Let Your Team’s Diversity Shine During Video Interviews

Of course, diversity and inclusion are nothing new on the hiring scene. Every company created equal opportunity employer statements before their websites were made public, right?

In this day and age, yes, but the deep-down, real meaning and focus of diversity hiring is just coming to light. In fact, it was just this year that 78 percent of hiring pros admitted diversity is shaping how they hire in the years to come in LinkedIn’s Global Recruiting Trends 2018 report. The big push stems from various societal factors, but it also comes from the core of leaders as they see the impact diversity has on company success.

An incredible 78 percent of hiring pros say they’re focusing on diversity to improve company culture, according to the previously mentioned LinkedIn report. Another 62 percent say it’s to improve company performance, and 49 percent want to better represent customers.

Who wouldn’t want these results?

But before you can focus on what diversity can do for your company, you must first attract and hire diverse employees. To do this, you need to show just how important diversity is to your current team. When candidates see individuals with various backgrounds, experiences, and skills are welcome and accepted at your workplace, they feel an immediate sense of belonging.

Here’s how you can showcase your team’s diversity using video interviews:

Record videos of employees asking interview questions

First impressions last the longest. When candidates are being hit with their first-round of interview questions, your video interviews need to make an immediate positive impact. Having one person ask every question decreases your chances of connecting with various candidates.

Recruit diverse team members to record questions for your video interview. Ask employees with different genders, ethnicities, ages, and educational backgrounds to participate. When you give each person their own question, encourage them to add their own short-and-sweet personal twist.

For example, if the question is, “Why are you qualified for this job?”

The employee could start off by saying, “Without a college degree, I never thought I’d be qualified to work at a place like this, but because of my life experiences, I was a perfect fit. So, why are you qualified for the job?”

This simple but informative question shows candidates that your company welcomes people of all educational histories. Seeing a variety of team members during video interviews increases the odds that candidates will find someone they can relate to. In return, they’ll be able to see themselves working at your company.

Get creative with employee testimonials

Employee testimonials add life and a sense of reality to your careers page. Your team’s stories of diversity, overcoming adversity, life experiences, and journeys are the perfect way to demonstrate the potential diverse employees have as part of your team.

In today’s world, however, people are looking for one-on-one, raw experiences. When you set the testimonial stage with a plain background or professional office setting, the reality can feel disingenuine and skewed.

Put a selfie stick in your team’s hands and challenge them to get creative. Encourage them to go outside, find their favorite location in the office, or even take candidates to their favorite thinking spot. No matter where it is, allow employees to share their stories as if they’re speaking directly to someone who has been through the same experiences.

Then, have interviewees view these testimonials before their video interview. Ask them to talk about who’s story resonated with them the most and why. As a result, the candidate will see how they connect directly to your team and you’ll have a clearer understanding of how the candidate would fit into your company.

Give interview questions a twist of inclusion

You can’t have true, meaningful diversity without inclusion.

If you paint this perfect picture of diversity but fail to follow through with inclusion, you’ll quickly lose the diverse candidates you worked so hard to hire. Many hiring pros (52 percent) know this and are already focusing their efforts on inclusion, according to the LinkedIn report.

The most effective way to show candidates you have an inclusive workforce is through thoughtful questions. Before hosting video interviews, give employees the opportunity to offer their input. Ask if any questions are worded in a way that aren’t representative of the company’s inclusive culture. They need to consider if any questions or scenarios would make them feel like their answers would make them feel excluded at the organization.

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How do you show off your team’s diversity during video interviews? Let us know!