3 Tips to Make Your Scientific Team More Diverse
Posted June 5th, 2018
Creating a diverse team can be challenging. Often, you are limited based on the candidates that apply and biases, whether conscious or unconscious, can impact hiring decisions, leading to more homogenous groups.
Research shows that having a diverse team provides significant benefits, particularly in areas like innovation and creativity. This can help the company’s bottom line by creating new products or finding solutions that may otherwise have missed the mark.
If you want to make your scientific team more diverse, here are three tips to help you on your journey.
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Eliminate Buzzword Titles
Over recent years, vacancy announcements began to more heavily feature certain buzzwords that companies hoped would help them stand out from their competitors. Teams like “ninja” and “guru” began to litter the text, and the result of using these words wasn’t always positive.
While they seem whimsical in nature to many, certain buzzwords are seen as gender specific while others are culturally insensitive. This implies that you are seeking candidates that fit certain demographics or aren’t sensitive to how the words are perceived by those from different cultures.
When you want to increase diversity, it’s wise to remove these terms and instead use descriptive or official titles, like “analyst” or “specialist.”
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Offer Diversity Training
When it comes to selecting candidates, hiring managers often feel drawn to job seekers who remind them of themselves. At times, this means they are more likely to choose candidates with backgrounds that resemble theirs, and this can harm diversity initiatives.
By providing managers with training about combatting conscious and unconscious hiring bias, you increase the odds that the best person is selected for the role. Over time, this can increase diversity as the motivations that were creating a less-diverse team are slowly removed.
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Try New Recruitment Sources
If you want to improve diversity, consider branching out into new recruitment sources. You can seek out niche job boards that target scientific professionals as well as those that appeal to different portions of the population.
The social media platforms you choose as advertising vehicles also impact diversity, particularly when it comes to the age of the candidate. Twitter tends to appeal to a younger demographic while seasoned professionals are more commonly on LinkedIn.
Similarly, you can reach out to organizations in your community that support professionals from different walks of life. There are a number of groups that work to assist women and minorities as they strive to become successful in their fields and, by tapping into these organizations as a resource, you can learn about skilled candidates that may otherwise not learn about your openings.
Partnering with a reputable staffing firm can also assist with your diversity initiatives. Recruitment agencies often have access to large candidate pools, giving you a mechanism to connect with more candidates quickly and efficiently.
If you are interested in partnering with a skilled team of recruiters, the professionals at Bayside Solutions can help. Contact us to discuss your hiring goals today and see how our expertise can benefit you.
