Commentary by The Gonzales Group
RISMEDIA, March 27, 2008-As our community profiles change, diversity recruitment has become more important and a priority for organizations. Qualified multicultural talent is in high demand and organizations are ramping up their search for the best and brightest multicultural stars in the industry. Having a workforce that is reflective of the community is critically important and ultimately leads to a positive experience for the multicultural consumer and your bottom line.
Here are some guiding principles to consider when developing a multicultural recruitment strategy:
1) Establish Clear Recruitment Goals
Be committed at the highest level of the organization. Establish a business definition and value statement for what diversity means to your organization. Ensure that management is on board with “measurements of success” for its diversity program. More importantly, have bonuses and other compensation factored in as incentives.
2) Leverage Useful Knowledge and Resources
Do your research. Leverage the latest research and hiring techniques to access and improve upon existing diversity recruiting systems.
3) Partner with agencies that specialize in multicultural recruiting
Partner with an agency that can support your organization’s multicultural recruitment efforts like the Gonzales Group, that have resources and a strong network in the non-profit and for-profit sectors, major universities, and professional organizations.
4) Train your recruiters to better screen multicultural Candidates
It’s a proven fact that untrained recruiters will give highest marks to people most like themselves in appearance and background.
5) Train for Success
Ensure you have the right orientation and training for new multicultural recruits. This means having the right programs that are accessible and culturally correct and provide opportunities for professional growth.
6) Evaluate and Reward
Provide more than brochures and lip service. Be committed to making diversity a standard measurement of the performance evaluation process. Provide incentives to think outside of the box by having diversity goals tied to compensation for all levels of management.
Don’t go it alone. Find the right partner that can help you recruit multicultural talent for all levels of the organization. Multicultural recruits will respond most when they can culturally connect with an organization. A one-size fits all recruiting strategy is no longer a recipe for success.
For more information, visit www.thegonzalesgroup.com.
