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Diversity Guidelines

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Diversity Guidelines for Employers


Statement from the Career Center

The SCU Career Center is committed to supporting students from all backgrounds, cultures, and identities. One of the Career Center’s six core values is Equity and Access. For those of us working with employers, this means identifying and recognizing employers with inclusive, diversity-centered cultures; partnering with diversity-focused offices on campuses; and engaging in conversation to educate employers on hiring and retaining diverse college talent. Our priority is to make sure that all students, with special attention to students holding one or more marginalized identities, feel safe and supported during their college and career development journey.

Recruiting diverse talent is both important to you as an employer and also working in an organization that values inclusion and equity is important to our learners. Our students and alumni are researching what potential employers are doing to create inclusive environments for all employees, and selecting to work with organizations who embrace this culture.

Santa Clara University is home to a very diverse student body. 

Recommended Practices for Inclusive Recruiting 

The SCU Career Center supports and highlights organizations that are walking the walk of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Review NACE’s Diversity & Inclusion Self-Assessment to help assess your organization’s efforts at DEI. 

Look to see which companies are being recognized for doing this work well to identify places your own organization can benchmark off.

Recommended practices include:  

  • Use gender inclusive language. Make sure all your written copy is gender-neutral. Use this tool to find out if your job and event descriptions are gender-coded.
  • Share information and examples of how your organization celebrates difference and includes people of all identities in your workplace. For example:
    • How diverse is your company? – share the stats!
    • Do you have Employee Resources Groups? How many? What do they do? How empowered are they to enact change at your organization?
    • Have you been recognized or awarded by any outside groups for your DEI efforts?
    • Do you provide on-going DEI training for all employees?
    • Are you flexible about giving employees time off for holidays specific to their religion or culture?
    • What are your paid family leave policies?
  • Invite diverse members of your organization to participate in recruiting events. Do your representatives look and/or share the backgrounds of the students you are recruiting? 
  • Engage with and offer to support our student affinity organizations. Explore our directory of student orgs here. 
  • Be prepared to openly discuss and answer questions about your organization’s demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.  
  • Reduce barriers. Setting GPA requirements and narrow qualifications (such as allowable majors, school years or mandating numerous years of experience) are practices that limit candidate pools.
  • Post your salary ranges. Pay well. Pay equitably. 
    • Candidates are more likely to apply to postings where a salary range is listed, and the employer demonstrates a commitment to equal pay (e.g. conducts audits for gender and racial pay equity).
    • Offer paid internships. Unpaid internships negatively impact graduate outcomes (NACE). They also exacerbate racial and economic disparities (Forbes). Some unpaid internships in government, non-profits, creative or life/science disciplines may qualify for REAL Scholarships. 

For additional recruitment tips, explore the following resources:

How We Will Support You in Recruiting Diverse Students

We encourage organizations that are 1) excelling at fostering inclusive workplaces or 2) consciously building an inclusive workplace to connect with the SCU Career Center to further highlight your efforts. 

  • We will share your Values Statement with students when you attend a Career Fair. 
    • Provide a Values Statement upon registering for a Career Fair. Prompt is as follows: SCU students are very interested in organizations whose values align with their own. We encourage highlighting your Diversity, Equity and Inclusion practices, any Social Justice statements or programs, Environmental/sustainability initiatives, and/or Black Lives Matter support your organization represents. Please share anything related to these efforts you would like to highlight.
  • We will give you an opportunity to apply for our Diversity Works Expo. 
    • This event brings together students, employers, industry experts, staff and faculty in a celebration of diversity in the workplace.  This program features student awards, an industry panel, and roundtable discussions to facilitate authentic conversations about inclusion and belonging at work.  
    • Express your interest in joining Diversity Works Expo on February 22, 2023 by filling out this form
  • We will introduce you to the student leadership of our diverse student organizations or work on a strategy to engage with them.
  • We will provide free consultation with an Employer Connections team member - reach out to scuemployers@scu.edu to discuss opportunities to address questions and concerns about diversity hiring and initiatives.