In today’s accounting and financial world, a diverse workforce plays an essential role in maintaining a welcoming company culture. This same concept also applies to other business sectors, like IT and engineering. Focusing on diversity when engaging your company’s staffing process helps ensure your team ultimately gains the right perspective when collaborating with clients and each other.
With a diverse team of talented professionals in mind, here are a few insights on how to ensure your staffing plan focuses on finding qualified candidates from different backgrounds.
Companies Understand the Importance of Diversity
A recent study of executives from an HR think-tank noted that, while 96 percent of the respondents feel diversity is of critical importance, barely one-quarter of them actually take steps to make their workforce more diverse. In short, intent doesn’t always mean action. Because of this cold, hard truth, financial organizations need tangible changes to their hiring processes to find diverse candidates.
Of course, building a welcoming office culture helps in this regard, and must be an initial step on any journey towards diversity. Taking part in charitable events related to this issue helps raise your company’s profile, while also serving to attract potential candidates to the organization.
Go Beyond First-Person Networking to Find Candidates
While your own employees are a great source for talented financial candidates, if your workplace isn’t already diverse this approach typically doesn’t change the makeup of your office. You need to leverage other channels, including social media resources like LinkedIn, while emphasizing your desire for diverse candidates in job ads and similar postings. Ultimately, you want to develop a pipeline of excellent candidates from all backgrounds.
Once again, don’t be shy about explicitly stating your company’s desire for a diverse workforce. At the same time, emphasize the need for excellent candidates from all backgrounds.
Even consider taking an approach similar to the NFL’s Rooney Rule. This means for any open position your company needs to interview at least one candidate from a diverse background before making a final hiring decision. It’s a tactic that truly shows how the company is focused on changing the makeup of its staff for the better.
Ultimately, finding excellent and diverse financial and accounting candidates becomes easier when your organization simply takes action.
If you need help building a great and diverse team in your office, speak with the experts at Venteon. As one of the top financial staffing agencies in Michigan, we provide top-notch candidates from a variety of backgrounds. Contact us today!
