As beneficial as a diverse sales team is, many businesses struggle to form one. The reasons why vary. But, a big one is there&rsquo;s a disconnect in the recruiting process, whether it&rsquo;s where they&rsquo;re recruiting, the language they use in their job ads, or something else entirely. 
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Fortunately, achieving more diversity on your sales team is much more straightforward with an intentional recruiting process. Six tips for recruiting a diverse group of talented sales professionals are just ahead. But first, let&rsquo;s discuss the value of a diverse sales team. 
<h3>The Value of a Diverse Sales Team</h3>
First and foremost, a <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/business/sales/blog/diversity-inclusion-belonging/how-to-hire-a-diverse-sales-team-best-practices" rel="noopener" target="_blank">diverse sales team is best positioned</a> to work with a diverse customer base. People are usually more comfortable with those they can identify with. A team with varying backgrounds, abilities, and experiences fuels that comfortability and leads to more closed deals. 
Diverse sales teams are also more innovative. You can understand the needs of more people and develop sales solutions for them that they can genuinely resonate with. Creativity runs deep in a diverse team. And that&rsquo;s critical for consistent results. 
<h3>Who&rsquo;s Underrepresented in Sales?</h3>
Recruiting a talented, diverse sales team starts with understanding who&rsquo;s underrepresented in the field. When you know who&rsquo;s underrepresented in sales, you can contribute to closing the gap by hiring individuals in these communities. 
Let&rsquo;s take <a href="https://www.pipedrive.com/en/blog/women-in-sales" rel="noopener" target="_blank">women in sales</a>, for example. While they represent just under half, 49%, of sales reps, they only make up 26% of sales managers. The climb to sales management and leadership seems much steeper for women than men. In addition, women are severely underrepresented in business-to-business (B2B) sales roles.&nbsp; They deal with gender biases. And despite outperforming men, they&rsquo;re paid 7% less than them. 
Continue to look into <a href="https://www.zippia.com/advice/sales-statistics/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">sales role statistics</a> like this. Understanding just how underrepresented and mistreated women and other groups are in sales gives you a recruiting starting point. 
<h3>Identify Talent and Skills Gaps </h3>
Aside from having people of different genders, races, and cultures, a diverse sales team has a range of talents and skill sets. Be sure you&rsquo;re recruiting individuals who can fill your current team's talent and skills gaps. 
Identify those talent and skills gaps first. Take inventory of your team and pinpoint where it could benefit from adding certain skills and talents to the mix. Prioritize the need for these skillsets by importance and start recruiting for the most critical. 
<h3>Recruit for Culture Fit Too</h3>
Technical skills are crucial, but they aren&rsquo;t everything. Not only do you need people on your team with essential skills, but you also need those who fit your company culture perfectly. They may not have the specialized skills you&rsquo;re looking for, but their personalities, values, and goals fit the company's vision. 
Any time you come across candidates who are a good culture fit, set their applications aside. Then, review these applications in more detail later to determine if they should advance to the interview stage. 
<h3>Ensure Job Postings Welcome a Range of Applicants </h3>
You can set out to recruit a diverse and inclusive team. If something as important as your job posting isn&rsquo;t reflective of that, your efforts are less likely to be successful. So, you must design job postings that are accessible and welcoming to everyone. 
Use gender-neutral language in your job descriptions. Stay away from an aggressive, competitive tone and adopt a softer one. Let candidates know your company accommodates all needs. And refrain from doing or saying anything that can be deemed offensive. 
<h3>Extend Your Recruitment Efforts to Social Media</h3>
Job search engines and your company website aren&rsquo;t the only places you can turn to for recruiting. Consider extending your recruitment efforts to social media. With millions of people using social media daily, you can bet many of them are looking for job opportunities. 
LinkedIn is one of the best social media platforms to recruit on. It&rsquo;s deemed the site for professionals. Also, businesses can create job postings and candidates can apply for them directly on the platform. 
You can reach a much bigger candidate pool on LinkedIn. Just make sure you&rsquo;re <a href="https://www.adobe.com/express/learn/blog/best-time-to-post-on-linkedin" rel="noopener" target="_blank">posting on LinkedIn at the best times</a> based on when the candidates you&rsquo;re after are on the platform the most. Even if you don&rsquo;t generate any interest in your jobs immediately, you can still compile a list of potential candidates to reach out to later. 
<h3>Have Accommodations in Place</h3>
If you really want people with varying abilities, backgrounds, and experiences on your sales team, you must show them your company is equipped to accommodate them. 
 For example, if you&rsquo;re hoping to successfully hire people with disabilities, you should have accommodations in place that can support them. This could be providing screen readers for the visually impaired. It could be providing mobility aids and ensuring your office is wheelchair accessible. Or it could be having an employee on board fluent in sign language to communicate with someone hearing-impaired. 
Accommodations for those living with a mental health condition in the workplace are vital too. These conditions can be &ldquo;invisible&rdquo; but are just as debilitating without proper support. So, ensure mental health resources are abundant and easy to access. Having accommodations already in place to support a diverse sales team will show candidates your efforts are genuine. 
<h3>Final Words </h3>
If you&rsquo;ve yet to prioritize diversity and inclusion on your sales team, you&rsquo;re missing out on some key advantages. Not only are diverse teams more innovative, but they&rsquo;re more equipped to connect and close deals with a diverse customer base. Let the above advice guide you in building an incredibly talented, diverse sales team. 

