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The Best Diversity Recruiting Tools (2024)

Diversity recruiting tools and software reviewed by HR tech pros with supporting insight from industry experts. We break down & compare features, explore pricing models, give tips on implementation and more.

Chris Hatler
Written by
Chris Hatler
HR tech researcher, writer and editor
Contributing Experts
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Last Updated: Mar 28, 2024
TOP
Diversity recruiting analytics and sourcing
Untapped
4.0
Popularity Score
4.3
User Score
4.2
Product  Score
Visit Website
TOP
Diversity recruiting analytics and sourcing
Untapped
4.0
Popularity Score
4.3
User Score
4.2
Product  Score
Learn More
TOP
For data-driven DEI initiatives
ChartHop
4.6
Popularity Score
4.3
User Score
4.6
Product  Score
Visit Website
TOP
For data-driven DEI initiatives
ChartHop
4.6
Popularity Score
4.3
User Score
4.6
Product  Score
Learn More
TOP
Large database of diverse talent
Jopwell
4.7
Popularity Score
3.6
User Score
4.9
Product  Score
Visit Website
TOP
Large database of diverse talent
Jopwell
4.7
Popularity Score
3.6
User Score
4.9
Product  Score
Learn More
Over 3 million HR leaders trust our advice

Introduction to Diversity Hiring Tools

Top diversity and inclusion technology will assist your company to create a workplace that empowers people from all different backgrounds. A Diverse workforce is good for society, and good for your business in a way that your CFO will appreciate. According to a study by McKinsey & Co., “companies with more diverse workforces perform better financially.”

Diversity hiring ensures that you have a fair and balanced hiring process, bringing in applicants from all communities. That is the easy part, and diversity hiring tools make it even easier. The challenge is taking those hiring efforts a step further to also focus on inclusion and equity — i.e. making sure that the diverse workforce you build also provides fairness and equal opportunity for all employees regardless of background.

Getting all of this right is a process. To help you get started, we created this guide on diversity hiring tools, inclusion and equity best practices, and more, so you can uplevel your DEI strategy to build an equitable workplace and high-performing company.

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Best Diversity and Inclusion Software

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Untapped

: Diversity recruiting analytics and sourcing

ChartHop

: For data-driven DEI initiatives

Jopwell

: Large database of diverse talent

Fairygodboss

: Job board for women

Textio

: AI-based diversity hiring insights

Valence

: A platform to find Black talent

Our Criteria: Here's How We Chose The Best Diversity and Inclusion Software

To choose the best diversity hiring tools, we put ourselves in the shoes of businesses looking to foster inclusive workplaces and vetted each option based on, among other things, their diversity-focused elements, sourcing capabilities, reporting, candidate experience, and integration. Our expert evaluation process involved multiple software demos, testing sessions, and insights from experienced talent acquisition and recruiting experts. Here’s a deeper look at those key criteria:

  • Diversity-focused features: A true gem of a diversity hiring tool goes beyond the ordinary and tackles the unique challenges of promoting inclusivity. Features like bias mitigation, blind resume screening, diversity analytics, and job descriptions ensure a hiring process that's fair and square, granting every candidate an equal shot.
  • Sourcing capabilities: Attracting candidates from diverse backgrounds requires tapping into diverse sourcing channels, which is why we prioritized platforms that have partnerships with diverse job boards, professional networks, and diversity-focused organizations.
  • Data and analytics: To become more inclusive in hiring, you need data to tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly of your hiring. When you’re equipped with robust reporting and analytics features, you will be able to have an accurate picture of your diversity initiatives and timely spot areas calling for improvement.
  • Candidate experience: Let's not forget the heart and soul of the hiring process—the candidates themselves. We made it our mission to find tools that create a candidate experience that radiates inclusivity. Features like easy accessibility, unbiased job descriptions, and personalized communication will help you collectively form an environment where diverse candidates feel welcomed and appreciated.
  • Integration: Streamlined operations need harmonious integrations. We ensured that the listed diversity hiring tools could smoothly integrate with top popular HR systems and ATSs. If they didn’t, we checked whether they were up for custom integration support.

