By Jose J. Ruiz | Alder Koten
I was at a dinner party last weekend and in the middle of a conversation regarding the labor market with the current economy I mentioned that the hiring has not completely died off but it has turned very specific. Organizations are trying to fill very specific positions with very specific profiles including profiles that require multicultural backgrounds. Recruiting for diverse teams.
An HR Manager working for a Fortune 500 mentioned that he felt diversity was turning into reverse discrimination. The issue in question was a recruiting process that was skewed towards “Diversity Candidates” and thus was discriminating against “Non-Diversity Candidates”
Reverse discrimination is a discussion that can last for hours specially if there is red wine involved. However it did open up the door to discuss the difference between recruiting for diversity.
Diversity efforts in recruiting are meant to create a diverse team in the workplace, which is different from a recruiting process that is diverse. It becomes just like any other search where specific requirements are targeted to complement a team. So a recruiting effort to build a diverse team will be a targeted effort.
How the team is structured and the reasons behind and organization’s effort to build a diverse team is a whole different story.
About Alder Koten
Alder Koten helps shape organizations through a combination of research, executive search, cultural & leadership assessment, and other talent advisory services. Our recruiters and executive search consultants bring to the recruiting process an in-depth understanding of the market conditions and strategic talent issues faced by clients within their particular industry. Our leadership consultants provide advisory services that are crafted to be collaborative, responsive, pragmatic, and results oriented. Focused on expanding the capabilities of the organization through talent.
