Does hiring a candidate from a diverse background mean that we have to lower the bar?

This question comes up over and over again when discussing inclusive recruitment. It was one of the first ones I had to come up with an answer to when I was driving the strategic DEI work and related targets in an in-house role, and after that there has been so many clients who have had this exact same concern. Do we need to lower the criteria, does it mean we have to accept getting only average talent?

Simply put: no, it does not.

In fact, when organisations start to focus on inclusiveness in their hiring communications and process, they will be able to reach a wider pool of suitable candidates. And wider pool = better chances of finding someone with exactly the skills needed. If previously our recruitment communication reached and appealed to only a certain type of talent, for example from the same study background, industry and gender, by working on reaching people with a different study background, industry and gender - yet the same skillset and level of talent - and ensuring that what we offer is attractive to them, we can multiply the amount of suitable talent in recruitment processes and therefore are able to select truly the best candidate for the job. Not just the best from a narrow pool.

This of course requires critically reviewing the current recruitment process, and making necessary changes to ensure that it is equitable for candidates from multitude of backgrounds and identities. And the ground work beforehand has to be done well - building connections to networks and communities that diverse candidates with suitable skillsets might be part of, adopting inclusive communications in all employer branding and recruitment marketing messages and probably most importantly, working on creating inclusive and equitable culture and practices within the organisation. Otherwise we risk losing the best, diverse talent we worked so hard to hire.

So you could say that hiring from diverse backgrounds in fact raises the bar.

If inclusive recruitment is something your organisation is interested in but would like some practical advise and help on how to implement it, I can help you.