Interested in being one of our partners? Contact us at gettinghired@careercircle.com.&nbsp; 
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Content Contributor:
Ainsley Lawrence is a freelance writer from the Pacific Northwest. She is interested in better living through technology and education. She loves traveling to beautiful places and is frequently lost in a good book. <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/xM3iVk1Q6Grl9AKaOJyl" width="278" height="278">

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Discover insightful articles on building inclusive work environments and fostering diverse talent communities.

Recruiting a Diverse Sales Team | Getting Hired

Recruiting a Diverse Sales Team

DEI initiatives in the workplace are becoming increasingly common as more and more companies understand the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. However, diversity and inclusion in the workplace need to be about more than just recognizing that someone is different for a singular identity &mdash; like their race or their gender &mdash; and figuring out how to include them. This is where intersectionality comes into play. 
Intersectionality is the latest buzzword on the topic of inclusion, and while many companies are realizing it&rsquo;s something they need to take note of, they don&rsquo;t fully understand what it is or what it means. 
<h2>What is Intersectionality?</h2>
Intersectionality is the idea that different social categorizations, as applied to an individual, often interconnect or overlap with other categorizations of other individuals or groups of people. In other words, no person can be identified by one single thing, and instead, they are often made up of multiple identities which they share with other people. 
In the context of diversity and inclusion, intersectionality is most often used about identities or social categorizations that are affected by systems of inequality or oppression, such as having a specific socio-economic status or being a woman, a person of color, or a member of the LGBTQ+ community. 
Intersectional feminism, for example, is often talked about regarding women&rsquo;s rights needing to include all women, not just white women. So to be an intersectional feminist means to be a feminist that fights for the rights of all women, not just the women with the same intersecting identities as you. This same concept applies to all identities or categorizations. For example, if you are going to be <a href="https://www.gettinghired.com/blog/3214/the-business-case-for-disability-inclusion-and-how-to-improve-your-dei-score" rel="noopener" target="_blank">inclusive of people with disabilities</a>, being intersectional means you would need to be inclusive of all people with disabilities, not just white people with disabilities or not just men with disabilities. 
<h2>Why Intersectionality in the Workplace Matters</h2>
Intersectionality matters, period &mdash; but it is especially important in the workplace. Many companies are already implementing DEI initiatives, but they are not doing so with intersectionality in mind. In other words, they are often only recognizing singular identities rather than how their employees are affected by multiple forms of inequity and discrimination. 
For example, companies that implement diversity initiatives that focus on racial diversity often end up being more inclusive of men of color, but not necessarily women of color. Or companies that are trying to be more inclusive of women only center on white women rather than women of all races. 
While these efforts are a start, they are often not 100% effective because they are not taking into account all of the other identities and how they overlap. Just because you are making your workplace more inclusive to people of color does not mean you are also taking into account the unique challenges that women of color specifically face compared to men of color. If your DEI initiatives do not include intersectionality, then you are still likely leaving certain identities out. You are failing to fully support your employees in the unique ways that they need to be supported and accomplish success in their roles. 
<h2>How To Integrate Intersectionality and Create a More Inclusive Workplace</h2>
Integrating intersectionality is not easy, but it is essential if you want to create a genuinely inclusive workplace for all. Your efforts must move past categorizing your employees through one-dimensional aspects and seek to take an intersectional approach in all areas of the workplace, from hiring practices and workplace culture to external-facing work, such as your marketing. 
<h4>1. Lead by Example</h4>
One way to start is to focus on those in leadership roles and how they interact with, communicate with, and treat your employees. Those in leadership and management roles essentially dictate how things work while setting an example. So you must ensure your leaders are being truly intersectional in their behaviors to set an example for how everyone else should act and treat others in the workplace. 
<h4>2. Provide More Opportunities for Education and Awareness</h4>
Integrating intersectionality is not achieved by hosting one meeting about DEI and intersectionality. You must take an ongoing approach by providing consistent opportunities for everyone on your staff to continue educating themselves and becoming more aware. This means ongoing training and creating safe spaces for everyday informed conversations. 
<h4>3. Update Your Policies</h4>
Of course, talking about intersectionality and teaching it to your staff is one thing. But to make this change more resolute, it often requires taking a hard look at your policies and making necessary changes. This can include changing your mission statement, strengthening anti-discrimination policies, and using more inclusive language. 
<h4>4. Learn From Other Organizations</h4>
If you aren&rsquo;t sure where to start, a great way to get ideas is to take a look at other organizations making big changes to integrate intersectionality. 
For example, there are a few tech companies today that are not only trying to be more inclusive of <a href="https://blog.domotz.com/fun-side-it/women-in-tech/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">women in tech</a> but especially of women of color in tech. Some of these companies include Girls Who Code, the NCWIT, and Women Who Code. The <a href="https://constructionblog.autodesk.com/better-construction-black-employees/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">construction industry</a>, which has often been behind in DEI efforts, is also taking bigger steps today to create more inclusive workplaces that integrate intersectionality. Instead of primarily hiring men, they are making efforts to hire people across various marginalized groups, such as women and people of color. 
<h2>Wrapping Up</h2>
As more companies take on DEI initiatives, these efforts must include intersectionality from the start. To truly transition from intent to action, bigger changes must be made, which can mean having some uncomfortable conversations. But the faster you integrate intersectionality, the quicker you can achieve a successful workplace where all employees can thrive. 
&nbsp; Our platform is designed to connect you with the best and brightest candidates who bring unique perspectives and experiences to your team. Inclusion is not just a buzzword, it's a competitive advantage in today's rapidly evolving business landscape. Companies that prioritize equity and inclusion enjoy increased innovation, creativity, and employee satisfaction. Contact us at gettinghired@careercircle.com. 
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Content Contributor:
Ainsley Lawrence is a freelance writer from the Pacific Northwest. She is interested in better living through technology and education. She loves traveling to beautiful places and is frequently lost in a good book. <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/hLvFXRWzQ3mmPHNdkziS" width="232" height="232">