If you’re keen to find out more about our journey in vetting HR software, be sure to check out this article on our methodology.

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Compare the Best Diversity and Inclusion Software

Popularity Score
Best for
Key Differentiator
Pricing
Free Trial
Customers
Users Score
Product Score

Untapped

Most Popular
4.0
4.3
4.2

ChartHop

Most Popular
4.6
Free for first 150 employees
Yes
N/A
4.3
4.6

Jopwell

Most Popular
4.7
3.6
4.9

Fairygodboss

Most Popular
4.6
3.9
4.8

Textio

Most Popular
4.1
Custom Pricing
No
400+ companies
4.1
4.3

Valence

Most Popular
4.2
5.0
4.8
Phil Strazzulla
HR Tech Expert, Harvard MBA, Software Enthusiast

Need Help? Get Custom Recommendations for Best Diversity and Inclusion Software

Talk to An Advisor

Detailed Reviews of the Best Diversity Hiring Tools

Untapped

Visit Website
Untapped
Learn More
Popularity Score
4 / 5
User Score
4.3 / 5
Product Score
4.2 / 5

Why we picked Untapped

Untapped allows recruiting teams to supercharge their diversity efforts with an analytics and talent sourcing platform that integrates with your ATS.

PROS

CONS

Untapped Review

Untapped helps you discover and track diverse applicants, all from your applicant tracking system. Your recruiters follow their already established workflow for job postings. As you start to get resumes, job applicants are asked to fill out a supplemental questionnaire defined by your hiring team, which can capture up to 75 different insights into an applicant's skills and demographics.

From that data (which is all self reported), you’ll be able to filter your talent pool based on skills, work experience, demographic data, and more. This can help you understand where under-represented candidates may be falling off, in addition to focusing your efforts on the right candidates to meet diversity hiring goals.

Lastly, there is a shared talent network you can source from, in addition to features like virtual events, candidate profiles, and employer branding capabilities that are icing on the cake.

Untapped Customers

Uptapped customers include Lyft, Adobe, Dropbox, Twitch, and Stripe.

Untapped Pricing

Untapped pricing is done on a per seat basis. You should reach out to them to better understand what it'll cost for your organization.

Best For

Mid-sized to large corporations looking to boost diversity hiring.

Untapped in action
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ChartHop

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ChartHop
Learn More
Popularity Score
4.6 / 5
User Score
4.3 / 5
Product Score
4.6 / 5

Why we picked ChartHop

ChartHop is your ally in achieving DEI goals through Org Planning and Collaboration. These two features align the recruiting team and hiring managers with a central source of employee data, enabling you to adapt headcount plans based on real circumstances whenever needed.

PROS

  • Headcount plans enhance hiring transparency for all stakeholders.
  • You can gather people data for insights on departure signals by gender, ethnicity, etc.
  • Automatic updates of open jobs with new hire details.
  • Free for up to 150 employees.
  • Seamless integration with HR and ATS systems.
  • Intuitive organization chart and goal tracking interface.
  • Charthop nicely integrates with your existing HR and ATS systems. Having everything under one roof means not having to use ten different applications.
  • Charthop’s organization chart is its biggest asset. Their drag-and-drop feature to edit the chart is a hit amongst a majority of the users. Overall, the tool makes navigation throughout the company really easy - you can find the people you need, figure out their responsibilities, and track changes after the latest company re-organization.
  • Charthop's goal tracking interface is simple, intuitive, and easy to build. There's not much else you can ask for. 
  • Charthop's Map feature allows businesses to see where each employee is located. For organizations that work remotely, this promotes a feeling of togetherness, which is crucial for employee engagement.

CONS

  • The platform is initially complex and users find the amount of features overwhelming.
  • No specific features for hiring execution (DEI, blind hiring, inclusive job sites, AI candidate sourcing, structured interviews).
  • Charthop's organization chart navigation isn't the best. The chart zooms in and out quite quickly, and the gestures aren't intuitive, making it difficult to use. 
  • Charthop can be a little complicated to figure out. Also, the fact that there are so many features is a little intimidating.
  • Charthop's search function isn't user-friendly. There's not much information on how to use it effectively, and it sometimes throws the wrong results.
  • Charthop's UI is somewhat dated and clunky.

