DEI recruiting strategy: Build and sustain diverse talent

TL;DR

• A DEI recruiting strategy is a system: widen reach, assess skills consistently, and measure pass-through by stage — then fix the step that leaks.
• A diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) recruiting strategy benefits organisations and candidates alike by fostering a more inclusive hiring process.
• Write inclusive job descriptions, diversify sourcing beyond job boards, and partner with community groups to attract diverse candidates.
• Standardise early assessment (blind screens, structured interviews, small work samples) to reduce bias without slowing the hiring process.
• Use diverse interview panels, clear adjustments, and predictable timelines to create an inclusive hiring process that candidates trust.
• Track diversity metrics and demographic data across the recruitment process; hold hiring managers accountable for outcomes.
• Technology should remove friction, not add portals. Sapia.ai supports inclusive, structured first interviews with explainable scoring and real-time scheduling while people stay in charge of decisions.

A strong diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) recruiting strategy turns intent into outcomes. It’s how you build a diverse workforce deliberately — not by chance — through consistent hiring practices, targeted sourcing, and visible accountability. The goal isn’t one-off wins; it’s a repeatable rhythm that keeps diverse talent flowing in, through, and beyond your hiring process.

What a DEI recruiting strategy is and why it matters

A DEI recruiting strategy outlines how your organisation will attract, assess, and hire people from diverse backgrounds in a manner that’s fair, efficient, and credible. As a comprehensive plan or framework, a DEI strategy promotes diversity, equity, and inclusion across hiring practices and the overall workplace culture. It lives in the details: the job description that welcomes rather than filters, the interview process that compares like with like, and the metrics that show underrepresented groups moving through each stage.

When executed well, DEI recruitment strategies—supported by ongoing DEI efforts to enhance hiring practices and cultivate an inclusive environment—enhance both quality and speed. DEI hiring is a key component of this approach, helping to build diverse talent pipelines and enhance business outcomes. Diverse teams bring different perspectives, reduce blind spots, and raise performance. Done poorly, diversity recruiting stalls in the same places: narrow sourcing, subjective screens, and vague measures that hide where candidates drop out.

Foundations of an effective DEI talent acquisition strategy

Building a durable system starts with a few non-negotiables that travel across roles, locations, and hiring teams. Foundational DEI practices are essential for shaping a positive organisational culture and company culture, ensuring that diversity, equity, and inclusion are embedded into the core values and everyday practices of the workplace.

Inclusive job descriptions and job postings

Make the work clear and the welcome explicit.

• State pay range, location, rota rules, and flexibility. Transparency attracts a broader range of job seekers.
• Keep essentials tight: 4–6 must-have capabilities tied to outcomes. Limit job requirements to only essential qualifications to encourage more female applicants and diversify your candidate pool. Cut jargon and gendered phrasing; use inclusive job descriptions with gender-neutral language.
• Explain adjustments: how to request support during the hiring process and on day one.
• Show progression and learning — diverse applicants weigh development heavily.

This is where your diversity recruiting strategy begins; an inclusive advert opens the door to a more diverse applicant pool. Set specific goals to increase female representation and use inclusive language to attract more female applicants.

Fair, consistent assessment to reduce bias

Subjective chats reward confidence over competence. Replace them with evidence.

• Blind early screens: hide names, schools, and postcodes to minimise the impact of unconscious biases and human bias in the assessment process, ensuring unconscious bias has less room to operate.
• Structured interviews: same questions for everyone, scored against behaviour anchors.
• Small, job-relevant tasks: draft a customer message, prioritise five tasks, or review a simple case.
• Diverse interview panels: different perspectives reduce the chance that a single viewpoint dominates.

These steps reduce bias and help hiring managers make faster, clearer hiring decisions.

Prepare hiring managers and hiring teams

Training turns principles into practice.

• Unconscious bias training focused on common patterns (similarity, confirmation, proximity), with ongoing training to reinforce inclusive hiring practices and support continuous improvement.
• One-page rubrics for core behaviours with examples of “emerging / proficient / strong”.
• How to set clear timelines, communicate outcomes, and offer adjustments without fuss.
• Clear reporting on DEI outcomes keep teams honest and ensure that inclusive practices are being followed.

Managers set the tone. When they consistently run inclusive hiring practices, outcomes follow. However – training alone is never enough. An inclusive hiring system is needed to really move the needle on DEOI 

Sourcing for diverse talent: widen access intelligently

A diverse talent pool comes from deliberate outreach, not luck. Building a diverse candidate pool requires targeted outreach and proactive diversity recruitment strategies to attract talent from underrepresented groups. Spread your effort across channels that actually reach underrepresented groups, and consider partnering with diverse organisations to promote diversity and show that your organisation values diversity.

Community partnerships and education pipelines

• Partner with community groups, disability and veteran organisations, and diversity-focused platforms to attract diverse candidates.
• Build relationships with community colleges, historically Black colleges, and other institutions serving diverse demographics; co-design projects, internships, or skills sessions.
• Attend cultural events and professional association meet-ups where your target talent gathers.

These relationships compound over time, feeding a steady stream of diverse talent.

Re-design employee referrals

Referrals can help or harm diversity, depending on how they’re framed.

• Encourage current employees to refer candidates from diverse backgrounds by prompting breadth: “Who have you worked with — placements, volunteering, community work — who might thrive here?”
• Pay in two milestones (start and 30/60 days) and celebrate inclusive referrals publicly.
• Pair referrals with diverse interview panels to balance influence.

