Hiring from diverse candidate pools has been a slow process for many organizations. There are two primary reasons for this – unclear intent related to recruiting from diverse talent segments and lack of access to such pools. Can a niche talent acquisition platform address the lack of access to diverse talent pools?
HR tech platform AliroOpens a new window has announced its partnership with Internet Association (IA) through which Aliro’s proprietary software with an expansive referral community will become the driving force behind IA’s new job referral site. The goal is to improve overall diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the internet industry, with the referral site serving as a centralized platform for underrepresented job seekers.
A large amount of data has been pointing toward huge gaps in diversity, primarily across race, gender, and age. The trend is stark not only in traditional sectors such as logistics and manufacturing, but also new-age and technology-driven ones, such as social media and ecommerce sites.
Recent news indicates that a growing number of companies are setting diversity targets. With that goal in place, the next step will be to search for the right talent from those segments.
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A Central Repository for Diverse Segments of Talent
The Internet Association’s job referral site is designed to
- Compile jobs from across all its member companies
- Allow candidates to find as well as apply for open positions and refer colleagues
- Allow candidates to view listings that are veteran-preferred
Through this partnership with Aliro, employers who are members of IA can connect with talented, diverse applicants all in one centralized location with one tool. Aliro brings its expertise of automating the top of the talent funnel, matching, discovering, and (re)discovering talent from within companies’ existing ecosystems, and the ecosystems that are a part of their referral community.
This is a significant move toward making a larger pool of candidates accessible in the industry. It could indicate a transformational shift in the way technology is used for talent acquisition to create an inclusive workplace.
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How Useful Are Diversity Job Portals?
While the IA’s portal is a niche portal applicable mainly for the internet industry, some others also offer comprehensive access to candidates from different pools. For instance, platforms such as Diversity.comOpens a new window have been around for two decades, being one of the leading job posting sites for Black and other minority group candidates. The platform supports organizations in making their job postings more inclusive and thus inviting for candidates.
WorkplaceDiversity.comOpens a new window provides an entire portfolio of job sites, including VeteransConnect.com, DisabilityConnect.com, HispanicDiversity.com, OutandEqual.com, and AllDiversity.com. FairygodbossOpens a new window is a strong network offering a women’s career community such that candidates can access expert career advice and company reviews.
Diversity hiring portals operate like special networking groups for individuals who belong in that segment. They are used by organizations to save time finding specific talent aligned to their goals. Even large and traditional organizations such as GEOpens a new window use digital recruiting platforms such as Fairygodboss to hire skilled women.
There are, however, certain challenges with using such a platform. First, they may not be comprehensive. Several women who want to return to work or Black candidates may not be registered on these platforms. That reduces the talent net instead of widening it. Second, most job boards are linked to gender or race. This excludes other less represented diversity dimensions such as sexual orientation, disability, and age. This group of people is likely to fall through the cracks since the emphasis is not on them.
Will Aliro’s partnership with IA be able to overcome these challenges to deliver an equitable platform for individuals in the internet industry?