How do I make diversity a key goal of our hiring process?

Diversity simply means "differences in people.'' It's not about forced quotas that ensure minority and female workforce participation. It is, instead, a recognized business objective based on the premise that a diverse corporate culture positions every company to more effectively compete in a global economy. By 2005, ethnic minorities will account for 47 percent of the nation's population. Socially responsible employers of choice recognize the strategic advantage of having their workforce mirror their customers' ethnic makeup. This ensures not only that the employer is fair but that it inherently understands the points of view of its clients, customers, and consumers.

What kinds of individual differences can companies hope to incorporate into the fabric of their organizational cultures? Employers with well-defined diversity initiatives look to attract a broad array of candidates with differing backgrounds according to:

- Gender " Age

- Ethnicity

- Race

- Sexual orientation

- Religion

- Military/veteran status

- Immigrant status

- Language facility

The way such initiatives are pursued and achieved is typically through a:

- Policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity employment

- Corporate diversity mission statement

- Corporate diversity policy

- Performance management appraisal system that considers diversity hiring and promotion as part of its evaluation metrics

- Private/local/civic outreach

Sample wording of a nondiscrimination policy and a corporate mission statement are provided in Appendix A.

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As far as minority and female sourcing initiatives, contact your regional chamber of commerce to locate local offices of organizations like these Southern California centers:

Regularly forward your hard-copy job postings to these organizations to heighten community awareness of your hiring opportunities.

Remember as well that the Internet offers excellent opportunities to successfully fulfill your strategic recruitment objectives. Log on to some of these sites to strengthen your brand awareness as an employer of choice and advertise your current job openings:

In addition, speak with representatives from job posting portals like Career Builder or Monster Board to learn about their simultaneous job posting dissemination to minority and female sites. This way, your ad may reach multiple audiences automatically at no additional cost. For example, your posting on Career Builder ( careerbuilder.com) may also be automatically listed free of charge on sites like Hispanic Online (hisp.com), Microsoft Black Entertainment Television (msbet.com), or Women Connect (womenCONNECT.com).

Job fairs and open house hiring events can be a very effective way to source a large number of candidate sat onetime as well. National directories of career fairs are available from recruitment advertising agencies and chambers of commerce in most major metropolitan areas. Following are some opportunities typically found, for example, in the Los Angeles area that might be offered in your area as well:

NAACP Diversity Job Fair

Diversity Career Expo

Black MBA Job Fair

Minority Career Expo

Remember the golden rule about diversity initiatives: It's not only about companies doing the socially responsible thing. More important, it's all about maximizing growth and profitability. After all, the only way you can sell to a diverse customer base is to understand its preferences, attitudes, and inclinations firsthand. When your workforce mirrors your clients, customers, or the consumers you sell to, there's a natural symbiosis that fosters a cooperative and mutually beneficial business relationship. That translates into dollars and cents for your company's top-line revenues.