Is ‘lowering the bar’ the problem with your hiring strategy?
Let’s talk about inclusive hiring.
When it comes to recruiting and retaining underrepresented minorities or professionals with marginalized identities (you might use the phrase ‘diverse talent,’ but we wish you wouldn’t), I often hear hiring managers talk about a need to ‘lower the bar.’ And the truth is: I’m over it.
If you’re not yet familiar with the concept of ‘lowering the bar’, allow me to provide a bit of context.
‘Lowering the bar’ is a concept that relies on two beliefs. First, it’s the belief that companies have to hire the best professionals and in order to hire the best people, companies need to have a high bar, or a high set of standards that candidates need to meet in order to get hired. So far, so good - right? Second, organizational leaders believe that the reason why their candidate pool is lacking diversity - e.g. more people of color, women, etc. - is because underrepresented minorities aren’t qualified enough to meet the bar they’ve set.
That’s where the problem lies. Whether you intend to or not, by suggesting that the only way to hire more diverse candidates is by lowering your standards, you’re promoting the (very biased) idea that candidates from marginalized backgrounds are not qualified - or at least, not as qualified as their counterparts from more traditionally accepted backgrounds (e.g. white folks, men, etc.).
If we really think about it, even the idea that if you have an open role to fill, you can find ‘the best’ person for the job is, to put it simply, ridiculous. There are 8 billion people on the planet and I guarantee you there are hundreds of people who meet the criteria for the job and could knock it out of the park if given the opportunity. But if your entire management team is made up of one demographic, you’re basically implying (if not in many cases outright stating) that only these types of individuals are ‘the best’ people for the job.
These beliefs are, at best, misguided. And at worst? Actively harmful toward candidates with marginalized identities. These misguided mindsets are part of the problem with inclusive hiring today. If we truly want to change the way we hire, we’ve got to start with mindsets first. Mindsets become habits, which then become actions.
With that in mind, here are some inclusive actions you can take to start shifting your own mindset (and the mindsets of those around you):
Be an Inclusive Leader
If you’re still holding onto the idea that ‘lowering the bar’ is the only way to increase diversity in your candidate pool, this says a lot more about your state of mind than it does about the candidates. It’s time to change the way you think about hiring. Talent professionals like me already knew that lowering the bar was not an effective strategy for hiring great talent. And if you thought this “solution” was being suggested as the key to inclusive hiring, you misunderstood the assignment.
If you’re having a hard time finding great candidates from marginalized communities, your standards are only part of the problem. But before we can talk about standards, we’ve got to start with your mindset. Change the way you think, and the way you speak. If your team members hear you grumbling about “diversity hires” or “DEI hires,” you’re setting a negative example for what inclusive hiring looks like, and the effect of this mindset trickles down.
Lead With Inclusion
Similar advice applies at the individual level. Think about the way you talk about hiring choices on your team with your peers. When a new hire joins your team, how do you think and talk about their identity? If you’re the person on your team who’s likely to suggest that your new teammate is a “diversity hire,” or that they were only hired because they’re ____ [insert marginalized identity here], your mindset is part of the problem. It’s these kinds of errors in judgment that can lead to the marginalized members of your team feeling ostracized, feeling ‘othered,’ and worse - ultimately leaving the team. Then, your team is right back to where you started, and this cycle of exclusion continues on. Wondering why you have retention issues and high turnover? This could be one of your problems.
To make matters worse, not only are you contributing to your team’s retention issues, you’re now also exacerbating recruitment issues by making it more difficult for your company to attract underrepresented minorities who, when faced with an offer from your company or a competitor, will choose your more inclusive competitor.
If you’re looking to build your skills and knowledge in inclusive hiring, then I’ve got good news for you. My course will help you build an understanding of skills-based recruiting, and touch on ways to unbias your hiring process. Watch it below and then you know the drill . . . if your team needs help with their hiring process, reach out.
Click to watch “What’s the difference in recruiting strategies?” on LinkedIn Learning.
About Stacey Gordon:
Stacey Gordon is a Global Talent Advisor, Bias Disrupter and an unapologetic evangelist for inclusion. As the Founder of Rework Work, she anchors action using change management principles while facilitating mindset shifts. She is a global keynote speaker, Top Voice on LinkedIn and a popular LinkedIn Learning [IN]structor reaching nearly two million unique learners who enjoy her courses.
Want to work with Stacey live? Consider booking her for your next keynote, leadership development meeting or consulting engagement.