Intersectionality: What It Is and Why It Matters To Your Workplace | Getting Hired

Intersectionality: What It Is and Why It Matters To Your Workplace

According to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dol.gov/odep/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">U.S. Department of Labor&rsquo;s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)</a>, 20.7 percent of working-age people with disabilities in the U.S. have jobs, compared to 68.3 percent of working-age people without disabilities. While research continues to prove disability-inclusive hiring provides significant benefits for employers, when it comes recruiting employees with disabilities, many employers don&rsquo;t know where to begin.
From overall branding to interview processes, incorporating appropriate recruitment strategies can make all the difference to attract job seekers with disabilities.
Here are some innovative recruitment strategies to help you hire people with disabilities:
1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Incorporate inclusive employer branding&nbsp;&ndash; As an employer, having a good reputation is not only important to attract customers, but also to attract job seekers and retain employees. According to&nbsp;<a href="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/5057002/GettingHired_November2019/Pdfs/ultimate-list-of-employer-brand-stats.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>, 75 percent of job seekers research a company&rsquo;s reputation and employer brand before applying. Employers seeking to hire people with disabilities should ensure their messaging conveys their inclusiveness. This means providing visual representations of people with disabilities and written language indicating they are a disability-inclusive employer on all recruitment materials. Employers should also avoid listing job requirements that aren&rsquo;t truly necessary. Language such as, &ldquo;must be able to lift 30 pounds,&rdquo; can deter people from applying who would otherwise be well-qualified for the position.
2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Pursue passive candidates through social media &ndash;&nbsp;It&rsquo;s estimated that 75 percent of people who aren&rsquo;t looking for a new job would consider an offer if it&rsquo;s presented to them. A passive candidate is a potential job applicant who is not actively seeking a new job but is open to switching jobs if an opportunity is presented. Social media recruiting is a great way to seek out passive talent, as most job candidates will have social media accounts. Employers can use social media networks to search for candidates, reach out to them and build relationships, and encourage them to apply for vacant job positions. Many employers also focus on enhancing their overall social media presence to improve engagement and reach more job candidates. When seeking to hire people with disabilities, employers can focus on participating in Twitter chats and engaging with disability organizations via their social media handles.
3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Recruit remotely &ndash;&nbsp;From mobile-friendly applications, to video and text interviewing, innovations in technology make it easier for employers to connect with job seekers. For some candidates with disabilities, using strategies like&nbsp;<a href="https://searchhrsoftware.techtarget.com/definition/video-interview" rel="noopener" target="_blank">video interviewing</a>&nbsp;can be helpful, as this allows them to interview in locations most accessible for their needs and saves on travel time. Additionally, providing options such as texting to schedule and confirm interviews or engage with applicants can be helpful for those who have speech or communication needs that make communicating via text most accessible. In general, to ensure accessibility for all job seekers, employers should provide multiple ways for job seekers to communicate with recruiters.
