How to Implement DEI Recruiting Best Practices in 2025
You help your company improve by implementing DEI recruiting best practices. Currently, 83% of leaders use DEI strategies, but only 29% truly integrate them into their company culture. Most job seekers—around 76%—want to see diversity in the workplace. Teams made up of diverse individuals make better decisions 87% of the time and outperform other teams. By seeking a wider range of candidates and building diverse groups, you foster innovation and promote fairness.
Key Takeaways
Post jobs on many websites and in groups to find different people.
Change job ads and steps so everyone can apply easily.
Make interview teams with people from many backgrounds.
Ask all candidates the same questions to be fair.
Use technology and AI tools carefully to keep hiring fair.
Check these tools often to make sure they are not unfair.
Show your company cares about DEI and welcomes all cultures.
Celebrate different cultures to help everyone feel included.
Grow Your Talent Pool with DEI Recruiting
Try Different Job Boards and Networks
Use many job boards to find more people. Regular job boards may not reach everyone. Special job boards help you find people from different backgrounds. Go to job fairs that focus on diversity. Join events where you can meet many kinds of people. This shows you care about including everyone.
Using more ways to find people brings in new talent.
Special job boards and groups help you meet new people.
Employee groups can help share your company’s culture.
Technology like smart computers can help you pick fairly.
You can check how well you are doing by using these measures:
What It Means | |
|---|---|
Diversity of Applicant Pool | Checks if people who apply are from many backgrounds. |
Sourcing Channel Diversity | Shows which job boards bring in the most different people. |
Offer Rates by Demographic | Looks at how many offers go to each group. |
Acceptance Rates by Demographic | Checks if people from all groups accept your job offers. |
Reasons for Rejection | Finds out why some people say no to your job. |
Time to Hire by Demographic | Sees how long it takes to hire people from each group. |
Work with Community Groups
Work with groups in your area. These groups know people from many backgrounds. Make a plan to work with both big and small groups. This helps you hire faster and find more kinds of people. Teach everyone what they need to do.
Working with these groups helps you meet new people.
Going to job fairs and events builds trust.
Small groups can help you find new ideas.
Change Job Requirements
Look at your job needs. Focus on skills, not just school or years of work. Use simple and clear words in job ads. Make sure your words include everyone. Take away hard steps, like long forms, to help more people apply.
Smart tools can help you look at skills.
Blind hiring hides names to stop bias.
Easy online forms help more people apply.
Help with things like childcare makes it fair for all.
Doing these things helps you use DEI best practices. You will find more great people for your jobs.
Use Employee Referral Programs
Employee referral programs help you find many kinds of people. Ask your team to suggest friends or family for jobs. This helps you meet people you might not find on job boards. Employees can bring in new skills and ideas.
Tip: Ask employee groups to help with referrals. They know people from different backgrounds.
Make your referral program better by doing these things:
Set goals for getting more diverse referrals.
Give rewards when a referral gets hired.
Share stories about employees who referred someone.
Track how many referrals are from different groups.
Here is a real example. In 2022, Mission got 22% of hires from referrals. This was 47% more than the year before. Of these hires, 35% were women. Also, 42% were from different races and backgrounds. 91% of these hires stayed at the company. These numbers show that good referral programs help with diversity and keeping workers.
Use a simple table to check your progress:
Metric | What to Track |
|---|---|
Referral Rate | Percent of hires from referrals |
Diversity of Referrals | Gender, race, and background |
Retention Rate | How long referred hires stay |
When you focus on inclusion in your referral program, your company gets stronger. You also show your team you trust them and value their networks.
Use Technology and AI to Make Hiring Fair
Make Job Ads Fair with Special Tools
Special tools can help make job ads fair. These tools check your words for bias. Some words, like "rockstar," can stop people from applying. Using simple words helps more people feel welcome. AI tools can find and fix these problems fast. Big companies use these tools to hire more kinds of people. They see more people from different backgrounds get jobs. This proves that these tools help with fair hiring.
Company | Tool Used | What Happened |
|---|---|---|
Same questions | Hired more kinds of people | |
Skill tests | Fairer hiring, more types of people | |
Accenture | Hides names on resumes | Less bias, more kinds of people |
Use AI to Check Candidates Fairly
AI can help you look at people in a fair way. It hides names and ages so no one is judged by them. AI looks at skills and how people act. It does not care about gender or race. AI uses fair tests to judge everyone the same. This helps you pick the best person for the job. Many people trust AI to be fair. Surveys show most people think AI helps stop bias. AI can also save money when hiring.
Check AI Tools to Keep Them Fair
You must check your AI tools often. This makes sure they stay fair. Checking means looking at how the AI picks people. You want to find any hidden bias. Experts use charts to see if AI treats everyone the same. Some companies ask outside experts to help check. This builds trust and follows new rules. Watching your tools helps make hiring open and fair. This step is important for fair hiring and helps you build a team with many backgrounds.
Build Diverse Interview and Hiring Panels
Make Teams with Different People
Put together interview teams with people from many groups. Choose team members from different jobs and backgrounds. This helps make hiring more fair. People with different skills and ideas can spot bias. They help everyone make better choices. Studies from Michigan show that mixed teams:
Make better choices and lower bias.