ChartHop Review

You know what's interesting about ChartHop in the diversity hiring tech space? They actually started as an org chart solution! But over time, they evolved into an organizational management platform, and along the way, they made sure to cover everything an HR department needs to build diverse and inclusive teams.

One cool thing is their DEI dashboards, packed with ready-to-go reports by industry experts. Plus, you can create your own reports, track how your initiatives progress, and share trends without revealing sensitive individual data.

Their headcount plans also boost hiring transparency for all stakeholders, and they gather valuable people data to spot departure signals by gender, ethnicity, and more.

Good news for smaller teams, it's free for up to 150 employees! And they seamlessly integrate with HR and ATS systems.

But, keep in mind, some users found the initial complexity and overwhelming features a bit challenging. And ChartHop doesn't have specific features for hiring execution like blind hiring, inclusive job sites, AI candidate sourcing, or structured interviews.

ChartHop Customers

Fund That Flip, Assurance IQ, and Headspace Health are some of ChartHope’s customers.

ChartHop Pricing

ChartHop has three packages:

  • ChartHop Basic: Free for up to 150 employees
  • ChartHop Standard: custom pricing, optional add-ons include Headcount Planning, Compensation Reviews, and Recruiter Experience.
  • ChartHop Premium: custom pricing.

Best For

HR teams wanting to leverage data to refine their DEI strategy, within companies of pretty much any size.

ChartHop in action
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Jopwell

Visit Website
Jopwell
Learn More
Popularity Score
4.7 / 5
User Score
3.6 / 5
Product Score
4.9 / 5

Why we picked Jopwell

Jopwell is a holistic platform that helps companies with their DEI initiatives. They do this in three steps: connect with under-represented candidates, access Jopwell's resources to learn more about diversity hiring, and apply this knowledge to attract top talent.

PROS

CONS

Jopwell Review

Jopwell's mission is to advance the careers of Black, LatinX and Native American professionals which they accomplish through their community The Well. For employers, it's a great place to build your employer brand with these populations, and also source high quality applicants.

Jopwell Customers

79 customers Bloomberg, Goldman Sachs, and KPMG.

Jopwell Pricing

Jopwell is free for job seekers with an account. Jopwell Pro offers employer recruitment marketing and branding tools. Contact Jopwell for pricing.

Best For

Companies looking to source diverse talent to bolster their DEI initiatives and build out their employer branding.

Jopwell in action
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Fairygodboss

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Fairygodboss
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Popularity Score
4.6 / 5
User Score
3.9 / 5
Product Score
4.8 / 5

Why we picked Fairygodboss

Fairygodboss scores incredibly high when it comes to promoting diversity and gender equality in the modern workforce. Not only can employers seek female talent from it, but women can find advice, reviews, and companies that practice diversity hiring.

PROS

  • Fairygodboss is a dedicated online space for women in tech to pursue their careers.
  • Women who join their community can access career advice, research studies, company reviews and be able start meaningful conversations with other members.
  • Job seekers can sign up to attend dozens of virtual career fairs, webinars and other special events from Fairygodboss’ website.

CONS

  • Their basic job posting service is locked behind a paywall.
  • The pricing of Fairygodboss’ plans isn’t disclosed upfront and free trials aren’t available at this time.
  • Fairygodboss doesn’t have a dedicated mobile app, but they make up for it by having a mobile-optimized website, accessible on most browsers on mobile devices.
  • Their basic job posting service is locked behind a paywall.
  • The pricing of Fairygodboss’ plans isn’t disclosed upfront and free trials aren’t available at this time.
  • Fairygodboss doesn’t have a dedicated mobile app, but they make up for it by having a mobile-optimized website, accessible on most browsers on mobile devices.

Fairygodboss Review

Fairygodboss provides access to various hiring tools, all of which have themes of women empowerment, diversity, and inclusion. These tools include job posting services, employer branding, and personalized email alerts.

