How many times do we have to do the same thing in the same way to realize that it’s not working? There has to be a way to avoid the craziness when it's time to hire. Isn’t that supposed to be the definition of insanity, doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result each time? Well, for at least thirty years we’ve been saying that if only we don’t make the position description too narrow; if only we write in the ad that we really, really want women and minorities to apply; if only we make sure there’s a women on the hiring committee - why, we can diversify the workforce in no time! And here we are, some thirty years later, thinking: Well, the strategy didn’t work in the last search or the one before, and really not too often, if ever – but in this search, by golly, it will.

Now, that’s pure craziness!

The fact is, we like formulas and we like easy solutions, but the question of how to increase diversity in our workforce can’t be resolved just with window-dressing. It requires a shift in the organizational culture and a shift in the way we think about hiring. So the question that needs to be answered is,” How much effort are you prepared to make in order to produce change?" Because if you’re not willing to think and act differently about the question, you’re surely going to keep getting the same old answer.

Mission is the Key

If the only reason you’re trying to hire women and minorities is to meet some legal affirmative action requirement, for example, then no wonder you’re having a hard time hiring. Think bigger than just hiring women and minorities. Check the mission statement: How is diversity a part of the institution’s mission? Clearly, each and every position in an institution should reflect and further the institution’s mission, and that includes the part of the mission that explicitly or implicitly calls for diversity. Arguably, every hire should be considered a diversity hire because in one way or another every person can contribute to diversity. Increasing the number of people from under-represented groups is only one way to advance the institution’s diversity interests.

So, then, think about how this particular position that you are trying to fill can contribute to the diversity mission. Is it in a field where the likelihood of hiring women and minorities is high? Does the incumbent of this position interact with a diverse constituency (whether college students, 4-H members, customers, or community learners)? Is it important that the output of this position - the course content, the professional practice - reflect multicultural competencies? Note that by managing and shaping the job content and context, you may increase the chances that the position is of interest to people who are interested in diversity.

Recruiting Requires a Personal (and Labor-Intensive) Touch

But wait, let’s back up a minute. Advertising a position is almost the last step in recruiting. From the minute that you articulate how diversity is important to your mission, you should be out there meeting potential diversity candidates – making people into potential candidates - for a job that sooner or later you will have. You can find out who the new women and minority graduates are in the field; you can establish contacts with people you identify through resume banks; you can sit on the status of women/minorities committee in your professional organization; you can introduce yourself to people at your professional meetings . . . . In short, you can and should be marketing the institution and the organization so that when you actually have a position you know exactly whom you would like to invite to apply. Why?

Because hiring is personal, perhaps especially so for people who are often seen or treated as outsiders in an organization. The chance of my being interested in your job is much, much greater if I’ve already established a comfort level with you. Even better, if I know you’re someone with whom I have a lot in common, whose judgment I’ve come to trust through committee work or at professional meetings, then I’ll feel more comfortable trusting you when you say this is good place to work. And if I have seen over the years that the department has a real commitment to diversity, and will not treat me as “the affirmative action hire”, then the job is automatically more desirable. Yes, it’s true that I read The Industry Journal just like all “well-qualified” people in my field and, yes, I did see that job ad for your department. But the reason I want to apply for the job is not just because of what I read in the ad but because I’ve heard you say so many good things about the department. And the reason I actually do take the time to send my resume is because you called and asked me to apply.

Rethink How You Define “Qualified”

This new perspective on hiring really becomes important when we get to the selection part of the hiring process. Without question, every person who gets hired has to be qualified. But all too often to be “qualified” means only having the highest degree and most years of experience. (The job description may not define a “minimally qualified” applicant as having that much education or experience -- but who wants to hire someone who is barely qualified when there is a “better” candidate?) The problem with that is, for lots of historical and social reasons it may be that women and members of minority groups are the ones with less experience and fewer degrees.

To increase the number of women and minorities that are hired - as well the number of white men who can further diversity in non-numeric ways - we need to expand the definition of “qualified”. The idea of qualification has to include all the ways that the job incumbent will help further the goals and objectives of the unit and institution. So, because every hire is a diversity hire, we need to ask every candidate how he or she will contribute to the diversity mission. Sometimes the answer could be, ‘as a woman, I bring a new perspective to this position.’ Other times, the answer might be, ‘I’m not a minority, but I have experience reaching out to an under-served Hispanic clientele.’ But in every hire, diversity must be one factor to be considered.

The hiring authority needs to consider diversity just as much as any other factor when weighing the contribution of potential candidates against the current needs of the unit. Sometimes the most important thing for the department will be to hire someone with a particular skill set and diversity is a bonus; other times the most important thing for the department will - should - be hiring someone who can bolster the department’s diversity mission. As diversity considerations over time become a routine part of the hiring process, and as more and more hires are made that support the diversity of the organization in one way or another, the easier it should become to hire women and minorities as integral members of your organization.

By Noel Ann English, J.D., Director of Equity, University of Missouri-Columbia