Using SeekOut Diversity to Build Inclusive Talent Pipelines
SeekOut Diversity empowers recruiters to improve organizational diversity by identifying and engaging qualified candidates from underrepresented groups. With advanced filters and machine learning classifiers, SeekOut helps teams build more inclusive pipelines efficiently and accurately.
Diversity Filters
SeekOut offers dedicated filters to help recruiters find candidates who are likely members of the following demographic groups:
Black or African American
Hispanic or Latinx
Asian
Veterans
These filters are designed to surface candidates who are statistically likely to belong to these groups based on profile attributes.
Note: Diversity filters are only available if your organization has them enabled. In the European database, Women is the only diversity filter available. Filters based on race or ethnicity aren’t offered there because of changing legal requirements
How SeekOut Classifies Diversity
SeekOut uses machine learning classifiers trained on tagged data to estimate a candidate’s diversity status. These classifiers analyze a wide range of profile attributes, including:
Names
Educational background
Group memberships
Keywords and phrases used on profiles
Other publicly available signals
Each model is rigorously tested and retrained regularly to ensure high accuracy. We focus on two key metrics:
Precision: How accurately we identify a candidate’s diversity status
Recall: How many qualified candidates we’re able to find
Currently, our classifiers achieve over 90% precision and recall. As with any inferred data, some classifications may be inaccurate, so we recommend using diversity filters to broaden your pipeline rather than as a definitive record of a candidate’s identity.
Why SeekOut Is More Effective Than Manual Methods
Traditional approaches to sourcing diverse candidates—such as searching by common first names—are limited and often introduce bias. For example, searching for the top 50 female names in the U.S. tends to return mostly Caucasian candidates due to name distribution.
SeekOut’s approach is far more inclusive. Our women classifier, for instance, uses over one million names along with other profile attributes, enabling recruiters to find a broader and more diverse pool of candidates.
Reducing Unconscious Bias
To help teams focus on skills and experience, SeekOut offers a Bias Reducer. This feature redacts candidate photos, names, and other identifying details, allowing recruiters to evaluate candidates more objectively.
Customization Options
SeekOut’s diversity filters can be tailored to meet the unique needs of enterprise customers. Customization options include:
Adding new filters for hard-to-find groups (e.g., Native American, candidates with disabilities)
Modifying existing filters to align with internal policies
Limiting or removing filters based on organizational requirements
If you have questions about configuring diversity filters or want to explore customization options, please contact your SeekOut representative or [email protected].