Unlike other sites, Fairygodboss has cultivated a strong and dedicated community around diversity and women in the workforce. This provides a designated platform for all female job seekers to pursue their career goals, while letting employers – specifically those in the IT industry – find top talent that can’t be found on other online job boards.

Fairygodboss Customers

Some of Fairygodboss’ customers include Apple, HP, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Deloitte.

Fairygodboss Pricing

Fairygodboss is free for job seekers. For employers, there are three plans to choose from. Exact pricing isn’t provided on their site, so you’ll need to contact the Fairygodboss support team to receive a quote.

  • Silver: Their entry-level plan Includes unlimited job posts, employer profiles, email features, social media promotion, and access to the customer support team.
  • Gold: This tier includes all of the features in the Silver plan with the addition of virtual career fairs, a dedicated email address, job board advertising, and a webinar or Instagram takeover.
  • Platinum: This tier includes all of the features in the Silver and Gold plans with the addition of job board takeovers and podcast speaking opportunities.

Best For

Fairygodboss is ideal for companies looking to empower female workers and build a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace.

Fairygodboss in action
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Textio

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Textio
Learn More
Popularity Score
4.1 / 5
User Score
4.1 / 5
Product Score
4.3 / 5

Why we picked Textio

Textio is a writing tool that uses big data and machine learning to help recruiters optimize language to ensure diverse representation in hiring.

PROS

  • Textio Flow tool is helpful in helping users create content that is on-brand and inclusive
  • The free brand report enables users to identify culturally insensitive blind spots in their external communications
  • Provides web browser extensions for ease of use
  • Easy to implement and navigate.
  • Textio Flow tool creates content based on your language stack, letting you write a job ad from scratch in minutes and create custom templates.
  • Offers a free brand report on the website, so you can see what the tool can do for your hiring team's writing.
  • Has web browser extensions.
  • Straightforward to get up and running.
  • Provides industry reports, free guidebooks, help center, phone, email, and live chat.

CONS

  • No available info about pricing and plans.
  • There isn’t a free trial.
  • The platform is available in English only.
  • Can integrate with a few ATSs and HR tools. Doesn’t support API integration.
  • Hyper-focuses on content optimization and has no offerings for other aspects of hiring.
  • Lacks transparent pricing. No free trial.
  • Supports English only.
  • No mobile app.
  • Limited integration capabilities. No API support.

Textio Review

Textio's laser focus on employer brand content optimization sets it apart in recruitment. When this technology is applied to creating content for recruiting, users can communicate with potential hires with language inclusive enough to ensure a diverse pipeline.

Setting up Textio and its browser extension was simple and didn't require much time. Textio proved effective and easy to use, and our editorial team agreed it was similar in feel to Grammarly and Hemingway Editor.

Our evaluation included testing the tool on a sample job posting. Within seconds, Textio provided a score, suggestions, and reports. Color coding of the text is matched with a key on the sidebar and explanations of the suggestions, score, tone, and how the copy appeared to demographics.

The shared document library, a valuable resource for repurposing existing content, is another standout feature we uncovered in our testing. Categorization options make searching a breeze, especially for large firms with extensive document repositories.

In addition to all it does well, we’d like to see more pre-built connectors or API access for seamless integration with existing HR software. Additionally, Textio is English-only, which limits its usefulness for multinational teams communicating in country-specific languages for their employer brand content.

Textio Customers

McDonald’s, Johnson & Johnson, eBay, Slack, P&G.

Textio Pricing

Textio does not provide pricing details. You must get in contact with a sales representative.

Best For

Textio is the right choice for any company trying to remove bias from their hiring process and boost their recruitment marketing efforts.

Textio in action
Reviewer's Rating
7/10

For my role in Human Resources, using a tool like Textio frequently is critical in today's corporate America. Our populations are more diverse than ever, with unique lenses into how we interpret the world. Probably twice a week, I will pop some phrasing into the tool. From an email flowing out a policy change to a specific employee population or for a job description, we are going to post. It is so versatile, and it feels like I have someone to "bounce" the wording off of to ensure it is more well-received by the intended audience.

