Uncover Untapped Talent Using Inclusive Hiring Practices

When it comes to looking for a new job, everyone wants to be seen for what they have to offer. However, it can be challenging for qualified candidates with nontraditional backgrounds and those who have to overcome barriers to employment. As the number of motivated #readytowork job seekers swells due to the COVID-19 crisis, this often-overlooked talent pool is at risk of falling even farther behind. So how can employers create a level field for job seekers with nontraditional backgrounds? 

As Indeed’s head of Global Social Impact, I work closely with a range of partners — including nonprofits, governments and employers — to try to ensure that all job seekers have access to opportunity. Our work with Indeed’s product teams and circle of Social Impact partners has shown that the more traditional ways of evaluating candidates aren’t always the best predictors of on-the-job success. A few simple steps toward more inclusive hiring, however, can help us find that untapped talent.

Inclusive hiring practices can help nontraditional candidates overcome barriers to employment

We know that a diverse workforce makes good business sense; research has shown many positive outcomes — from higher levels of engagement to increased worker wellbeing and more profitable innovation — and some 67% of today’s job seekers look for workforce diversity when considering employment opportunities. It makes sense for HR professionals to dive below the talent pool surface, and the first leap toward more inclusive hiring is overcoming gaps in nontraditional candidates’ resumes.

But bias against joblessness among HR professionals is a known factor — candidates whose resumes include periods of unemployment are 45% less likely to land a job interview. As the nation moves through the pandemic, more employment gaps will appear: Per the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2020 statistics showed an increase (from May) in the number of people who’d been without jobs for 15 to 26 weeks, as did numbers for the “long-term unemployed” (those without jobs for 27 weeks or longer). That amount will likely increase as COVID-19 restrictions continue to affect business.

People who’ve never before been unemployed will show resume gaps, and this potentially places those who may already have been struggling to find work at the back of an even longer line.

Understanding long-term unemployment 

To learn more about employment gaps, we recently partnered with Indeed’s Hiring Lab to conduct a survey of job seekers who have been out of work for six months or longer. 91% of respondents reported at least one of the following challenges, and some 74% reported facing two or more:

• I have been unemployed for 6+ months at a previous point in my life/career.
• I have little or no professional experience.
• I don't have reliable transportation.  
• I have a physical or mental disability.  
• I have a nontraditional experience or background.
• I have changed jobs frequently in the past.
• I belong to an underrepresented group in terms of my race, religion, color or national origin.
• I have a criminal record.
• I am a parent without a support network (single parent; no access to childcare; and so on).
• I am a veteran.
• English is not my first language.

What bearing — if any — do these factors have on job skills? Perhaps, in fact, job seekers with the tenacity and grit to overcome employment barriers could make particularly strong employees. And so, as employers learn more about factors influencing workforce success, job timelines lose relevance. Disregarding gaps to focus on skills — whether it’s soft skills (like attention to detail and practical decision-making), transferable skills (useful in most jobs or industries) or hard skills (derived from training and cumulative life experiences) — supports untapped talent. 

In our survey, we discovered that these job seekers were being unfairly overlooked. Many possessed deep industry expertise, with six out of 10 had worked five or more years in their field before losing their job. And our respondents possessed nearly two-thirds of the soft skills evaluated, including: 

• A hardworking nature 
• Reliability
• Dependability
• Attention to detail
• Problem-solving abilities
• Practical decision-making
• Critical thinking
• Grit and work ethic
• Conscientiousness
• Emotional intelligence

We’ve also seen how COVID-19 unfairly impacts communities, which has led to a disproportionate amount of job loss and health issues among Black and Hispanic workers. It’s important to look closely at how we, as employers, can reach out to all types of workers and provide equal access to available opportunities. Helping every job seeker to be seen for what they have to offer not only promotes equality, but can also help us achieve our goals. 

4 inclusive hiring practices to help unconventional talent get ahead 

How, then, should your recruitment evolve? Here are four inclusive hiring practices you can implement to level the hiring playing field:

1. Trim your job descriptions. Long lists of “must haves” can turn away qualified candidates. For instance, studies show that women are less likely to apply if they don’t meet every requirement. Remove any requirements that aren’t critical for the job.
   
2. Deemphasize the work timeline. Shifting to a qualitative perspective during interviews (asking about a candidate’s “level of experience” instead of “years of experience,” which is quantitative) helps recruiters move beyond employment timelines that favor traditional backgrounds. Also, consider contextual performance — behaviors that contribute to company culture, like volunteering and the ability to collaborate — when evaluating performance potential.
   
3. Focus on emotional intelligence (aka “emotional equivalency,” or “EQ”). People with a high EQ are strong in social and personal competencies that create more productive and longer lasting employees. By incorporating EQ assessments, training and development into their sales force hiring practices, one Texas-based Fortune 500 company realized a 67% increase in retention in one year, resulting in $32 million in reduced turnover costs and increased sales revenue. 
   
4. Move from talking to doing. Pose a task to complete or audition your candidate on the job in a working interview. Removing more subjective interviews — especially in difficult times — decreases interview bias.

Conclusion

Finding the right person for your job matters, and inclusive hiring practices can help get you there. Looking beyond the resume to see the whole person and understanding what unique benefits that candidate can bring to the role will always be a win for your organization.