三和一善 | How to discover welcome culture during job search

Posted by Kazuyoshi Sanwa on December 1st, 2021

It may require careful inquiry to determine the inclusiveness of a company.

Companies around the world are at a critical moment for diversity, fairness, and inclusion (DEI). The impact of the popular social justice movement with the change in the definition of work has refocused people’s attention on work culture and the creation of inclusive workplaces. For job seekers looking for opportunities in a market that favors talent, harmful or even substandard conditions are no longer acceptable.

The challenge for employers is how to cultivate and communicate a true and inclusive workplace culture that can truly resonate with job applicants. The keywords here are true. Many companies are preaching their commitment to DEI, but how can job seekers discover the true commitment from those who are willing to say anything to get you in the door? For employers, how do they communicate, they are not just talking about topics, but really walking on the road when it comes to DEI and positive culture?

The answer is not always straightforward. I offer the following suggestions to help job seekers and employers looking for top talent.

Build a meaningful workplace culture

Candidates: Ask yourself what you really need from the employer

When asking about company culture in a job interview, please carefully consider how you ask questions. Interviewers usually share interesting aspects of company culture, such as happy hours (which can be virtual or face-to-face), company outings, ping pong tables, nap cabins, or other social benefits. Although these benefits are good, they have limited understanding of company culture.

If you get the job, it is vital that you clearly understand the field you are going to enter. The hiring process shows this well—according to iCIMS data, 58% of recent college graduates seek diversification during the interview process. To help understand potential employers, please consider asking: What are their mentoring and career development methods? Does the company encourage and support employee resource groups? How do they support work-life balance?

????

Also, don’t just trust the words of the recruiter or interviewer. Ask for specific examples, or talk to people with the same or similar roles or levels, so you can understand their daily life in the company and their value to team members and the entire organization.

Employers: Use employee stories, feedback and analysis to communicate your culture

Most companies believe that they are fostering a positive and inclusive company culture, but if the leadership team does not require direct and regular employee feedback, they may miss their goals. Only through consistent tracking and open dialogue with employees and candidates can companies accurately understand their performance at every stage of the talent life cycle.

New research by iCIMS and Talent Board shows that 52% of organizations do not use other diversity-related data or analysis that exceeds the minimum requirements for EEOC compliance. This is an opportunity to lose employee feedback, gain insight, and ensure that their organization is inclusive. Employers should accept feedback and requests related to DEI. This shows that employees and candidates care about culture and how their contributions affect the company. Specifically, understanding the inputs in the hiring process helps to adopt a smarter and data-driven approach to build a more diverse workforce.

Discover if DEI is more than just a buzzword

Job seeker: looking for the true God\'s command

Many employers quickly stated that they prioritize DEI. To find the outstanding players from the people who are truly committed, please conduct due diligence and research, research, research. Check their job site to see if they are transparent about the culture and diversity within the company. What is their leadership team like? Do they show images and videos of real employees talking about company culture, DEI, development and mobility opportunities? Are any of your employee resource groups or plans highlighted?

Both IBM and Uber are good examples of brands that demonstrate their commitment to building an inclusive culture. These brands use user-generated video content to connect and interact with job applicants and existing employees. These videos are a quick and easy way to build more meaningful relationships with talent and show the culture and how companies can use this information: real employees to support a diverse community.

Employer: Establish and share real DEI requirements

Companies committed to taking action know that DEI is a journey. Many companies have not reached their desired goals or are behind in numbers, especially in the leadership. In this talent economy, knowing where you are and being transparent is vital, and it is of great help to today\'s job seekers.

Where possible, share your organization’s diversity goals, the progress it has made, and the steps it has taken to learn, improve, and advance its journey. Don\'t be afraid to proactively present this information to convey that the company will not shy away from difficult conversations.

Whether it’s a monthly DEI discussion group, hiring in partnership with HBCU or Veterans’ Network, DEI training, or more-these are the types of projects that demonstrate true promise.

We are in an extremely competitive job market. There is a huge demand for talent; at the same time, according to the US Department of Labor, we have seen a record number of resignations.

The job seeker holds the power. They can and should hold employers accountable for increasing inclusiveness. As we move forward, it will be difficult for employers who made this moment to flourish. This is an opportunity to build a fairer, more inclusive and high-performance workforce for today and the future.

Like it? Share it!


Kazuyoshi Sanwa

About the Author

Kazuyoshi Sanwa
Joined: April 16th, 2021
Articles Posted: 12

More by this author