Recruitment doesn’t start and end with HR--there is a real and active role to play in the recruitment process in terms of hiring diverse communications teams. The biases that exist in recruitment retention remains the same and can be reduced by promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion. “Diversity is counting heads and inclusion is making heads count” There are a number of benefits to promoting diversity in your organization. Diversity enhances creativity, facilitates breakthrough innovations, changes the way you think and improves the bottom line. Companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to outperform their respective national industry medians, and companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are 15% more likely to outperform industry medians as well. How can organizations break out of homogeneity? CityYear recommends a close examination of your job descriptions. Does it have inclusive language? Is there flexibility with education requirements and office hours? Does the description showcase your mission and team? Is your job description inspiring? Taking proactive steps to address these fundamental questions is key in promoting diversity in your organization. Connecting candidates to people who are similar to them creates an authentic hiring experience and promotes collaboration. Filtering for inclusion in job descriptions helps diversity tremendously.

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HIRING, RETAINING &
INSPIRING DIVERSE
COMMUNICATIONS TEAMS

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PRESENTERS

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OBJECTIVES Why diverse and inclusive
communications teams perform
more effectively
1
How to develop more inclusive
hiring and retention strategies for
communications teams
2
How to make your
communications team a catalyst
for diversity, equity, and inclusion
3
3

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Do you feel that your
organization is diverse?

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BENEFITS OF DIVERSITY
● Enhances creativity
● Facilitates breakthrough
innovations
● Changes the way you think
● Improves the bottom line
(Graphic data: McKinsey & Company)

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OBJECTIVES Why diverse and inclusive
communications teams perform
more effectively
1
How to develop more inclusive
hiring and retention strategies
for communications teams
2
How to make your
communications team a catalyst
for diversity, equity, and inclusion
3
7

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PAIR & SHARE:
What are some of your organization’s
diversity recruitment
challenges/opportunities?

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LET’S SHARE OUR RESPONSES

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STRATEGIES FOR HIRING DIVERSE TEAMS
Job Descriptions
• Inclusive language
• Education requirements
• Flexibility (location, hours)
Key Questions to Consider
• Do your job descriptions showcase your mission and team?
• Do you have the ability to be flexible with the roles and responsibilities?
• Is your job description inspiring?

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EXAMPLES
EEO STATEMENT
Our organization does not discriminate in
employment on the basis of race, color,
religion, sex (including pregnancy and
gender identity), national origin, political
affiliation, sexual orientation, marital
status, disability, genetic information, age,
membership in an employee organization,
retaliation, parental status, military service,
or other non-merit factor.
DEI EXPRESSION
We are committed to diversity and building
an inclusive environment for people of all
backgrounds and ages. We are taking steps
to meet that commitment. We especially
encourage members of traditionally
underrepresented communities to apply,
including women, people of color, LGBTQ
people, and people that are differently abled.
We know there are great candidates who
won’t fit everything we’ve described above,
or who have important skills we haven’t
thought of. If that’s you, please don’t
hesitate to apply and tell us about yourself.
VERSUS

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If there’s only one woman (or
minority) in your candidate pool,
there’s statistically no chance
she’ll be hired.
However, if just one additional
woman or minority is added to
the candidate pool, the chances
of a women or minority being
hired dramatically increase.
If there are 2 women in
the pool the odds of
hiring a woman are 79%
greater.
79%
If there are 2 minorities in
the pool the odds of
hiring a minority are 193%
greater.
193%
If There’s Only One Woman in Your Candidate Pool. There’s Statistically No Chance She’ll Be Hired, Stefanie K. Johnson,
David R. Hekman, Elsa RT. Chan, April 26, 2016, Harvard Business Review.

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STRATEGIES FOR HIRING DIVERSE TEAMS
• Outreach
• Interview Panels
• Candidate Experience
Key Questions to Consider
• How often do you engage with diverse community groups?
• How diverse are your interview panels?
• Have you walked through and thought about your candidate interview
experience?

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INCLUSIVE RETENTION STRATEGIES
• Develop an Actionable Plan
• Employee Resource Group (Inclusion
Council)
• Temperature Check-in Conversations
Key Questions to Consider
• Does your communications team have a DEI statement?
• What does your talent management program look like?
• What DEI training exists specifically for managers?

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OBJECTIVES Why diverse and inclusive
communications teams perform
more effectively
1
How to develop more inclusive
hiring and retention strategies for
communications teams
2
How to make your
communications team a catalyst
for diversity, equity, and
inclusion
3
15

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What are the most significant
barriers or issues your organization
faces as it relates
to embracing DEI in your
communications?

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YOUR TEAMS HOLD INFLUENCE OVER POWERFUL
LEVERS
• Messaging and language
• Website
• Social media
• Marketing collateral
• Annual reports
• Event speakers and programs
Key Questions to Consider
• How is our language/narrative contributing to the public conversation on this topic?
• Who is involved in our decision making & feedback process?
• Who is represented in our stories? Who gets to tell our stories?

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LESSONS FROM CITY YEAR

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THANK YOU!
Tina Chong, VP of Communications
City Year
(857) 305-1602 ● tchong@cityyear.org
Angelique Grant, Senior Consultant & Certified Diversity Recruiter
Aspen Leadership Group
(305) 322-1950 ● angelique@aspenleadershipgroup.com
Colleen Flynn, Marketing Manager
Aspen Leadership Group
(781) 264-2564 ● colleenflynn@aspenleadershipgroup.com