There’s so much fatigue around this topic that I’m rather reluctant to write about it, however I cringe everytime I read about politicians, businesses, investor/entrepreneurs preached about how they’ve hired based on diversity.
I believe hiring should be Race, Gender and Religion agnostic. One should not start off the hiring process by eliminating a certain group or on the lookout to add a particular group to the team because of diversity. Instead, hiring should be based on cultural fit and competency to fulfill the role, with EVERYONE in the society given an equal chance to display those qualities.
There is huge social pressure around diversity, and organizations were called out for the lack thereof. Succumbing to such pressure will only limit the upside of your organization. If you’re hiring for a creative director, mathematician, engineer, or marketer, assess on qualities that would allow them to strive in those roles and diversity would come along! Naturally, an organization has different functions and requires a wide array of skillset to operate, hiring the right people brings about complementary skillsets and diversity.
I’ve been on both sides of the table, and have seen employers hire for a particular group of people “to add diversity to the team” or specifically shun away from another group in the community. These actions are uncalled for and should be eliminated. As every organization is on the lookout for the best talent, assess people based on the right metrics for the job and have an unfiltered lens towards all your candidates will allow you to form your dream team… with diversity 