What do you like about this tool?

There are several aspects of Textio that make it a valuable solution in a corporate setting. First, it's easy to use. I don't have time to fill out long forms. All it takes is copying the text for whatever written communication I plan on using and pasting it into the tool. Secondly, I appreciate the color highlighting tool to show me suggestions. Whether that be my language, which is too male-focused, I could make it more neutral or simply refine my correspondence. Lastly, I feel that as an agent of the company, it protects me a bit by having a well-researched program checking my work before it becomes a record.

Why did your organization buy this tool, and how long have you used it for?

Language and its nuance is constantly evolving. Businesses need to as well. My employer purchased Textio to support inclusive language, improve intended meaning, and remove unintended bias in business communication. We had trouble filling certain roles and used several avenues to try to solve that gap. After implementing Textio, we realized that language was one blind spot we had that was preventing the right candidates from applying due to the wording used in job postings. Textio can make any business communication better by providing suggestions on grammar, phrasing, and more positively received synonyms with a simple copy and paste.

What do you dislike about this tool?

Depending on how your company has implemented Textio, it can feel like another tool in your large toolbox. It takes some muscle memory to remember you have it in your kit to help you with a task. I'd love to see it embedded on our HR home page- not something that is at fault per se with text, but offering as a perspective! It also may require another signing and password- I'm all about single sign-on and reducing the number of clicks I have to do! Again, this is another consideration but not necessarily something Textio can do. I'd also love to see Textio be offered outside of the company for a nominal fee. I'm thinking if I decide to pursue further education, this could be helpful for improving self-awareness when writing essays, for example.

How is this tool different than their competitors?

I haven't used comparable tools to Textio to be able to provide an honest comparison.

What Instructions should people think about when buying this type of tool?

My advice to those considering buying this type of tool would be to ask yourself what is the cost to you of not having a tool like this. Do you know the insights into the language used at your company and how that is perceived? I would also recommend asking for a trial to see how the tool works for some live examples and how implementing it would change existing business processes.

How has this tool changed or evolved over time to meet users needs?

I believe Textio has changed over time by offering more metrics- insights and features like "badges" showing how using the tool can improve your outcomes- whether that be in time to hire, number of applicants, or the positivity level of responses to business communications.

What specific type of user or organization is this tool very good for?

Textio is very good for any manager, HR professional, or communications professional who may write to a broad employee base, complete performance reviews, or post job openings. I see so many benefits to helping us as humans learn and just be a bit more thoughtful about our language.

What specific type of user or organization would this tool not be a good fit for?

I can't think of an organization that wouldn't benefit from Textio’s product offerings. Humans are the most valuable company resource, and humans need communication to keep the company running. How we communicate impacts how others will respond, which, there is no question, impacts the bottom line.

Valence

Visit Website
Valence
Learn More
Popularity Score
4.2 / 5
User Score
5 / 5
Product Score
4.8 / 5

Why we picked Valence

Aimed at fostering the growth of Black professionals, Valence helps its members to access a global community of Black leaders, getting mentorship from business icons, and providing startup and capital advice.

PROS

CONS

Valence Review

Valence is a tech platform and community for Black professionals that is built around four key pillars: mentorship, career opportunities, professional development, and access to capital.  Companies who are aligned with their mission can use Valence to attract talent through job posts, direct outreach, and company profiles.  The company is very focused on authentic conversations, and so there are also opportunities to build your employer brand through mentorship and events.  Definitely check out Valence when thinking about how to grow the representation of Black professionals across all levels in your business from up and comers to the c-suite and board.

Valence Customers

Valence Pricing

Valence is a free social job networking website. You just have to request access to join the community.

Best For

Valence is best for Black professionals looking to connect with a community to pursue career opportunities, build mentorship relationships, and be a part of high-impact events.

