As a Latino- and woman-owned company, building and nurturing a diverse team has always been a top priority for us. We know firsthand that diverse teams are strong teams, and that belief shapes how we recruit.
For us, diversity means bringing together people with different identities, backgrounds, lived experiences, and perspectives—including those from groups that have been historically underrepresented in the tech industry.
We want to help our clients build diverse teams too, and that starts with a diverse shortlist of qualified candidates for them to consider. To create that, we use 8 key strategies that we’ve developed over time and continue to refine.
1. Set the stage with a clear and inclusive job description
We put a lot of thought into each job description to make it as clear and inclusive as possible. Here’s how we approach it:
- Avoid unnecessary requirements
- Avoid language that isn’t inclusive, such as “rockstar,” which is male-coded
- Collaborate with clients to scope the role in detail, so there's enough information for candidates to decide whether the opportunity works for them
- For contract roles, explain the contract arrangement, length, and renewal potential as clearly as possible
- Always include the salary range, location, schedule, and any applicable benefits
The goal is to encourage those who are a fit to apply and give everyone else the information they need to self-select out early.
Read more: How we write job descriptions that feel welcoming—to everyone
2. Broaden the candidate pool
Beyond posting on traditional job sites, we also post on sites like Where are the Black Designers? to diversify our talent pool. And of course, we don’t rely solely on inbound applicants. We make an intentional effort to use LinkedIn and other recruiting tools to reach out to qualified candidates from communities that may be underrepresented in traditional recruiting networks.
3. Conduct a human resume review
2A Works uses AI and automation to make parts of our recruiting process more efficient. However, we don’t currently use AI to decide which resumes to review or who receives a phone screen. We’ve tested AI resume-screening technology and don’t believe its benefits currently outweigh its limitations and risks, including the potential for bias. Human review also allows us to consider context an automated system might miss—particularly for creative roles.
Read more: Where we use AI in recruiting—and where we don’t
4. Create an inclusive and consistent screening experience
We want every candidate to know what to expect and have a fair shot throughout the screening process. To help make that happen, we:
- Proactively ask candidates if they need interview accommodations in our screening invitation
- Create a screening form in our ATS for each role, which helps us evaluate all candidates against the same criteria
- Give all candidates standardized information about the company and about what next steps they can expect
5. Build relationships, not just a database
We take the time to get to know candidates and build relationships that go beyond a single role. That means always preparing for phone screens and updating candidates on their status at least weekly. We don’t see our job as simply adding a broader group of people to our ATS—we aim to build relationships with candidates that continue beyond a single opening and throughout their careers.
6. Check whether our efforts are working
Good intentions and inclusive sourcing practices don't necessarily mean you're reaching a diverse pool. Once we’ve screened roughly 5-10 candidates, we pause and look at the shortlist that’s developing. We ask ourselves: Are we reaching a sufficiently diverse group of qualified candidates? If not, we reevaluate our sourcing strategies instead of continuing down the same path. That might mean revisiting factors like search terms, filters, and job posting requirements, or conducting additional proactive outreach.
Good intentions and inclusive sourcing practices don’t necessarily mean you’re reaching a diverse pool.
7. Provide guidance to candidates and clients
Once we’ve shared our shortlist, the client chooses who they’d like to interview and takes the lead on the interview process. While we don’t control that process, we share what we’ve learned and encourage practices like using consistent evaluation criteria.
We also provide any information we can to help candidates prepare for interviews, such as who will be attending, what hiring managers have emphasized about the role, and what to expect from each interviewer’s style and approach.
After a candidate completes an interview, we update them regularly and provide useful client feedback where appropriate.
8. Support it all with an inclusive culture
When we provide staffing services to our clients, we hire eligible consultants as employees. Recruiting diverse talent is only effective if we can retain our team, which means creating an environment that supports them throughout their work with us.
A few of our policies and practices that help a diverse team thrive:
- We provide coverage and work flexibility so all employees can thrive both in and outside work. For example, our parental leave policy is for all parents welcoming a new child through birth, surrogacy, or adoption.
- 2A Works also recognizes holidays from many cultures throughout the year, and our time off policies ensure employees can observe their religious and cultural holidays.
- We hold in-house trainings to become more aware of our own biases and learn how to be more inclusive in the workplace.
- We have an active, employee-led DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) committee. DEIB-led initiatives have included creating inclusive meeting norms and hosting monthly DEIB coffee chats, which are open forums for employees to share, ask questions, or listen to coworkers discuss DEIB at work and in the world.
Fostering inclusive recruiting and cultural practices is ongoing work. We’ll keep evaluating what’s working, learning where we can do better, and evolving our practices along the way.
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