Improve your Diversity & Inclusion strategy

Adway Talks D&I at the CXP Awards

In late March, Adway’s Sara Dalsfelt, Senior Advisor of Digital Talent Acquisition, was invited as guest speaker at Trustcruit’s prestigious, first annual 2021 CPX Awards! As an attendee of this epic online gala, she was able to witness which organizations won the coveted “Best Interview” and “Best Candidate Experience” awards. She was also specially invited to give a speech on one of her favorite TA topics: Diversity & Inclusion.

About The CXP Awards

The annual CXP Awards were created by the Swedish candidate feedback software company Trustcruit and the winners are determined based on candidate feedback systematically collected by Trustcruit through an anonymous candidate feedback tool. Special Guest talks were given by candidate experience experts,, Adway’s own Sara Dalsfelt, and Steve Usher, host of The Experience Designers podcast.

Diversity & Inclusion is Not TA’s Responsibility

When Sara sat down at the CPX awards, she started out with a simple statement: Diversity & Inclusion is NOT TA’s responsibility.That’s right. That said, it helps if TA can lay the groundwork for the organisation. And there’s a good reason for them to want to get involved. It comes in the form of the business case for D&I:

The most diverse fortune 500 companies perform25% higher than their competitors.

How TA Can Take the Lead in Diversity & Inclusion

While TA might not be responsible for Diversity & Inclusion, they can take the lead by building a D&I strategy into the attractionphase of talent acquisition. There are steps that can be taken to eliminate bias and bring sound D&I strategy into recruitment:

Train your brain to get out of bias. Confirmation bias describes how we reflexively make choices that strengthen the perception we already have. If your image of a programmer typically brings a male to your brain, it’s time to re-train it! Start by getting as many people (especially hiring managers) behind you as possible. Organize a workshop that helps the whole recruitment team train their brains to get out of bias.
Use a requirement profile for everyone. If specific certifications or niche knowledge are needed, mark them as requirements. For personal qualities and experience, use “desirable” instead. There are different paths to success!
Let the numbers speak. Measure and prove that you live as you learn. Set measurable goals linked to your D&I efforts and follow up! If you don’t reach all the way right away, you just need to continue to analyse and adjust.
Use unbiased, programmatic storytelling and advertising. Modern recruiters and employers are focusing their recruitment marketing efforts on social media. Apply various forms of targeting to advertise to candidates who have already shown interest in your organisation, thus helping you adopt an unbiased advertising strategy.

The bottom line is this: greater diversity will give you a greater end result.

Moving From Cultural ‘Fit’ to Cultural ‘Add’

It’s time to make some moves! Employers, hiring managers, recruiters and TA professionals can be better and braver by aiming for employees who bring their whole selves to work. Because inclusion isn’t just a starting phase in the recruitment journey, it’s about keeping those diverse team members for many years to come. Infuse your D&I strategy into your everyday work.

How to Kickstart D&I In Your Organisation

Sara has one huge suggestion to start: don’t let fear stand in the way!

From there, here are a few ways your organisation can get started with Diversity & Inclusion right where you are:

Investigate your culture. See how it differs from what you say it is.
Empower the organisation with language. Get people who are passionate about D&I to come in and journey manage your team.
Remove the stigma from bias. This doesn’t mean throwing bias away, it means asking where bias disadvantages your organisation and the candidates applying.
Change how your company innovates. How will that help you acquire diverse candidates? How will it help them stay?

Candidate Experience in 2020, 2021 and Beyond…

Steve Usher is an employee experience design expert, host of The Experience Designers podcast, and founder of 5ive Studio. Steve gives a great overview of Candidate Experience in 2020, 2021 and beyond. Here are some key points:

Candidate Experience in 2020. Talk about a test. On a candidate level, 2020 has been nothing short of emotional. It’s not so much about what companies are doing, but about how they’re going about it. Because in Candidate Experience, the experience is the how. Some companies are hitting. And some are majorly missing. We’ve also moved lightning-fast from a candidate-led market to a job-led market, causing candidates to work way harder to find and secure work.
Candidate Experience in 2021. Steve offers a few tips for moving forward. For starters, get intentional. Right now, as you sit reading this blog, there are thousands of candidate experiences unraveling in your hiring process. Some are serving you really well, others are doing your employer brand a serious disservice. It’s time to lift a lens into your hiring experience. Secondly, think in journeys. Look at the lifespan of the employee journey and start to identify the many “micro-journeys” within, from hiring journey to employee experience and beyond.
Candidate Experience in the Future. First, compete for talent with your brand, EVP and experiences. Next, get intentional and start designing. Then, start with one journey, test and measure. And finally, create a reputation in a sea of ordinary!