Today, more companies are increasingly realizing that a diverse workforce drives business innovation and is essential to growth. As a result, candidates are learning to use their diverse backgrounds as an employment asset. Here are the top 5 ways to leverage your diverse background to your advantage.
Here are 5 Ways to Leverage Your Diverse Background as an Employment Asset
In the not so distant past, people of diverse backgrounds and heritage tried to remove the diversity from both their resumes but also their professional lives. In most companies, that’s no longer needed. With these tips to leverage your diverse background as an employment asset, we’ll show you how to own your heritage and use it as one (of your many) employment assets.
1. Network in niche groups/associations.
Join and network in niche groups and associations. If you’re a member of your alumni association, see if they have niche groups for their more diverse populations. Then join them too. Participate in sororities and fraternities. Then find new groups to join. Once you’ve found a host of new organizations, pick your top 3 groups and become a regular member. Help new members find their way and if you’re able to help, support existing members to find new employment opportunities. One day, you may be a recipient of support from this group but always try to provide support before you look to receive it.
2. Create and join Diversity Working Groups
Find like-minded professionals within minority populations. For instance, at your current job, you can create a working group of for example, “vegans in the workplace.” In that group, you can discuss shared experiences in that minority group. Forming a working group is a great way to get to know people who have similar experiences, and it’s an easy way to network. You can also form a working group outside of an organization. The organizer sets all the initial requirements and as the group forms, the members, themselves, can and will make changes to the group. The point though is to create a group of like-minded professionals who can agree to meet consistently and support one another.
3. Display your “diverse” associations on your resume
Don’t be afraid to share your diverse professional associations on your resume. They are a part of your professional identity and they help to shape you into a well-rounded candidate. Plus, they provide hiring managers with subtle clues that you’re a diverse candidate. Since qualified diverse candidates are increasingly sought-after, if all things are equal, your participation in a diverse professional association may help you clinch a new job, or at least give you a shot at an interview.
4. Find non-traditional job boards and job announcements
Employers are now consistently posting jobs in non-traditional areas to recruit a more diverse workforce. As you look for new employment, find smaller and niche job boards to find diversity-friendly companies.
5. Work with a diversity recruiter
If you’re looking for mid-level to executive placement as a minority candidate, you can work with a recruitment firm. These firms contract with companies and recruit to meet the needs of their corporate clients. As a result, a recruiting company will eagerly present a highly-qualified minority candidate, especially if the hiring company prioritized qualified diverse candidates as a requirement for the recruitment firm’s contract.
Leverage Your Diverse Background
At the end of the day, more and more companies are looking to hire diverse candidates. Organizations are looking for racial minority candidates, women, candidates from the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, and candidates with diverse life experiences. Today, the opportunities available for diverse candidates are better than they’ve ever been. So, leverage your diverse background and seek to share it in your networking opportunities and through your resume. It’s finally okay to be and share yourself at work.
If you’d like to learn more on how to leverage your diverse background and learn to use it as an asset in your current employment or your employment search, contact JUMP Recruits. We’re happy to help get you started on the right track.