Talent Acquisition Tips & Takes with Andréa Long

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has emerged as a critical component in fostering an inclusive and innovative workplace. At a time when these initiatives and programs are increasingly being challenged though, it’s more important than ever to be conscious of effective ways to ensure their benefits are not lost.

We recently had the opportunity to speak with Andrea Long, a seasoned DEI consultant with a rich background in HR and events and currently on the Advisory Board of WORK180. We discuss the essential skills that drive success, and the trends and challenges DEI professionals face. From managing unconscious bias to measuring the impact of DEI initiatives, our conversation provides a comprehensive look at the strategies and perspectives needed to champion diversity and inclusion in today’s organizations.

Can you tell us about your role and background? How did you come to focus your career on DEI and become a DEI advocate?

I am a DEI consultant who has worked on HR, recruiting, marketing, and events programs. My first job out of college was working for an international graduate school that had students from over 90 different countries. That experience hugely impacted the way I looked at building inclusion into everything that I worked on.

What skills do you think have been critical to your success?

Being open to learning new things and being agile enough to implement them have been critical to my success. When working in DEI, it’s vital to understand that we only know so much about DEI and have a lot to learn about different people who have different lived experiences from our own.

What trends do you think we’ll see in the upcoming year around DEI? What are you most excited about?

Unfortunately, the trends are moving in the wrong direction. I think we will start to see DEI phased out, renamed as social impact and ESG, and fought in lawsuits. If someone has an opportunity to influence change within their company, you have to take it, even if you have to call it something else. Maybe you’re not hosting a diversity or inclusion workshop, but instead, you’re hosting a workshop on how to be a great manager with tips about diversity and inclusion in it. We have to use the opportunities that we can get now because they are fewer and further between, as compared to 2020-2022. 

What are the biggest challenges you think DEI leaders are facing in hiring and talent management? How do you think we should approach them?

The biggest challenge in hiring and talent management is speed vs intentionality. DEI professionals have a chance to impact change if they are given permission to move a little slower to allow for more intentional processes and decisions.  A continued challenge within this field is to push to create impact quickly, and DEI policies aren’t always something you can measure immediately. For example, you have a recruiting policy to try and diversify your hires, we aren’t going to be able to see the results of that instantly. There is a balance between speed and doing things the right way. DEI won’t always meet the speed required by tech companies or high-growth companies. 

How do you address and manage unconscious bias in the workplace, especially during the recruitment and promotion process?

Equitable processes are the best way to manage unconscious bias. If there aren’t checks and balances or specific criteria being used in the recruitment and promotion process, it leaves room for bad behaviors and bad actors to lead the way.

How do you measure the success of DEI initiatives and ensure they are meeting their goals?

Success should be measured both quantitatively and qualitatively. Those metrics will look different depending on the program. For example, if it’s an inclusive manager initiative, you can look at manager satisfaction on employee engagement surveys and retention rates by manager.

Can you discuss any training programs or workshops that you have implemented to promote understanding of DEI among employees or managers?

I have implemented inclusive manager training, DEI recruiting and training, and microaggression training across a number of different companies and teams. It’s important that any training meets the employees or managers where they are today and is a safe space for people to feel comfortable asking questions and to feel open to learning.

Do you have any specific tips for implementing DEI practices both pre and post-hire?

Pre-hire tips that can be implemented would be requiring the interviewer panel to have at least one under-represented person on it, no matter who the candidate is, to have diverse perspectives evaluating our candidates.  There should also be a set of standard questions that every candidate is asked so that we are comparing across the same metrics. Always have a debrief, not just taking a score and saying let’s hire or not hire them – let’s talk through and understand where the feedback is coming from. Also, minimize take-home assignments as much as possible because they are biased toward people who are non-parents and have the privilege of having extra time to do homework. 

From the post-hire side, think about how to bring people in and get them up to speed. For example, providing a dictionary with all of your company’s acronyms. Speaking the same language isn’t something you often think of, but with OKRs and KPIs and CTRs, being able to understand what the acronyms mean at your company so that someone can get up to speed faster and feel included in the conversation. Offer employee experience surveys, especially 30 or 90 days in so you can evaluate your areas of opportunity as a company as well.

What future trends or challenges do you foresee for DEI initiatives and how do you plan to address them?

As a future trend, I see the work formerly known as DEI moving to social impact and environmental social governance areas. Companies are either going to cut it completely and say we’re not doing this, like Tractor Supply and other conservative-based companies. For the ones that are still able to continue the work, I definitely see it moving into different departments. I think when it comes to addressing this trend, I think it’s important to remember it’s not about what the work is called but about the impact of the work. For example, if you are being shuffled around on a new team, or your work is being reprioritized, deprioritized or prioritized, etc. remember that it’s not necessarily about the title DEI, but how to still create impact in the jobs that we are doing, even if your role is not DEI titled or based anymore. Focus on what you can do within the bounds of your new job. 

What’s your number one tip for organizations looking to prioritize DEI?

Don’t let your fear get in the way of making a difference. So often, organizations are afraid to say or do the wrong thing, so they end up doing nothing. I believe that mistakes are bound to happen — that’s how we learn; and it’s more important to begin to implement change than to wait for the perfect time or the perfect way, which might never happen. Even small or simple changes could make a world of difference for your underrepresented employees.

For more talent acquisition and recruiting tips from leading HR experts, click here.