4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Host inclusive hiring events &ndash;&nbsp;Many disability inclusive employers proactively seek out job candidates with disabilities by hosting or participating in inclusive hiring events or job fairs. Employers like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/diversity/inside-microsoft/cross-disability/hiring.aspx?irgwc=1&amp;OCID=AID681541_aff_7593_1375745&amp;tduid=(ir__tj6i2tuabokfr3xr0kbg2zzd122xmvl201wluen100)(7593)(1375745)()()&amp;irclickid=_tj6i2tuabokfr3xr0kbg2zzd122xmvl201wluen100" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Microsoft</a>&nbsp;host inclusive job fairs that provide opportunities for job seekers with disabilities to meet local and national recruiters, learn about job opportunities in a variety of fields, and gain information to help them get a job (i.e. resume writing skills). Other employers choose to participate in inclusive hiring events hosted by disability-focused organizations. For example, Getting Hired hosts multiple Online Career Expos throughout the year to connect job seekers with disabilities to employer partners. These provide a unique and fully accessible opportunity to talk one-on-one with recruiters and hiring managers in real-time.&nbsp;&nbsp;
5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Connect with local disability organizations and university disability offices &ndash;&nbsp;Employers who want to recruit more employees with disabilities should reach out to those with direct connections to people with disabilities. This includes local disability organizations and university disability services offices. Often these organizations not only provide employers access to strong candidate pools, but also can serve as resources for disability-focused employer trainings.
6.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Highlight accessible features of the job location/position &ndash;&nbsp;Today&rsquo;s job seekers aren&rsquo;t just looking for jobs with desirable salaries and perfect job duties. They also want to know other benefits an employer can offer, such as proximity to public transportation or open office floor plans. Job seekers with disabilities are often drawn to employers who offer flexible work hours or telework options, provide both open office and quiet spaces for working, along with other inclusive office features.
7.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Educate ALL staff&nbsp;&ndash; Goals for disability inclusive hiring should not begin and end within an employer&rsquo;s HR department. Truly inclusive hiring means educating everyone within an organization, including executives, managers, and other employees that will interact with co-workers with disabilities. Trainings should not only address topics such as disability etiquette, but should also provide information on reasonable accommodations to help avoid negative bias about the needs of employees with disabilities.
8.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Implement inclusive interview practices&nbsp;&ndash; It&rsquo;s important for employers to ensure every aspect of the hiring process is inclusive of people with disabilities. This includes informing applicants that accommodations for interviews can be provided upon request. Employers should also check for proper physical access to interview locations and address any other needs specified by the applicant. Many employers also participate in disability etiquette trainings to learn general protocol for communicating and interacting with people with various forms of disabilities in interview settings.
To find out more about how to recruit job seekers with disabilities,&nbsp;contact the CareerCircle team at gettinghired@careercircle.com.
Contributions to this blog were made by Andra&eacute;a LaVant of Solutions Marketing Group.&nbsp;

8 Innovative Recruitment Strategies to Hire People with Disabilities

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Keep up to date with CareerCircle's latest blog posts on keeping an inclusive workforce.

Recruiting a Diverse Sales Team

Intersectionality: What It Is and Why It Matters To Your Workplace

8 Innovative Recruitment Strategies to Hire People with Disabilities

Recruiting a Diverse Sales Team

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