Valence in action
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Benefits: Why Use Diversity Hiring Tools

Inclusion work is critical for business success. Companies that are hyper-focused on growth can sometimes forget about growing culture alongside headcount, which can lead to toxicity and increased employee turnover. According to Sarah Castle, Manager of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) at Toast, inclusion comes down to four key areas:

  • Voice: Do employees feel like they have a voice that’s actually heard/respected/valued
  • Opportunity: Do they feel like they’ve been given the resources and opportunity to grow (things like constructive feedback, performance reviews, and open communication with manager)
  • Fairness: Do they feel like the company is making fair and fact-based decisions
  • Belonging: Do they feel like they’re a key part of the organization

Getting the right Diversity and Inclusion strategy in place is a no-brainer. And, technology can help!

You should use diversity hiring tools if you want to improve your diversity recruitment efforts and hire across all communities, including those that are underrepresented, like women, Black, Latino, Native American, and LGBTQIA. Here are a few other key benefits of diversity hiring technology:

  • Increase Number of Diverse Applicants: With direct sourcing tools, you can conduct outreach to more diverse candidates and attract more diverse applicants. For example, companies that use Fairygodboss see up to a 50% increase in applications from women.
  • Fill Hard-to-Fill Positions: Since the tools mentioned below include job sites where you can post your openings, you can get more applicants for open roles, including hard-to-fill positions like technology and enterprise sales.
  • Improve Employer Branding: Show off your company as a diverse and inclusive workforce. Specific employer branding opportunities are outlined in the Features section below.
  • Improve Skills-Based Hiring: Look beyond the resume and pedigree of your candidates and focus on actual skills and qualifications. In other words, can a given candidate get the job done regardless of where they studied, who they’ve worked for in the past, or what they look like?
  • Improve Job Descriptions: You might not realize it, but how your job descriptions are written could be turning away certain applicant communities — for example, if they’re overtly masculine, you might not get a lot of applications from women. Fortunately, diversity hiring tools can help you improve the copy so this doesn’t happen.

Pro Tips on Diversity Hiring Tools

Considerations & Common Mistakes

The gist: diversity hiring tools only go so far. You can make your hiring process “blind” and source candidates from job sites that specialize in diversity, but that doesn’t completely eliminate bias. Not only that, bias shows up differently in different companies and for different people. With that said, diversity hiring tools come with their share of challenges and considerations, including:

  • Think about the entire hiring process: It’s not just about sourcing diverse candidates. You want them to have a positive interview and onboarding process as well.
  • Don’t forget unconscious bias training: This includes training for recruiters and hiring managers, any employees who will be conducting interviews, as well as the entire workforce.
  • Higher cost-per-hire: Don’t be surprised if you see that your cost/hire for under-represented candidates is higher than what you’re used to. The cost difference is similar to how cost/hire increases when you’re looking for harder-to-find candidates like engineers or managers.
  • Full employee lifecycle: It's not just about hiring. Human resources teams and companies in general have to think hard about how they are fostering an inclusive culture where each individual feels welcomed.

Benefits and ROI of Using Diversity Hiring Tools

At the end of the day, building a diverse and inclusive workforce will lead to happier employees, improved company operations, and increased revenue. You’ll attract better talent and bring in better ideas from those you end up hiring. While it’s not an exact science (i.e. hiring diverse candidates doesn’t automatically increase your bottom line), there is something to be said about the value of a diverse workforce. Just look at this chart from McKinsey & Co.:

To get a sense for your ROI here, look at the number of hires you get from using these tools and the value you assign each hire. Beyond the numbers, there is a moral imperative to build a diverse workforce to reverse the impacts of institutionalized racism, sexism, and agism. Each organization doing their part creates a better tomorrow for these groups, as well as society as a whole through a more friendly and productive business environment.

Pricing of Diversity Hiring Tools

Pricing for each specific tool varies a lot depending on the size of your company and your specific DEI goals. That said, you can get a sense for how much to budget based on your industry and desired outcomes — and this report from DiversityBestPractices.com has some great intel:

  • Diversity-department budgets at Fortune 1000 companies averages $1.5m per year
  • Range for diversity-department budgets was $30,000 to $5.1 million
  • When diversity was housed in HR, the average annual diversity budget was $239,000
  • Diversity and inclusion education, training, and e-learning are generally the largest upfront costs, with outreach and/or recruiting a close second.