Give good examples for all candidates.
Stop unfair ideas about race or gender.
Show that being different and being great go together.
McKinsey found that companies with women leaders earn more money. Mixing people makes hiring stronger and more friendly.
Teach Teams About Hidden Bias
Teach your interviewers about hidden bias. Hidden bias means thoughts you do not notice. Training helps people see their own bias. Many companies use this training. After training, people notice bias more. But this does not last long. The table below shows what studies found:
Study / Source | Key Findings on Unconscious Bias Training Benefits |
|---|---|
Meta-analysis of 426 studies | Bias drops right after training, but returns after about 8 weeks |
Study of 829 companies over 31 years | No lasting change in workplace diversity |
Study at international professional services | People saw their bias, but did not change hiring behaviors |
Training is a good start. But you should also change how you hire to be more fair.
Ask Everyone the Same Questions
Ask each person the same questions in interviews. This makes things more fair. It helps you compare answers better. Research shows that using the same questions:
Measure | Result or Description |
|---|---|
Structured vs. Unstructured Interviews | Same questions work better for hiring |
Interrater Reliability | Teams agree more with set questions |
Bias Reduction | Less bias when questions are the same |
Legal Defensibility | Safer for your company |
Subgroup Differences | No big gaps between groups |
Utility/ROI | Good value for finding top skills |
Giving everyone the same questions gives all a fair chance.
Make Your Company Look Good with DEI Recruiting
Show DEI Values on Your Careers Page
Share your DEI values on your website. Use real team photos and videos. Tell stories from your workers. This helps people see your company is friendly. When you show your values, more people want to work with you. Let workers write blog posts or share their thoughts. This shows what your company is really like. Check if your job applicants and hiring teams are diverse.
Tip: Change your careers page often. Keep your DEI message new and true.
Share Stories from Employees
Let workers talk about their lives and jobs. When they share, job seekers feel closer to your company. These stories show you care about everyone. Real stories are better than just using DEI words. Honest stories keep people interested in your company. Social media helps you reach more people. Sharing stories online connects you with young and different groups.
Worker stories help people trust your company.
Job seekers want to see real people, not just words.
Show DEI Actions and Fairness Statements
Show your DEI actions and fairness rules everywhere. This proves you care about being fair. Many big companies promise to support DEI. This makes people think better of them. After 2020, many top companies promised to fight for fairness. Some, like Microsoft, spent a lot on diversity. These steps help people see your company in a good way.
Metric Category | How It Helps Your Company |
|---|---|
Happy workers make your company look good | |
DEI Numbers | Shows you welcome all kinds of people |
Offer Acceptance | More people say yes to your job offers |
Brand Awareness | More visits and shares bring more workers |
Using DEI best practices helps you find great workers. It keeps your team happy and makes your company stand out.
Foster Inclusion Throughout the Recruitment Process
Celebrate Different Cultures and Holidays
Welcome candidates by honoring many cultures and holidays. Show respect for everyone’s background by celebrating different events. This helps your team learn about each other. It also builds trust. Share stories and photos from these events online. Let people see your company’s values.
Celebrating holidays teaches your team about new traditions.
Sharing diversity numbers builds trust with job seekers.
Employee stories show what your company is like.
Flexible time off helps people feel valued.
Training about inclusion helps everyone support each other.
Studies show diverse teams work 12% better. They also stay 20% longer. Add cultural and religious leave to job ads. This attracts more people. It shows you care about their needs.
Meet Different Needs and Backgrounds
Help everyone do their best by meeting different needs. Some people need flexible hours or remote work. Others may need special tools. Ask candidates if they need help during interviews. This makes things fair for all.
83% of young workers feel more engaged at inclusive jobs.
People who belong try 5.3 times harder.
65% feel proud when their company is fair.
39% would leave for a more inclusive job.
Use these facts to show why meeting needs matters.
Ask Candidates for Feedback
Make hiring better by asking for feedback. Use simple surveys or short talks. Learn what works and what does not. Listening helps you improve for everyone.
Tip: Use feedback to find confusing steps or unclear ads. Fixing these helps welcome more people.
Focusing on inclusion gives every candidate a better experience. This helps your company grow and keeps your brand strong.
You can make your team stronger by doing five things:
Find more people to apply for jobs.
Use new tools and computers to help hire.
Pick interview teams with different people.
Show your company is a good place to work.
Make sure everyone feels welcome and included.
When you use DEI steps, your company grows. You get new ideas and better ways to work. Teams with many kinds of people make smarter choices. They also help the company earn more money.
The table below shows how being diverse helps:
Aspect | Statistic / Finding |
|---|---|
Profitability (Ethnic & Cultural Diversity) | 36% more likely to outperform on profitability |
Innovation Revenue | 19% higher innovation revenue |
Turnover Reduction | Up to 50% lower turnover |
Decision-Making Quality | 87% better at decision-making |
Start using these steps now. You will find great workers and keep your team happy.
See Also
Key Hiring Trends To Watch Out For In 2025
Mastering LinkedIn Recruiter Tools For Success In 2025
Creating Scalable Hiring Systems For Rapidly Growing Companies
