UM Diversity Statement

The University of Montana seeks to enhance diversity by recognizing and embracing the differences in age, ideas and perspectives, disabilities, creed, ethnicity, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, national origin, race, religious and spiritual beliefs, sex, sexual orientation, and the socioeconomic and geographic composition of its faculty, administrative professionals, staff, and students. UM Diversity

We welcome you to visit our institutional Student Body Diversity data to gain a better understanding of our University of Montana population regarding diversity. 

Maximize Your Diversity Recruiting

1. Know Yourself And Your Candidates

Diverse candidates are risking taking a leap into a new culture, and they want to understand what challenges may lie ahead. Allow time to introduce current employees and provide diverse representation reports and development strategies for high potential employees. Listen for concerns and build your recruiting strategy from the inside. - Meredith Moore Crosby, Leverette Weekes

2. Meet Them Where They Are

Diversify your candidate search by meeting candidates where they are. Leverage professional associations that cater to diverse candidates. Reach out to networking groups, alumni associations and other networks that already function as a hub. Consider advertising in publications and attending conferences or networking events sponsored by those organizations that cater to diverse populations. - Amanda Miller Littlejohn, Package Your Genius Academy

3. Don't Look At Names

Ask your recruiting company to blackout the candidate's name on resumes. First impressions, even just a name on a resume, can sway the best diversity recruiting efforts. - Bijal Choksi, BC Consulting Inc.

4. Collect Referrals From Your Existing Employees

Start with the diversity that already exists in your organization. Ask your team for referrals. Diverse employees are connected with the diverse job candidates you're seeking. Get them involved. Ask them to share the job posting on their social media. Employees are eager to help; they're just waiting for the invitation to do so. - Kelah Raymond, SPARC Solutions Group

5. Let Candidates Know You Value Diversity

Honesty is always the best policy. If you want more diverse job candidates, say that! It's the quickest and easiest way to get the word out. Job seekers may wonder, "Does this company value diversity?" Just saying it takes the guess work out for candidates. They will instantly know that you value different cultures, genders, races, etc. - Frances McIntosh, Intentional Coaching LLC

6. Try Unique Candidate-Scanning Techniques

Invite job candidates to write a one-page solution to a problem that involves a diversity challenge at work. You will get different perspectives, ideas, answers and you can see someone trying help solve a problem. Encourage people to solve problems with others in writing. It will give you an unusual idea into their ability to work with diverse backgrounds. - John O'Connor, Career Pro Inc.

7. Segment Diversity Prospects And Target Appropriately

It's important for companies to identify their overall goals for diversity according to the different segments that comprise it. Once determined, use a targeted approach that positively impacts candidates and the company's intention. If there is a lack of certain diverse talent, then the company can build a pipeline using creative development programs and community initiatives to sustain it. - LaKisha Greenwade, Lucki Fit LLC

8. Partner With Schools

Establish internships and partner with schools to build interest and skills from targeted groups and communities. If you build the opportunity for educational paths, you can establish a long term pipeline of job candidates where a pipeline did not exist before. - Amy Douglas, Spark Coaching, LLC

9. Avoid The 'Quick Hire'

Leaders should make diversity a higher priority by ensuring that there are many diverse candidates in the candidate pool for all open positions. Most companies go for the "quick hire," choosing candidates that are former colleagues and referrals from employees and friends. Although they may fill positions quickly, these hires most often lack diversity. - Elva Bankins Baxter, Bankins Consulting, Inc.

10. Create A Company Culture That Supports Diversity

If you want to have more diversity, you must create your company culture in such a way that it is attractive to a diverse group of candidates. Things like LGBTQ-friendly policies, celebration and and time off for important holidays for diverse religions, and paid parental leave are a good place to begin. A company can look for where anti-diversity exists within the company and correct that. - Janet Zaretsky, The Zenith Business

11. Make Your Search Intentional

Companies need to be intentional to make sure that each and every search has a diverse candidate pool. If they do not see a diverse pool responding to a posting, it is their responsibility to reach out one-by-one to diverse candidates and ask them for participation. Chief diversity officers in any company or college might be a good source for local candidates. - Barbara OMalley, Exec Advance LLC

12. Look Beyond Your Usual Places

To seek out diverse job candidates, a company must be open to someone whose background does not fit into a cookie-cutter mold. For example, consider hiring someone who comes from a different industry, or who has slightly different skills. Look for candidates beyond the universities you are the most familiar with. Review resumes from more than one job website. - Angela Copeland, CopelandCoaching

13. Build A Diverse Management Team First

Seeking out diverse candidates isn't hard. Recruiting those candidates and placing them in an environment where different backgrounds, cultures, and experiences are appreciated is more difficult. If companies have done this correctly it should be reflected in the makeup of the management team. Once a company has this kind of environment, diverse candidates will come and stay. - Donald Hatter, Donald Hatter Inc.

14. Send The Right Message In Your Employer Marketing

It's important to send a clear message in terms of marketing the company as a diverse workforce and inviting people in. Demonstrate how the company is doing this in line with its mission and values, to attract the right candidates. Enlist employees to assist in creating this environment and recruitment, and make it easy and fun. Be proactive in meeting the needs of potential candidates. - Sharissa Sebastian, Sharissa Sebastian - Life & Leadership Coaching

15. Advertise In Diverse Media

Instead of advertising in the usual places, seek out media whose readers/viewers are of diverse backgrounds. Find different religious, cultural and ethnic publications, T.V. stations, websites, etc., and place career ads there. 

Source: Forbes website