Of course, these numbers are for large companies (which makes us think they may not be high enough!). For smaller organizations, you can get a lot of value from a smaller investment to update job descriptions, invest in blind hiring, unconscious bias training, building our employee resource groups, etc.

Various Feature Sets Across Diversity and Inclusion Technology

Diversity and inclusion tools allow you to bring more exposure to your job openings — and your DEI efforts — so you can attract, engage, and convert more candidates. Depending on the tool you use, you can expect the following features:

  • Job Listings/Job Boards: Niche job boards that are designed for a given demographic will allow you to build your employer brand with traditionally represented people. More Black, LatinX, female, etc candidates in your hiring funnel means a more diverse workforce assuming the right hiring process.
  • Dedicated Company Page: This is essentially your company “feature” — an employer branding page where you paint a holistic picture of what you do and why someone would want to work there. Give an overview, highlight culture and DEI stats, list company benefits, share employee stories/reviews/testimonials, etc.
  • Recruiting Events & Career Fairs: Participate in a variety of events to get your company/job openings more visibility.
  • Company Rankings & Reviews: Current and former employees can leave reviews and actually rate their experience.
  • Custom Sponsored Content: Develop custom content specifically designed to attract diverse talent. This is usually an extension of your company profile page where you do a deeper dive on a certain subject, like your diversity initiatives, for example.
  • Augmented Writing: Optimize job description text to remove any phrases or words that might deter a certain minority group/community from applying.
  • Blind Hiring: Look at resumes and applications that only show skills and experience — i.e. information like gender will be hidden so you can conduct a hiring process that’s more inclusive (and has less unconscious bias).
  • Video Interviews: Conduct video interviews with diverse interviewers so your applicants can get a first-hand look at your company’s diversity.

Demo Questions: What To Ask During Demos

Before investing in one or all of these tools, make sure to schedule a demo so you can get a feel for the platform and actually see how things work. Ask as many questions as necessary to help you really understand what the tool can do for you and how you can use it most efficiently. Here are some questions and tips to consider:

Features for Diverse Sourcing:

  • Can you demonstrate how the tool helps source candidates from diverse backgrounds?
  • What sourcing channels and databases does the tool access to ensure a diverse candidate pool?
  • Does the tool support multilingual job postings and career sites?

Unbiased Candidate Shortlisting:

  • How does the tool ensure unbiased candidate shortlisting to reduce potential bias in the hiring process?
  • Are AI-powered algorithms used to assess candidates? How do they avoid reinforcing biases?

Inclusive Job Advertisements:

  • Can you show how the tool helps create inclusive job advertisements that attract diverse candidates?
  • Does the tool provide suggestions or guidelines for using inclusive language in job descriptions?

Blind Hiring Features:

  • Does the tool support anonymized resume reviews to remove identifiable information that may lead to bias?
  • Can the tool hide candidate names, photos, or other identifying details during the shortlisting process?

Diversity Reporting and Analytics:

  • How does the tool track and report on diversity-related metrics, such as the percentage of diverse candidates in the pipeline?
  •  Are there analytics features that help identify potential diversity gaps in the hiring process?

Candidate Experience:

  • Can you demonstrate the candidate experience when applying for a job through the tool?
  • Does the tool provide accessibility features to accommodate candidates with disabilities?

Tips for a Productive Demo:

  • Get a Customized Demo: Before the demo, let the vendor know your specific diversity hiring needs, so they can tailor the demo accordingly. This way, you can see exactly how the tool fits your requirements, saving time for both you and the vendor.
  • Ask for User Feedback: Request feedback from current users of the tool to understand their experiences and challenges. Many of the tools we've picked for this guide have case studies available, but you can go a step further by asking the vendor to connect you with their customers for firsthand insights.
  • Check User-Friendliness: Pay close attention to the user interface and ease of navigation. Ask the vendor to walk you through the features your team will use frequently to see how they work. Don't assume all tools work the same way, even if you've used similar ones before.
  • Inquire About Support and Training: Learn about customer support and training options for a smooth implementation process. Make sure you clarify which support services are included with your subscription and which might require an additional fee.
  • Request a Trial: If possible, ask for access to a trial or sandbox environment to explore the tool further on your own. Some vendors may not advertise a free trial, but they might be open to providing one if you request it.

