Groups formerly seen as ‘minorities’ may reach majority status by 2044 (US Census Bureau 2017)
U.S. demographics are changing, and as baby boomers continue to leave the workforce, the applicant pool is fast becoming more diverse. Some organizations, whose hiring practices have not changed for decades, now realize that they need to modify their practices to be more equitable and inclusive.
One challenge employers face is having difficult conversations around culturally sensitive topics that applicants may want to address in interviews. For example, an African American man asked about diversity in the organization. The interviewer’s words and body language gave him the answer:
“I had an interview in Atlanta. I went through the whole process and didn’t see any African American people working in the whole firm. In my final interview with a partner, I asked him, ‘What’s your recruitment policy?’ The partner was trying to be apologetic about it. He was trying his best to come with explanations for it. He mentioned that candidates don’t apply or something; he came up with two or three answers. I put the partner on the spot. He was not prepared to respond to that question. I didn’t take the job.”
Situations like this can create more than just an awkward silence; they could also cause an employer to lose the applicant. It is crucial for interviewers and hiring managers to prepare for and recognize sensitive situations before complications arise.
Another challenge could occur when what seems like an innocuous question produces an unexpected response. For example, “Tell me about yourself” could lead to a delicate situation. In this example from our online training course on Potentially Sensitive Interview Situations, a human resource generalist shared this experience:
“When I asked the applicant to tell me about herself, she started talking about her husband and children. I wasn’t sure what to do.”
Had the interviewer framed the question differently, they could have avoided the applicant sharing overtly personal information. Simply by reframing the question, such as, “Please give me a brief overview of your work experience related to this position,” you can avoid this issue.
Difficult conversations around culturally sensitive topics need to be handled carefully. Even if interviewers do not ask for it, unforeseen sensitive diversity-related information can pop up in interviews. Interviewers should be prepared to handle these situations and develop maneuvers to steer the interview in a positive direction.
As the U.S. population continues to change, hiring a more diverse workforce is not only desirable, it is inevitable. Hiring teams should be trained on how to answer questions related to diversity within their organization and to ask culturally inclusive interview questions. The online training programs on Integrating Diversity & Inclusion into the Hiring Process offer your hiring team tools for developing equitable and inclusive hiring practices.
Copyright © 2022 Lila Kelly Associates, LLC. Management Consulting in DEI and HR. Integrating Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into Hiring, Interviewing, Recruiting and Retention – Since 1992. Not to be reprinted without written permission from Lila Kelly. This article includes excerpts from Lila Kelly’s online training courses and books at diversityintegration.com. To stay up to date on all the latest from Lila Kelly Associates, subscribe to our newsletter.