Diversity starts at the door. If hiring practices block diverse candidates from making it all the way through the pipeline, organizations cannot transform. Therefore, it is important that organizations develop hiring practices that welcome diverse candidates, are accessible to more people, and provide greater transparency to the job seeker.

Things like eliminating cover letters in favor of specific questions with clear expectations for response format, posting a salary rage , and including a hiring timeline, ensuring the job posting is accessible, removing applicant names from application packages, and having a diverse hiring committee improves the hiring process for candidates. This article from the Center for Community Organizations provides a list of 18 things they did to improve their hiring practices.

The video below features a conversation between Ceciry Rodriguez and Betsy Leondar-Wright of Class Action's Staffing the Mission. Their conversation centers on the hiring process from a job seeker’s perspective.

In addition to considering equity in how hiring is conducted, organizations should also consider what they are searching for. Gaps in employment, different education pathways, and openness to the skills gained through other types of employment can provide a greater richness of experiences to the organization. It is crucial that organizations critically examine their criteria, and be willing to creatively consider all types of education, experience, and career paths in their hiring processes.

For a deeper dive, The Urban Sustainability Directors Network (USDN) created an Equity, Diversity, and Including in Recruitment, Hiring, and Retention document. The best practices outlined by USDN are incredibly actionable and there are a wealth of reports in the footnotes for further reading.

After hiring, organizations must ensure that there are mentoring programs designed to support BIPOC staff. In order to prevent candidates from feeling like (and being) a "diversity hire,"  there must be real opportunity for staff to be mentored by more senior leaders, which may lead to promotion.

Finally, organizations should create employee resource groups, which allow employees with shared identities (and allies) to gather on a regular basis and build community. These groups can engage in programming such as lunch and learn discussions, but should also be a space where employees can share challenges, solicit advice, and find support as they navigate spaces that are still dominated by systemic racism, patriarchy, and heteronormativity. 

Having a plan is important. Without one, organizations are likely to fall into old patterns or pitfalls that undermine diverse, equitable, and inclusive hiring goals. However, there is no plug and play solution for organizations. Equitable hiring is a practice that must be developed with the organization specific context in mind. Therefore, it is recommended that organizations build this practice with the support of specialists in hiring equity.

Linked Resources

• Le, Vu. “Not Showing the Salary Range in Job Postings Is Archaic and Inequitable. so Why Do We Keep Doing It?” Nonprofit AF, 14 Sept. 2020, nonprofitaf.com/2020/09/not-showing-the-salary-range-in-job-postings-is-archaic-and-inequitable-so-why-do-we-keep-doing-it/. 
• Page, Kira. “18 Ways We’ve Improved Our Hiring Process.” COCo, 2 Mar. 2020, coco-net.org/18-ways-weve-improved-our-hiring-process/. 
• Leondar-Wright, Betsy, and Ceciry Rodriguez. Equity in Hiring: Advice from Ceciry Rodriguez to Nonprofit Employers, 25 Mar. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPOrmW0UpxA&ab_channel=BetsyLeondar-Wright. 
• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Recruitment, Hiring and Retention, www.usdn.org/uploads/cms/documents/usdn-equity-in-recruitment_hiring_retention.pdf.
• Robinson, Vincent. “5 Hiring Pitfalls to Avoid-If You Want Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Leadership.” Non Profit News, 31 Mar. 2021, nonprofitquarterly.org/5-hiring-pitfalls-to-avoid/. 

Supplemental Resources

• “Equitable Hiring Resources.” Boundless Arc, www.boundlessarc.com/resources.
• P. “Thinking through Your Hiring Process.” COCo, 10 Dec. 2020, coco-net.org/thinking-through-hiring-process/. 
  
• Le, Vu. “10 Ways to Make Executive Leadership Searches and Transitions Better and More Equitable.” Nonprofit AF, 27 Apr. 2023, nonprofitaf.com/2021/04/10-ways-to-make-executive-leadership-searches-and-transitions-better-and-more-equitable/. 

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