This article is related to a custom research project ABA is conducting on behalf of a ballet member. Our research team is always delighted to speak with members about tailoring research projects to your organization. To learn more or submit a custom research request, simply contact your member advisor or email us at info@advisoryarts.com.

In the spring and summer of 2020, many nonprofit organizations in and out of the arts had to make the tough decision to furlough staff, institute a hiring freeze, and/or cut some positions entirely. Now that we are beginning to reopen, we have an opportunity that can’t go to waste: an opportunity to center diversity, equity, and inclusion as we repopulate our teams.

To this end, some organizations have hired diverse talent acquisition specialists; however, as these specialists are in high demand, they can be very expensive and hard to track down. (As a framework, DEI can also seem “dizzyingly diffuse”, and it’s not always clear who its beneficiaries are). But fortunately, there are a number of ways that arts organizations can make strides in inclusive recruiting, with or without specialist assistance.

Here, we offer some resources to get you started on making your hiring process more inclusive, from defining the position all the way through the interview process. Please let us know if there are resources your organization has found to be useful that are not listed below. We will continue to refresh this webpage over the coming weeks and months.

Step 1: Figuring Out the Role

When an employee is transitioning out of a position, it may be helpful to ask that individual to update or revise their own job description before they vacate it. New positions will likely require a more in-depth process of brainstorming and benchmarking.

In any case, clarity about what qualifications are needed and what a position actually entails is of great importance to inclusive recruiting. Seemingly rigid job requirements can dissuade people of marginalized backgrounds from applying, especially in the arts and culture sectors. According to a 2017 report by Arts Council England, “Disabled people and people from Black and minority ethnic groups are more frequently engaged in other training and development routes into the sector and are therefore less likely to meet specifications with rigid criteria.”

Inflexible requirements can also introduce socioeconomic bias (e.g., when an advanced degree is required) and gender bias, both of which interface with a candidate’s race and ethnicity. In general, women are unlikely to apply to jobs in which they don’t meet 100% of the requirements, whereas men apply when they meet about 60%. The issue is not so much an issue of confidence (or lack thereof), but rather the assumption that one needs to fulfill these qualifications in order to be hired in the first place — which, truthfully, is not often the case.

Requirements that are not actually indispensable to getting the job done can give qualified, underrepresented talent a reason to self-select out, which we want to avoid. Instead, it can be useful to create a separate category of “nice-to-have” qualifications; the Management Center provides a useful worksheet to organize your team’s thoughts as you seek to differentiate between “must-haves” and “nice-to-haves.” Another option is to get rid of requirements entirely, and focus simply on the results that an employee would be expected to achieve: what will they be responsible for six months into the role? One year into it? See more here.

Step 2: Writing an Inclusive Job Description

It can be easy to let coded language or technical jargon slip into job descriptions unless we proactively seek to eliminate it. Even language that feels standard can unveil implicit biases or assumptions about the job or the ideal candidate. In the arts and culture sectors, this may include technical jargon related to the theatre, operatic repertoire, and the like, all of which is part of the day-to-day operations of our organizations, but may not be familiar to a new candidate.

Automated services like Gender Decoder (free), Textio ($59/month), and Applied ($380/month) can help identify biased language, among other services. You may also wish to reference style guides such as A Progressive’s Style Guide to harness intersectional language — not only in job postings, but across your organization.

Beyond avoiding exclusive language, be sure to include a unique, express statement on diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and any other related priorities at your organization. This may mean being explicit about inclusive benefits like parental leave or professional development funds. It is important that this statement is personal to your organization: as Howlround Theatre Commons puts it, “simply writing that our organization is an ‘Equal Opportunity Employer’, or shortening it even further to ‘EOE’, is no longer acceptable.” Also note that where these components are placed in a job listing may signal to candidates their importance to the organization. You can find many great examples compiled by the League of Resident Theatres (Appendix A, p. 16).

Finally, consider the advantages of listing a salary range as part of the job posting. Studies have shown that salary may be the most important part of a job ad, and some have even argued that “not showing the salary range in job postings is archaic and inequitable.”

For a regularly refreshed list of online job boards — and other places your organization may want to advertise an opening to increase your chances of diversifying the applicant pool — please scroll to Where to Look and Where to Post at the bottom of this page.

Step 3: Making the Hiring Process Equitable

Following inclusive job postings with an equitable and transparent hiring process is central to acquiring underrepresented talent. This means clearly communicating the hiring timeline, including the number or rounds of interviews that will be conducted and time you expect to spend checking references. It may also mean being upfront about any obstacles you’ve faced in finding the right candidate, and not presuming that all candidates have the funding and flexibility to come into the office for a series of in-person interviews.

In order to ultimately foster an inclusive environment in your organization, it’s important to use the interview(s) as an opportunity to vet candidates for their inclusive (or exclusive) behaviors. In the words of Khalil Smith, Vice President of Consulting and Practices at the NeuroLeadership Institute, “Diversity without inclusion leads to a revolving door of talent.”

While this may sound complex if not impossible, research has shown that we can differentiate the "givers" from the "takers” with strategic questions. Duke University’s School of Medicine, for example, provides a comprehensive list of questions to ask applicants in order to select an individual who will support an inclusive environment. Similar resources are offered by SUNY Cobleskill and Northern Illinois University.