Internships, returners, and apprenticeships

• Create internship programmes with clear learning goals and routes to part-time or permanent roles, focusing on attracting highly qualified candidates from diverse backgrounds.
• Build returner pathways for carers and career-break talent; flexibility and structured support matter.
• Use apprenticeships to expand access and develop skills while earning.

These routes increase diversity recruiting by opening doors to people who may be excluded by traditional pathways.

Design the hiring process for inclusion

A fair process is predictable, accessible, and paced with respect. Reviewing and optimising hiring processes and recruitment processes is essential to ensure fairness and inclusion, helping to eliminate bias and attract diverse talent. Candidates should know what happens next — and when.

Candidate experience basics

• Fast acknowledgement and clear next steps keep candidates engaged.
• A single, tidy help page (pay range, rota, adjustments, timeline, how you assess) reduces anxiety.
• Self-serve interview scheduling and rescheduling avoid back-and-forth.

A positive candidate experience lays the foundation for long-term employee satisfaction by fostering engagement and reducing stress from the very beginning.

Predictability builds trust across diverse candidates and supports a more inclusive workplace culture.

Interviews that compare like with like

• Use structured interviews with the same questions for every candidate.
• Share panel names in advance and provide interview preparation, including guidance on cultural norms, to ensure a respectful and inclusive interview process.
• Capture notes against the rubric; avoid “culture fit” shorthand — anchor on behaviours linked to outcomes.

Accessibility and compliance

• Offer alternative formats, extra time where needed, and straightforward ways to request support.
• Align with the Disabilities Act and local regulations; write adjustments into the invitation, not as an exception.
• Keep data handling clear and proportionate.

Inclusive hiring lives in these details — not just statements on a careers page.

Measurement and accountability: make progress visible

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Tracking diversity recruiting metrics makes the work real and actionable. By monitoring these metrics, organisations can benchmark and improve workplace diversity, identifying gaps and optimising hiring practices to foster a more inclusive environment.

What to measure (and how to use it)

• Representation and pass-through by stage: applied → screened → interviewed → offered → hired (anonymised and lawful).
• Time to first interview and time to offer: delays often disadvantage underrepresented groups.
• Candidate experience pulses: “Was this clear and fair?” by stage.
• Hiring manager satisfaction and quality indicators post-hire.
• Measuring diversity outcomes can also contribute to higher employee retention by fostering a more inclusive and supportive workplace.

If underrepresented groups are strong at applying but drop at the interview, fix the questions, format, or scoring — not the sourcing. Change one variable, re-measure, and document.

Accountability that helps, not harms

• Share metrics weekly with hiring managers; celebrate improvements, demonstrate the company’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, and remove blockers.
• Tie leadership goals to improving diversity where appropriate, with support and resources — not blame.
• Use employee feedback and ERG input to test changes before scaling.

Sustaining diversity after offer: the loop that retains and attracts

Recruitment and retention feed each other. A credible, inclusive culture attracts diverse talent and keeps diverse employees. In addition to policies and metrics, it’s essential to consider other aspects of inclusion, such as language diversity and cultural expression, to support retention.

Onboarding and early weeks

• Publish a two-week runway: buddy shadowing, micro-learning, and daily check-ins.
• Make adjustments routine, not special requests.
• Ensure managers have time carved out for coaching.

Development, flexibility, and visibility

• Mentorship and sponsorship for underrepresented groups; transparent criteria for progression.
• Flexible schedules and predictable rotas; clarity about weekend rotation and close-open rules.
• Share real internal moves and the skills that unlocked them.

Employer brand that shows, not tells

• Use social media platforms to highlight real teams, honest work, and real progression.
• Support cultural events and community initiatives that align with your company’s values, demonstrating how these efforts reflect and reinforce the company’s values in action.
• Encourage employee stories — people trust peers over slogans.

A workplace that lives its inclusion day to day becomes a magnet for diverse talent.

Where technology helps (and where it shouldn’t)

Digital tools can make DEI recruitment simpler — if they reduce friction and preserve judgment.

• First-mile assessment: a mobile, structured interview that candidates can complete on their schedule, with explainable scoring and clear links to behaviour anchors.
• Interview scheduling: self-serve slots and reminders that reduce drop-offs.
• Insights: stage-by-stage completion and pass-through patterns so you can act where it matters.

Sapia.ai supports this early journey: it structures the first step, surfaces evidence for hiring managers, and keeps candidates moving — without replacing human decisions. Use tools to remove manual steps; keep the relationship human.

For a more in-depth look at humanising your AI practices, download our eBook here for free.

Bringing it together

A practical DEI recruiting strategy is a flow, not a campaign. Write inclusive job descriptions, source where diverse communities actually are, and compare candidates on evidence. Give hiring managers simple tools, predictable timelines, and visible data. Measure what happens at each stage and fix the step that leaks. Do this consistently and you’ll increase diversity without sacrificing pace or quality — building diverse teams that stay and thrive.

Conclusion

If you want a diverse workforce, design for it. Start by widening access, making early assessment fair and structured, and keeping your metrics small and visible. Partner with communities, equip hiring managers, and make inclusion tangible in rotas, development, and decisions. Over time, your talent pool widens, your pass-through balances, and your offers land faster — because candidates experience a process that is clear, fair, and human.

Curious how a structured, mobile-first mile could help you increase diversity without slowing down? Book a Sapia.ai demo and see how explainable scoring and real-time scheduling can support your team’s DEI goals while you stay in control of decisions.

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About Author

Barb Hyman

CEO & Founder