Understanding that diversity has many dimensions will serve as a foundation for developing an effective recruiting plan. Begin by reviewing Unconscious Bias as a first step toward increasing awareness about inherent biases and stereotypes and the impact they have when hiring top talent at Brown University. Here are additional action items:

• Review the summary of actions and implementation framework for the six priorities outlined in Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion: An Action Plan for Brown University.
• Review the goals outlined in your department's Diversity & Inclusion Action Plan (DDIAP). ODI has posted DDIAPS for all academic and administrative units.
• Determine what DDIAP action items still need to be accomplished.

Job descriptions form the basis of Brown’s recruitment advertising and directly shape a candidate’s understanding of the position. Hiring managers should intentionally design job descriptions to attract a wide array of applicants and ensure they match the job for which you are hiring. A well-written job description should describe major responsibilities and essential functions, but it is not merely a list of job requirements. Consider a focus on how a potential candidate will contribute to the overall mission of your department.

best practices in writing inclusive job descriptions

Job description contain the qualifications and criteria for the role and standardize expectations for job performance. Review the following guidelines to create inclusive job descriptions:

• Ensure minimum qualifications are aligned with the responsibilities. Be selective about identifying minimum required qualifications as this may influence the diversity of the applicant pool.
• Separate essential from non-essential qualifications.
• Carefully consider whether preferred qualifications are justified (e.g., consider whether candidates need to have an advanced degree for success in the position).
• Use inclusive, flexible language conveying that candidates with comparable transferable skills or knowledge can be considered (e.g., associate’s degree or equivalent education and experience).
• Carefully review language to eliminate unintentional bias.  Avoid using his/her pronouns; instead, use “the incumbent.”
• Avoid modifiers or criteria with gender-associated qualities (e.g., dominant, assertive).
• Include a departmental commitment to diversity. (e.g., experience working with a diverse population).
• Focus on desired ability or skill instead of personal trait (e.g., instead of mature, cooperative person, ask for ability to work effective as a team member).
• Write clearly, using common words and avoiding jargon and technical language

In addition to sourcing candidates through traditional methods, you should also target professional organizations and agencies devoted to building a diverse workforce. Review an interim pool report provided by UHR to assess the diversity of the applicant pool prior to initiating interviews. Consult these resources for more broad-based recruiting:

• Colleges, Universities, and Technical Schools
• Facebook Groups
• Federal, State, and Local Government Agencies
• Higher Education and General Advertisers
• Local Organizations
• Job Specific Recruiting Resources

Examples of Local Organizations

• African Alliance RI
• City of East Providence
• Community Baptist Church – Newport
• Congdon Street Baptist Church
• Center for Southeast Asians (CSEA)
• Consortium of Higher Education LGBT Resource Professionals (local chapter)
• Da Vinci Center – Community Progress
• Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island
• East Bay Community Action Program
• KhmerPost (Cambodian Community)
• Latina 100.3
• Latino Public Radio
• NCAAP – Newport Chapter
• Narragansett Indian Tribe
• Nuevos Horizontes
• Poder1110 WPMZ AM Radio
• Progresso Latino Inc.
• Providence En Espanol
• Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM)
• SHRM-RI Affirmative Action Professionals
• RI Indian Council
• RI Young Professionals
• RI enEspanol
• The Providence American
• TiempoSocial Magazine
• Urban League of RI
• Year Up Providence

To ensure the right candidate is selected, effective screening and evaluation require communication, collaboration, and cooperation among the selection team. To reduce individual bias or blind spots, assemble a diverse selection team and require all involved in the search process to complete the Unconscious Bias online module. Additional guidelines include:

• Providing the selection team with the job description and clear, consistent guidelines for evaluating each candidate’s background, skills and experience
• Discussing with the selection team, prior to reviewing applications, how each required qualification or competency will be evaluated – consistency is key
• Focusing all screening on the content of the resume rather than the style
• Using a rubric to evaluate all applicants
• Creating a structured, formal interview protocol that includes the same job-related interview questions – complete the Interview Preparation Guide to develop questions based on the competencies required for the position.
• Avoiding questions designed to solicit information about the candidate’s race, color, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, or family/ childcare situation
• Checking assumptions around body language and consider culturally influenced behaviors (e.g., minimal eye contact may be a culturally influenced behavior and not an indicator of lack of interest)
• Providing all candidates with clear, consistent information about the selection process
• Requesting the selection team provide strengths and areas of improvement for all interviewed applicants