By following these tips and asking the right questions, you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of how the diversity hiring tool can meet your organization's needs and contribute to a more inclusive hiring process.

Implementing Diversity Hiring Tools

Many of these tools are easy to get started with and probably familiar (especially job boards which we've all used before). But a key piece of the implementation puzzle here is on your overall DEI strategy — i.e. not just diversity hiring, but how you’re building a fair and inclusive workplace that attracts AND retains top talent.

  • Partner with Internal Stakeholders: Work directly with VPs, SVPs and other team leads to learn more about their strategy (including both their business strategy and their people strategy). You want to be a team’s key partner for all HR-related needs, especially as it relates to driving business. Understanding who they want to hire as well as what they need to make existing employees happy is key.
  • Conduct an Internal Audit: Find out exactly where you need to focus your diversity and inclusion efforts — i.e. is it on hiring, unconscious bias training, employee benefits, etc. There are a number of ways to do this. You can conduct anonymous employee surveys, look at your company ratings on Glassdoor or Comparably (the latter of which actually shows a rating for how inclusive your company/culture is), or engage an outside firm to handle the research and analysis.
  • Update Employer Branding: There are ways to subtly and overtly show your diversity and inclusion efforts in your employer branding — from showcasing diversity in leadership positions (for example, with headshots on your About page), highlighting diversity investments and data on your job site and individual job postings, or adding language like “... and allies” to your messaging, for example.
  • Appoint or Hire A DEI Manager: As you probably know by now, creating a DEI-friendly workplace is not as simple as uploading job postings on diversity hiring websites. There’s the entire hiring funnel to think about, and an inclusive culture to build - it can be a long and hard journey. As your team grows, consider appointing or hiring someone whose sole focus is on building out, executing on, and continuously improving your Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strategy.

Diversity Hiring Tools FAQS

What is diversity and inclusion?

Diversity is a person’s unique qualities, while inclusion is the creation of a welcoming environment. Together, they are initiatives to make people from all different backgrounds and experiences feel comfortable in the workplace.

What are diversity and inclusion hiring tools?

Diversity and inclusion hiring tools are solutions designed to remove hiring bias, connect diverse talent with hiring managers, and create a more inclusive hiring process.

What are the benefits of using diversity and inclusion hiring tools?

The benefits of using diversity and inclusion hiring tools include increased number of diverse applicants, filled hard-to-fill positions, improved employer branding, improved skills-based hiring, and improved job descriptions.

What are some other important considerations to think about when using a diversity and inclusion hiring tool?

When considering using diversity and inclusion hiring tools, there are a few things to consider. Think about the entire hiring process. Don’t forget unconscious bias training. Cost-per-hire will likely increase. And finally, think about how diversity and inclusion affects the whole employee lifecycle, not only hiring.

Next Steps

As Sarah Castle at Toast put it, "Think of your company culture as a garden. It’s going to grow whether or not you have a gardener and weeds will grow. Those weeds are your toxicity.” So, don’t hire diverse candidates just for the sake of having a diverse workplace and think you're done. Instead, be intentional about also creating an inclusive culture where people feel welcomed, do good work, and help grow the diversity of your workforce.

There is a lot of nuance to inclusion and what makes a person leave because of organizational toxicity. For example, things like fairness and sense of belonging are perceived differently by women vs. men vs. LGBTQIA vs. different races and ethnicities. There are just a lot of layers to it. To try to better understand these layers within your organization and accurately identify areas of toxicity that need fixing, keep open lines of communication with your employees (even if just through anonymized surveys), turn to outside consulting firms that specialize in inclusion (like The Collective, A DEI Lab), or other organizations dedicated to inclusion and accountability (like Project Include).

And, of course, schedule a few demos with companies here that seem like a good fit for your organization.

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