Attraction: Engagement

Transcription

1 Attraction: Engagement Harnessing BAME talent: A guide for UK employers challenge toolkit

2 challenge toolkit Attraction: Engagement This section is about how your vacancies are marketed and where they are advertised 1 We have used this symbol to highlight the challenges which we think will be achievable in organisations just starting on this work. Promoting vacancies The aim with any recruitment campaign will be to draw applications from the widest possible pool of suitably skilled candidates, by taking some or all of the steps below: Avoid relying heavily on any existing networks/connections which will lead you to recruit from a small, familiar and non-diverse pool. For example, family connections or your LinkedIn network. Ensure you advertise externally if your internal pool of eligible employees lacks ethnic diversity. When using media sources, it will be important to obtain target audience figures from the media agency and look at the data from previous campaigns, to identify which sources generated suitably experienced BAME candidates. reach BAME audiences, including recruitment/jobs boards and social media sites. Emphasise the skills sets and attributes required in the advert, rather than the qualifications/experience to broaden the appeal to BAME audiences. In your recruitment materials, be explicit about your commitment to inclusion and diversity. Include positive statements that reflect your inclusion/diversity policies, approaches and values. If you have data on the under-representation of BAME employees in the area you are recruiting to, you can include positive action statements such as We particularly welcome applications from BAME candidates as they are currently under-represented at this level in the job pack/advert. If budget allows, use a variety of media sources, particularly those known to 1 The design of job descriptions and person specifications is covered in our guide, Attraction: Selection. 01

3 Statements about your organisation s commitment to inclusion and diversity will have more credibility if they are linked to evidence. Adding inclusion and diversity-friendly content on your recruitment webpages and wider will be key. For example: o Your inclusion and diversity commitment, values and policies (such as bullying and harassment, flexible working and well-being) o A testimonial from your CEO/ senior leader that supports this commitment o Evidence of relevant support schemes (e.g. mentoring, sponsorship), development opportunities and networks o Role models from BAME backgrounds working in posts across the organisation and at different grades, perhaps including blog posts from members of your BAME network o Any relevant awards or memberships If the job offers flexibility such as flexible working or job share options then make that clear. Ensure the wording of your content/ adverts is inclusive, as research has proven that that certain language and phrases will be received differently by BAME audiences. Consider getting feedback on the wording from a range of colleagues or from your BAME network/a focus group. You might want to try Textio, an online platform that aims to suggest more inclusive wording which some organisations have found useful. If you are using imagery in your adverts and recruitment literature, ensure they are inclusive/representative this can be done very cost effectively, for example by including a mosaic of headshots of colleagues from across the organisation in the header. Branding If your brand has a positive association with BAME audiences then it will be valuable to emphasise the brand in the advertising. In cases where the brand is not currently synonymous with inclusion, there have been examples where playing down the brand has led to higher levels of interest from BAME audiences. Press releases to raise awareness of particular posts and careers in the sector, including key inclusion and diversity messages may help to improve brand reputation. Starting a social media campaign that challenges traditional images of those who work for your organisation/within your sector, might help to reposition your brand. The use of personal stories can help to bring the culture of your organisation to life for prospective candidates and help them connect with your values and business. If the sector/role is currently considered to be unattractive to BAME audiences, focus on the difference the organisation/ role makes, not the detailed actions that you take i.e. outcomes vs inputs. 02

4 Outreach To build up a pool of BAME talent to whom you can directly promote your vacancies, you could consider doing the following: Promoting the vacancies via your existing BAME networks and inviting members to forward them on to interested parties, and/or asking to place vacancies on the network page. Developing partnerships with and promoting vacancies to the membership of BAME focused professional bodies, BAME local community groups and colleges/universities with a high BAME population. Activities might include: o attending conferences/events to talk about your organisation, career opportunities, or to contribute specialist expertise to an existing wider programme. o hosting events to talk about careers and provide guidance on your application process. o sponsoring events. o more sophisticated engagements strategies include: offering BAMEspecific internships, scholarships, apprenticeships, work experience/ day visits or short training courses (e.g. covering the fundamentals of the business, key skills, broader job search and interview skills) or mentoring schemes. Keeping in contact with talented BAME candidates who leave the organisation, or who are unsuccessful at interview, can help to develop a talent pool with whom future vacancies can be shared. To help keep them engaged, good quality feedback should be provided to those who are unsuccessful, and those who wish could be added to an alumni mailing, so that they can be kept in touch about developments and invited to events of interest. You might event start a social media group that successful and unsuccessful candidates can join, to share experiences and recruitment tips, to keep them engaged and increase the chance of future applications. Internships Research suggests that internship programmes are one of the most effective methods of recruiting BAME candidates as the majority of interns will go on to accept permanent jobs offered by the organisation. They are especially key in helping to broaden access where employers require candidates to have proven prior interest in the field, which may previously have only been available to a select few. Companies may run independent internship programs or partner with BAME professional organisations. Unpaid internships may pose a substantial barrier to those without financial support. Intern opportunities should be remunerated and advertised widely to attract a diverse and talented pool of candidates. 03

5 Employee Referral Employee referral schemes, whereby existing employees recommend BAME contacts for posts or share vacancies with them, are often cited as the top method for sourcing BAME candidates. To promote this mechanism you can: As above, promote vacancies to your BAME networks or ask them to nominate BAME colleagues to join a pool interested in hearing about future vacancies. Develop promotional materials to raise awareness of the referral scheme to employees. Make it easy for existing employees to forward contact details to join the pool. Track referrals by department and publicise their rankings, to show the organisation s commitment to this activity. Maintain contact with BAME alumni who can also serve as a potential source of referrals, (discussing this prior to their departure). Before contracting with an agency, ask for evidence of how they proactively demonstrate their commitment to inclusion and diversity, about their knowledge of local demographics and how they map against these, and for examples of successful assignments where BAME candidates were placed. You might consider selecting an agency that specialises in recruiting BAME talent. You will need to be reassured at the outset that the agency is able to provide you with an ethnically diverse list of candidates. You might include measures on candidate diversity to the key performance indicators in your contract, or for proof that they can meet this requirement before selecting them for the contract. Make sure you give them sufficient time for the search, as BAME candidates may have comparatively lower profiles so will take time to identify. Recruitment agencies and head hunters When working with recruitment agencies or head hunters: Ensure that they are aware of your organisation s commitment to inclusion and diversity and any targets/ expectations in this respect (such as targets around the composition of long and short-lists). 04