Job seekers are out there. But do you know how to attract their attention and connect with them? After all, LinkedIn research indicates that the average job seeker spends only 14 second scanning a job description. The job description is only one piece of information job seekers use to evaluate your company. Here are a few trips for attracting and hiring diverse candidates.

Hiring Diverse Candidates

Do you have a good idea of what the average candidate for an open position looks like these days? If you’re seeking an entry-level employee, Untapped, in its Early Talent Sentiment Report, shared the following data from its survey. The typical candidate has this profile:

White 37%
Undergraduate degree 51%
Less than one year of work experience 53%

Another way to look at this profile is to realize that a majority of job seekers do not identify as white, and nearly half do not have a four-year college degree. If the language you use in your job descriptions, on social media and on your website don’t speak to these job seekers, they’ll move on.

Heavy Use of Events and Social Media

In their job search, these young citizens use social media. Around 25% use social media to research companies they are interested in, and 30% look on these sites for job or internship possibilities.

They also want to get a sense of the culture at a workplace before they commit to applying for an open position. Nearly 70% told researchers that young job seekers want to attend an in-person event to learn more about the organization. AudienceSCAN data from SalesFuel also revealed a strong correlation between job seekers and the intent to attend job fairs in the coming year.

While young job seekers want to know about the organization they’re applying to, they’re not willing to share their information, at first. The worry about being judged because of a disability, identifying as being transgender, or belonging to another minority group looms large. They want recruiters to assess their skills and educational credentials first.

Communicate Strengths of Your Training Programs and Culture

We hear a lot about the importance of professional development and its appeal in terms of recruiting young workers and hiring diverse candidates. But what does that phrase mean? Untapped asked its survey takers, and they responded as follows:

Learning team skills 32%
Improving practical skills 27%
Gaining leadership/management skills 20%

Job seekers are also looking for a culture where they’ll fit. Younger job seekers who are just entering the workforce have experienced disruption unlike generations before them. The COVID-19 pandemic taught them not to take anything for granted. They also feel comfortable talking about mental health and expect to have a work-life balance.

The Job Description

In a Benefitsnews.com post, Alyssa Place advises hiring managers to get creative with job descriptions. If your description is vague or makes your company sound like every other business, younger job searchers will move on. An intriguing job description will explain what’s unique about your culture. Do all employees pitch in to volunteer on a specific community improvement project every year? Mention that activity in the job description. In addition to discussing your culture, answer questions the candidate is likely to be asking themselves, such as, “Who will I get to work with?”

Your Interview Panel

The team members who interact with job applicants represent the face of your organization. This is especially true if the applicants have not attended a job fair or met anyone else in your company. Untapped findings reveal that nearly 70% of young job applicants would prefer to interview with people who they can identify with.

At the same time, refrain from misrepresenting who works at your company. “72% of jobseekers felt surprised and regretful that the job or company was different from what was described and planned to quit.” One path to hiring diverse candidates and improving outcomes is to consider details like job fit and company fit, features available in TeamTrait, during the recruitment process. Managers can also use the assessment results to personalize onboarding and training.

Photo by Jopwell on Pexels.