Reason: Imagine being introduced and interviewed by a group of people, and everyone looks the same and it is not like you. A homogeneous environment doesn’t scream ‘inclusion’. However, there is something worse. Imagine one individual who is not relevant to the role you are interviewing for keeps popping up, on your interview panel, during lunch, during the tour. There is no reason for them to be there except that they are the only one that matches one or more of your demographic characteristics. Rather than feeling like you belong, this forced display of diversity will likely only show you that you will be treated like the token [fill in demographic], just like the person being paraded in front of you. Showcasing diversity during interviews is fantastic, but it must be authentic diversity, full of people relevant to the experience.
Bonus tip: showcasing diversity does not mean matching the demographic traits of the candidate, it’s about showing that the organization embraces and celebrates differences. For this, any authentic diversity will have a positive impact: demographics, backgrounds, areas of interests, favorite sports teams… etc. .
Missed a tip? They can all be found here.