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When conducting
recruitment for vacant positions, recruit and market the position
in a manner that will encourage applicants from underrepresented
groups and from various educational backgrounds to consider applying
for the position.
Use the following
links to learn more about conducting recruitment outreach:
How
can you market the position to ensure that individuals from underrepresented
groups will consider applying?
You should—
- Contact
colleges and universities near your office with a large minority
enrollment. Don't overlook community colleges and universities
that you would not typically contact as they may be a good source
for minority students. College professors and career services
professionals can also help you identify good candidates for your
positions.
-
Initiate contacts with local disability and veterans organizations.
Professionals with these organizations can help you identify suitable
candidates.
-
Conduct informational sessions on campuses of 2- and 4-year
colleges and universities. Career services professionals can help
you set up these sessions.
-
Work with local community organizations to identify hometown
talent. Develop lists of high school counselors, civic groups,
churches, and fraternal organizations to help identify potential
candidates.
-
Get help from minorities on staff. Employees within your
organization can help get the word out to friends, neighbors,
and relatives.
-
Network with regional offices or local chapters of minority
associations (for instance, Minorities in Agriculture, Natural
Resources, and Related Sciences, Society for the Advancement of
Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, American Indian Science
and Engineering Society). Attend regional conferences and meetings
of minority associations to share information about your research
and the mission of ARS.
-
Advertise
your student and summer positions in all the right places (for
example, colleges of agriculture and science, college newspapers,
minority student organizations, and on your own web site).
-
Use student appointments as a means to increase awareness
of ARS research programs and employment opportunities. Teaching
and mentoring students may influence a student's decision to pursue
a career in science and to seek permanent employment with ARS.
-
Use the Workforce Recruitment Program for College Students
With Disabilities to fill student and summer positions to increase
awareness of our employment opportunities with individuals with
disabilities.
-
Use
job banks sponsored by minority associations and relevant list-servs
to advertise your employment opportunities.
-
Follow up on contacts made at job fairs, colleges and universities,
and minority associations. Show commitment to diversity from the
top, and encourage it among all employees.
-
Develop a long-term strategy for increasing diversity within
your organization. Make contact with minority students at local
high schools, even junior high, to encourage them to think about
science as a career. Develop good prospects, so when a position
opens, you have candidates ready to apply.
-
Treat
all applicants the same. You don't have to lower your standards
to hire a minority employee.
How
can you advertise the position to ensure that it reaches a diverse
population of potential applicants?
The following
associations have options for advertising positions both online
and in print. While there may be a fee associated with use of these
resources, the value of increasing the applicant pool should be
worth the extra dollars spent.
While this list
is extensive, it may not be all-inclusive. If you know of other
organizations that should be listed here, please send the information
to the ARS Recruitment Office (cstortzum@ars.usda.gov) for inclusion
on this web site.
American
Indian Graduate Center
American
Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES)
Association
for Women in Science
Black
Career Women
DiversityInc.com
Diversity/Careers
in Engineering & Information Technology
Employer
Assistance Referral Network
Equal
Opportunity Publications
Hispanic
Network Magazine
IMDiversity.com
JobAccess
LatPro.com
Minority
Affairs on the World Wide Web
National
Business & Disability Council
NativeWeb
Saludos.com
Society
of Hispanic Professional Engineers
Society
for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science
(SACNAS)
Society
of Women Engineers
The
Asian Pacific American Network
The
Multicultural Advantage Diversity Recruitment Center
The
Tribal Employment Newsletter
Ticket
to Work Employment Network Directory
Winds
of Change (publication of AISES)
Who
can you turn to for help with recruitment outreach efforts?
You can—
- Contact
your Area Civil Rights Manager, Recruitment and Outreach Coordinator,
or Equal Opportunity Outreach Coordinator for suggestions and
help. These individuals have networks established that can help
you in reaching out to a diverse pool of candidates.
- Use
the Departmental liaison officers at colleges and universities
across the United States to help you identify potential candidates
for the position. Here is a listing
of the USDA liaison officers.
- Contact
your HR specialist and/or the ARS Recruitment Office for ideas
on how to target the population you are interested in recruiting.
What
else can you do to help motivate individuals from underrepresented
groups get interested in ARS as an employer of choice?
The best thing
you can do to motivate individuals from underrepresented groups
to get interested in science and in ARS is to get involved. You
can:
-
Participate in activities (science fairs, adopt-a-school, mentoring)
at local schools with high minority populations. While this activity
may not help you in your current recruitment efforts, your participation
may spark interest in the students you work with.
-
Develop contacts with science teachers at local K-12 schools to
help them keep abreast of cutting edge science that they can in
turn share with their students. Participate in career days at
K-12 schools.
-
Identify science clubs at K-12 schools and develop relationships
with students who are members of these clubs.
-
Share your enthusiasm for science and for the work of ARS with
students. Encourage your employees to also share their enthusiasm
and knowledge with students.
-
Sponsor interactive activities geared toward K-12 students during
field days at your location.
Are there other Internet sites that may
help you in conducting outreach?
The list of
web sites below may provide additional ideas on how to get involved
with students.
If you know
of other organizations that should be listed here, please send the
information to the ARS Recruitment Office (cstortzum@ars.usda.gov)
for inclusion on this web site.
America's
Promise — The Alliance for Youth
Annual
Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students
Coalition
to Increase Minority Degrees
Diversity
Database -- University of Maryland
INROADS,
Inc.
League
of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
Minorities
in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS)
National
Hispanic Environmental Council
National
Mentoring Partnership
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