Creative Ideas of Diversity Hiring in 2023 [Steal from the Top Companies]

As a hiring manager or business owner, it is important to strive to build a diverse team that represents a range of backgrounds and experiences. This can be challenging, particularly if your company or team is already fairly homogenous. However, there are many successful examples of companies that have successfully implemented diversity hiring strategies and have been able to attract and hire a diverse group of candidates. By following their examples and prioritizing diversity in your hiring process, you can also build a strong and inclusive team.

In this article, we are going to visit on some of the most known tech companies globally like Apple, IBM, Microsoft, etc. and talk about their efforts of diversity hiring. We’ll also look at the trends of AI recruiting companies from the angle of accelerating diversity hiring practices economically. 

Before looking at the examples, let’s first get a primer on diversity hiring itself. 

What is diversity hiring?

Diversity hiring refers to the practice of actively seeking out and recruiting candidates from underrepresented groups in order to promote diversity and inclusion within a company. This can include individuals from a variety of backgrounds, such as racial and ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

In the USA, diversity hiring is often driven by equal employment opportunity (EEO) laws and regulations that prohibit discrimination based on certain protected characteristics. Companies may also implement diversity hiring initiatives as part of their corporate social responsibility efforts, or to increase innovation and competitiveness by tapping into a diverse pool of talent.

With this clear, let’s dive right into the corridors of big names in the tech industry to peep into their diversity hiring practices. 

Apple

Apple places a strong emphasis on diversity hiring and has made significant progress in this area in recent years. In 2020, the company hired a large number of employees from underrepresented communities and filled a significant proportion of leadership positions with underrepresented candidates. Apple has also developed action plans to increase diversity hiring in all business areas, including research and development. In addition to these efforts, Apple has launched several initiatives as part of its $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI), including the Propel Center, which aims to provide mentorship, learning support, internship, and career opportunities to students of color. Through these initiatives, Apple is working to create more opportunities for young people of color in America and to foster a more diverse group of future leaders.

IBM

IBM has demonstrated a strong commitment to diversity and inclusion in its hiring practices. In 2019, the company hired a significant proportion of candidates from non-traditional backgrounds and promoted a large number of women to executive positions. In addition to these efforts, IBM has taken actionable steps to promote racial justice, including the creation of the Call for Code initiative, which encourages developers to use their coding skills to combat racial injustice. IBM has also committed to partnering for racial justice at the World Economic Forum. These initiatives demonstrate IBM's dedication to building a more diverse and inclusive workforce.

Microsoft

Microsoft has a number of diversity and inclusion goals, including increasing the percentage of employees with disabilities. To achieve this goal, the company has a Chief Accessibility Officer and dedicated resources to recruit and develop talent with different abilities. Microsoft's Autism Hiring Program is particularly noteworthy, as it aims to attract and support individuals on the autism spectrum by offering recruiting opportunities at in-person events across the country and internationally. In addition, Microsoft hosts Ability Hiring Events, which provide candidates with disabilities the opportunity to participate in a one-day interview designed to be inclusive. These initiatives demonstrate Microsoft's commitment to diversity hiring and inclusion.

General Motors

General Motors has taken several steps to diversify its workforce, including partnering with organizations like Women of Color in Technology, Disability:IN, National Society of Black Engineers, and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers. The company has also implemented programs specifically designed to hire veterans and people with disabilities. In addition, General Motors has introduced initiatives aimed at attracting female talent, such as the Take 2 career reentry program, which offers a 12-week "reinternship" opportunity to individuals who have taken a career break of at least two years. These efforts demonstrate General Motors' commitment to diversity and inclusion in its hiring practices.

Yelp

Yelp is committed to maintaining an inclusive workplace and has implemented various strategies to promote diversity in its hiring practices. These strategies have included expanding on-campus recruiting efforts to reach out to students at historically black universities, women's colleges, and Hispanic-Serving Institutions. More recently, the company has redesigned its recruitment process for its Sales Leadership Development Program to encourage and support a more diverse pool of applicants. These efforts demonstrate Yelp's ongoing focus on diversity hiring and inclusion in the workplace.

Conclusion

While HR teams brainstorming for diversity hiring is always great, AI recruiting companies have also started to play a role in such efforts. These companies use artificial intelligence to analyze resumes and identify candidates from underrepresented groups that may have been overlooked by traditional hiring methods. This can help to reduce bias in the hiring process and increase the diversity of the candidate pool. And by building more diverse and inclusive teams, companies can not only improve representation and fairness, but also tap into the unique perspectives and experiences of a wide range of employees.