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In
this market there is an abundance of qualified
candidates and employers have been given the
opportunity to be very specific with what they want.
Organizations are being more strategic in their
hiring, and seeking candidates that can bring a new
perspective on how to understand and target their
markets in new and innovative ways. Given this, it is
becoming clear that diversity in the workplace is
becoming a higher priority.
The
reason for this change is that employers are finding
that diversity initiatives have created competitive
advantages for their companies. Jorge Morales, Vice
President of Finance at Rolls Royce states that there
are several reasons for this. "Bringing in
diverse candidates brings in new and creative ideas to
the team. Also, diversity shows a commitment to the
population and portrays the company as a good
corporate citizen."
Another
reason for this push is the potential to grow by
expanding your customer base to new markets. With more
companies expanding internationally, the need to
understand the customer base and cut through cultural
communication differences quickly has grown
significantly. "Many companies are moving into
Hispanic and Latin American markets very quickly, and
these companies are actively looking for diversity
candidates to guide them in this endeavor,"
Morales noted.
Even
during this economic slowdown, minority candidates
remain in demand. Minorities are well represented in
most large metropolitan areas. As companies seek to
market to those areas they realize a need to have the
insight into how to penetrate new potential markets
that exist in their own backyard.
In
order to meet the demand for diversity candidates,
companies are starting to look at candidates outside
their current industry. Jorge Morales found this to be
very true and commented that "companies are not
only looking for diversity candidates, but also a
fresh look from someone outside of their current
industry."
In
finding the right candidate, quality will always be
the highest priority, but more and more companies are
seeing that a diverse work force affords a competitive
edge. |