If departments are invested in recruiting diverse candidates, it is important to have a plan in place for checking references. Brown discourages checking references on candidates for staff positions until the hiring process is nearing completion. Here are some additional guidelines to ensure your top candidate is the right match for the position and Brown University:

• Use consistent core questions for all references contacted
• Obtain the candidate’s consent to contact references prior to making contact
• Base ranking decisions on the applicant’s ability to successfully perform the job as evidenced from only the resume, references, interviews, and other job-related criteria
• Ensure the desired salary constitutes a competitive offer developed by using market data and internal equity practices not based on the candidate’s current salary

• Black Perspective
• Diversity Search
• Equal Opportunity Publications, Inc.
• GoldSea - Asian American Daily
• Hispanic Today
• Diversity Employers
• Native American Jobs
• The Black E.O.E. Journal
• Women for Hire
• Workplace Diversity
• Workforce Diversity Network
• All Diversity
• National Black Chamber of Commerce
• Asian Chamber of Commerce
• Employ Diversity
• Hispanic Jobs
• Black Enterprise

• Inside Higher Ed
• The Chronicle of Higher Education
• Higher Ed Jobs
• Latinos in Higher Ed
• Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education
• Diverse Issues in Higher Education
• Academic Keys - Higher Ed job site for academics, post by discipline
• Women in Higher Ed
• Journal of Blacks in Higher Ed
• Blacks in Higher Ed
• Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU)
• Academic Diversity Search
• University Jobs
• Hispanics in Higher Ed
• Asians in Higher Ed
• LGBT in Higher Ed

• AbilityJOBS
• National Labor Exchange
• Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN)
• National Association of Asian American Professionals (NAAAP)
• National Urban League Jobs Network
• American Job Center
• USAJobs
• disABLEDperson
• Hire Disability Solutions
• National Telecommuting Institute (NTI)
• Recruit Disability
• VetJobs
• Workforce Recruitment Program

• National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics
• National Athletics Trainers Association
• Women Leaders in College Sports
• National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
• National Association of Basketball Coaches
• United Soccer Coaches
• American Volleyball Coaches Association
• College Sports Information Directors of America
• United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA)
• D1.Ticker
• Daily Squash Report
• US Squash
• Row2K
• The Open Mat

• National Society of Hispanic MBAs
• National Black MBA Association, Inc.
• American Business Women’s Association
• Women in Business and Industry
• Black Career Women’s Network
• National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. (NABA)
• Minority Finance Jobs
• American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business
• Association of Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting
• National Association of Black Accountants, Inc
• National Association of Asian MBAs

• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• Society for Advancement of Native Americans & Chicanos in Science
• The American Society for Cell Biology
• The GEM Consortium

• American Association for Clinical Chemistry
• American Chemical Society Committee on Minority Affairs
• National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers
• Association for Women in Science

• American Association of Respiratory Care
• Institute for Diversity and Health Equity
• National Association of Health Services Executives
• Nuclear Medicine Jobs

• Black Data Processing Associates
• Women in Technology
• The Association for Women in Computing
• Women in Tech
• Blacks in Technology

• Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
• National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice
• National Criminal Justice Association

• American Indian Science and Engineering Society
• US Black Engineer
• Career Communications Group
• National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc
• National Society of Black Engineers
• Society of Women Engineers
• The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
• IEEE Women in Engineering

• Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
• Association of LGBT Journalists
• Association for Women in Communications
• Journalism Education Association
• National Association for Multi-Ethnicity in Communications
• National Hispanic Media Coalition
• Native American Journalists Association Job Bank
• New York Women in Communication
• National Association of Hispanic Journalists

• Arts Council of the African Studies Association
• College Art Association
• National Art Education Association

• American Historical Association
• National Council for History Education
• Organization of American Historians

• American Library Association
• American Indian Library Association
• Black Caucus of  the American Library Association
• Asian Pacific American Librarians Association
• REFORMA

• American Mathematical Society
• National Association of Mathematics
• Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics
• The Mathematical Association of America

• American Academy of Nursing
• American Association of Colleges of Nursing
• American Nurses Association
• Minority Nurse  
• National Association of Hispanic Nurses
• National Black Nurses Association

• American Association of Physics Teachers
• American Institute of Physics
• American Physical Society
• National Society of Black Physicists

• American Political Science Association

• American Psychological Association
• Association for Psychological Science
• Asian American Psychological Association
• Association of Black Psychologists
• International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology
• Society of Indian Psychologists

• American College Personnel Association
• Association on Higher Education and Disability
• StudentAffairs.com
• National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators