, if they aren’t outright planned.”
Implicit Bias
Implicit biases are our unconscious perceptions, stereotypes, and beliefs we have developed from our past experiences and influences. This type of reference is often more subtle than explicit bias and more difficult to
Resume Review
Anonymize Applications and Resumes
Conduct blind screenings by removing all identifying details from the candidate’s resumes and applications. These details include candidate photos, ethnic background, gender, names, educational institutions, and personal interests.
MAGNIT SUGGESTION:If your organization doesn’t have access to a tool to anonymize applications, you can ask for resumes to be downloaded in a spreadsheet and filter out the identifiable details. Assign each candidate a number and refer to applicants by their numbers until brought in for an interview.
Consider Transferable Skills
As a hiring manager, it is important to make a conscious effort to consider transferable skills instead of only candidates with qualified skills. Keep in mind that candidates can develop new skills on the job with the appropriate training.
MAGNIT SUGGESTION: Partner or invest in programs that train unconventional or under-represented candidates through internships or on-the-job training. Instead of resumes, consider having applicants provide a work sample or describe a project they recently completed.
Strive for a Diverse-Slate Hiring Policy
If you are not using the blind screening method, incorporating diverse slates can mitigate natural biases. An HBR article describes that it is not enough to include only one underrepresented candidate, but at least two candidates of a specific diverse group need to be considered to make measurable change in the organization.
The contingent workforce makes up 50% of the total workforce.
Ensure Diversity Among Resume Reviewers
Have a diverse group of recruiters and hiring managers review resumes. Think of all forms of diversity, like gender and ethnicity, but also secondary dimensions of diversity like religion and parental status. Regularly rotate your resume screening duties across hiring teams so that one person’s biases don’t limit your hiring pool in a discriminating way.
Interviewing
Use Pre-Employment Assessments
Unconscious biases can strongly influence the hiring process, but you can utilize pre-employment assessments to reduce the impact of them.
MAGNIT SUGGESTION:For highly specialized and technical roles, consider technical assessments to assess a contingent worker’s expertise.
Ensure Inclusive Video Interview Practices
First impressions are critical for interviews, so it is important to inform applicants if a video interview is required. The applicant can then appropriately be prepared. However, be inclusive by giving candidates options in case they do not have access to a video device or high-speed internet.
MAGNIT SUGGESTION: Consider providing video interview best practices in advance to the candidate. Ask candidates if they need any accommodations, regardless of their disability, which will make all candidates feel included.
Women are unlikely to apply for a position unless they meet 100% of the requirements, while men will apply if they meet 60% of the requirements.
Diverse Interview Panel With Appropriate Training
Diversity is not just gender or race—there are also benefits in diversity of thought and experience. Consider adding candidate evaluators that the applicant will not report to directly, apart from interviews by direct management. Cross-functional interviewers can provide the organization with a different view of the candidate, while the candidate will benefit from hearing different company perspectives.
MAGNIT SUGGESTION: Additional interviewers will naturally lead to multiple rounds of interviews, so streamline your hiring process as much as possible.
Standardize Interview Process and Questions
A standardized interview process ensures that all candidates, including referrals, are treated equally. Show your organization’s commitment to self-development by asking the candidate how this specific assignment fits into their overall career goals. Although it is a temporary role, it shows the company’s culture.
MAGNIT SUGGESTION:Use a rubric to score each interview question according to its inclusivity. This rubric should include a scale from least to most inclusive.
Interview Scorecard
Create an interview scorecard that provides a rating to each interview question on a predetermined scale. Require the interviewer to score each answer immediately after it is provided. The interviewers should refrain from discussing an applicant until everyone has evaluated the assessments of all candidates. Evaluating candidates at once as a team allows for unconscious biases to be pointed out.
MAGNIT SUGGESTION:Before interviews, have the interview team discuss and agree upon a set scoring system and prioritized list of criteria to rank candidates against.
Post-Hiring
Provide DE&I Education for Contingent Workers
Allow your contingent workers to attend relevant trainings as paid-time. Not all DE&I training will be required or available to them, but give them the option to expand their knowledge. Expanding their knowledge of diversity and inclusion topics will not only raise awareness, but foster healthy conversations and promote workplace sensitivity. If your organization’s training is not available for contingent workers, work with your partners to create CW-specific training.
Educate Yourself on Why DE&I Matters for Contingent Workers
As a manager, you hold tremendous power in advancing inclusion in the workplace and in the hiring and retention of diverse talent. If your organization provides DE&I trainings, take advantage of this, as the same concepts apply to contingent workers.
Provide Role-Specific Feedback
Provide your contingent workers with feedback on their performance. This ensures you are fully aligned, which helps your workers provide high-quality work. Additionally, 85% of workers have indicated that when they receive feedback, they feel more supported in their roles.
MAGNIT SUGGESTION:Meet monthly with workers to discuss how they are doing. This is also an opportunity to inquire if they have any feedback for you on your guidance as their manager.
Consider Providing Employment Continuation Opportunities
Not all contingent workers are interested in attaining permanent employment status, but it’s important to make the option available. Implementing a pipeline for permanent opportunities will allow you to retain talent that is knowledgeable of your projects, but also aware of your company culture.
Utilize Your Partners
Ensuring you keep a strong relationship and open line of communication with your suppliers and MSP (Managed Service Provider) not only benefits your organization, but contributes to the success of the contingent workforce. If your organizations uses a VMS (Vendor Management System) to manage the contingent workforce program, encourage your organization to collect diversity data, if functionality is available in the VMS.
MAGNIT SUGGESTION: Diversity data is highly sensitive, ensure all privacy steps have been met prior to collecting.
