Part I: 5 Hiring Manager Behaviors That Sabotage Diversity Initiatives
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At the heart of our mission at Team JTC is the belief in the power of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We believe that diversity brings not only a wider pool of talent, but also a wealth of ideas and perspectives that lead to innovation, growth, and success for clients who implement our recommendations. However, achieving a more diverse and inclusive workplace is not always smooth. Among other things, it requires a partnership between recruiters and hiring managers that is built on trust, accountability, and collaboration. We cannot afford to be complacent, and we must work together to eliminate barriers and roadblocks that hinder our progress.
Despite all the good talk, the balance between recruiters and hiring managers can often be thrown off, leading to what I call a “Hero vs Villain” dilemma. This dilemma can result in recruiters being positioned as either the heroes or villains, which is distracting and fails the purpose if the intention is to increase diversity.
Heroes: “Let’s increase recruitment spend so that recruiters can increase diversity in hiring.”
Villains: “It's because of the recruiters that we are unable to increase diversity. If they just do their job, then we would have better hiring results”
As a result, organizations may believe that the lack of diversity is solely a hiring issue and pour resources into the recruitment department, or they may blame the lack of diversity solely on recruiters.
Hero vs Villain scenarios are often counterproductive and cause more nuisance than solve problems. So, to avoid this dichotomy, recruiters and hiring managers need to work together in a balanced partnership. That’s where the art of “calling in” comes in.
At Team JTC, we believe in a positive approach to course-correcting practices and behaviors. Instead of “calling out,” we recommend “calling in” hiring managers. This means working with them as partners and advisors to gently steer hiring strategies toward a more effective direction. By doing so, we strive for a better balance that benefits everyone.
To effectively call in a hiring manager, it is essential to understand the hiring behaviors that throttle your diversity initiatives. These behaviors, which I’d like to call “hiring behavior red flags,” can prevent you from attracting and retaining a diverse pool of candidates.
So, without ado, let’s dive into the first part of this two-part newsletter series: 5 hiring manager behaviors—red flags—that may be sabotaging your organization’s diversity initiatives.
Hiring Behavior Red Flag #1: The One-Size-Fits-All Mindset
Hiring managers who set overly restrictive constraints and parameters on what a “qualified” candidate looks like can limit the pool of diverse candidates. Whether demanding Ivy League degrees or a particular prior work experience, this approach narrows the scope and misses out on top talent.
Hiring Behavior Red Flag #2: Toxic Workplace
A toxic work environment can drive away even the most talented and diverse team of employees. As recruiters, we have a responsibility to ensure that the workplace is not only inclusive but also retains its employees. There’s no way to increase diversity if employees are leaving the organization as quickly as they are entering.
Hiring Behavior Red Flag #3: Playing Favorites
Some hiring managers may already have a person in mind for a position and proceed ahead just to go through the motions of the hiring process. This often happens when organizations have a policy of posting all positions, but the hiring manager wants to hire a person from their personal network. Managers who make decisions based on personal biases or predetermined choices undermine the hiring process and limit the possibility of discovering hidden gems in the candidate pool.
Hiring Behavior Red Flag #4: Feedback Loophole
Hiring managers should include meaningful, relevant, and bias-free interview feedback from all interview team members before making the final selection to ensure the integrity of the hiring process. However, some may ignore these aspects, leading to poor feedback that is not submitted, relevant, clear, timely, or bias-free. This can result in ineffective decision-making and risk poor selection decisions.
Hiring Behavior Red Flag #5: Poor Interview Skills
Interviews are an important part of the hiring process, so much so that a poor interview experience can deter even the most qualified candidates. Hiring managers lacking interviewing skills and refusing to improve risk missing out on top talent. In order to make the best selection decisions, it is crucial that hiring managers acquire the necessary skills and training to evaluate and engage with candidates effectively.
Most of these decisions are rooted in conscious and unconscious biases among hiring managers. Bias in the hiring process can hide in plain sight, often causing a major impact on the diversity of your workplace without you noticing.
But to tackle biases, it isn’t just about what you need to START doing; it’s also about what you need to STOP doing. It is about shining a light on the hidden obstacles that keep candidates, especially from historically underrepresented groups, from entering and thriving in your workplace. By finding and eliminating these not-to-dos, you can open the door to a more inclusive and dynamic work environment.
I discussed the 5 hiring behavior red flags this week in the first part of this two-part newsletter series. Stay tuned for the second part, where I explore how recruiters have been historically responding to these behaviors, the outcomes they often observe, and the ultimate art of “calling in” a hiring manager.
As a matter of fact, in our eBook, The Art of Calling in Hiring Managers, we delve even deeper into the topic and share more proven tips and strategies to help you navigate these challenges and make real, meaningful progress. A comprehensive guide on how to effectively communicate with hiring managers and build strong, collaborative partnerships, this eBook helps anyone looking to enhance their diversity and inclusion efforts. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to empower yourself and make a positive impact in your workplace. Download your copy now, and join us in the quest for a more diverse and equitable future!
