Investing in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and prioritizing conversations about diversity is more important now than ever, with 53 percent of employees saying they’d leave a company without visible or measurable DEI initiatives, and a growing number of Gen Z employees being vocally passionate about the advancement of all people. A diverse workplace is essential for building a sense of belonging for employees, but it’s also a top predictor of company success and profitability. Leaders need to be creating atmospheres where cross-cultural understanding and allyship is embedded in the culture.
While DEI programming and prioritization must come from the top, prospective employees can play a part by holding companies accountable and asking DEI-specific questions in interviews. It's important for people who are interviewing to understand how the organization they're considering joining continuously works toward DEI in their environment and culture.
We asked five employee resource group (ERG) chairs at VTS, the commercial real estate industry’s leading technology platform, to give advice on how jobseekers can be on the lookout for companies that really prioritize DEI. They share what kinds of interview questions to ask in the interview stage to gauge if a company lives out its values and how they knew VTS was fostering a supportive culture from the beginning.
Leasing and asset management platform VTS aims to be commercial real estate’s modern operating system, and they’re looking for curious, driven, and customer-obsessed employees to help them reach that goal. Rated most highly for Paid Time Off, Employer Responsiveness, and The People You Work With, VTS has benefits like flexible PTO, 16 weeks paid leave for primary caregivers, and allowances for external learning opportunities. Click to learn more about the company and to explore their open positions!
4 tips for asking enlightening DEI-focused questions in an interview
1. Focus on specific, results-oriented questions
“I would encourage candidates to focus on results-oriented questions—asking a company how they champion DEI, not if they support it,” says Ivette Assis, principal talent acquisition manager for VTS’ business division and co-chair of Amplify, their ERG for BIPOC employees. “Ask for specific examples. I find that many companies jump on the bandwagon of ‘we support DEI,’ but struggle to give actual examples beyond a monthly celebration. DEI requires commitment, a roadmap, and strategy for accountability, and it should be directly tied to the objectives of the company, not as a ‘nice to have.’”
As co-lead for the Muslims@VTS ERG and an analytics engineer, Mariam Javed supports the build, development, and maintenance of the analytics layer of VTS’ data environment. She agrees with Assis: “To better understand a company’s commitment to DE&I, I have often asked the following question, ‘Can you give me examples of any programs, policies, or initiatives that the company has in place to promote DEI?’ By asking for specific examples currently in place, you’re able to understand if the company is actively invested in a diverse and inclusive workplace.”
2. Don’t forget about equity and inclusion
Often, we focus heavily on the buzzword part of DEI—diversity. It’s one thing to ask about diverse hiring practices and about which demographics are represented in leadership, but we can’t neglect to ask how companies are actually following through on supporting marginalized employees once they’re hired.
Carl Schubert, an engineering manager on the lease-market-data product and cofounder of VTS’s allyship ERG, suggests starting with a broad question like, “How do you foster the inclusivity and equity parts of DEI?” He says, “I believe that diversity can only be sustained by an equitable and inclusive culture and environment, so I am interested in what a company is doing specifically to address those two points. Depending on how this is answered, I might follow up with questions about equity in pay bands, ERG activities, or equity in the promotion process.”
Read more: Equity vs. Equality: What’s the Difference in the Workplace?
3. Ask how the company encourages diverse perspectives
Diverse companies are made up of people with various racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds, as well as different lifestyles, interests, and thought patterns.
Principal solutions consultant Harris Rosado says, “I think a great question to ask would be, ‘Can you provide a few examples as to how this company makes sure they are gathering as many perspectives and experiences as possible when evaluating something?’ or, ‘How does the company work to expose itself and its members to new experiences?’ This opens the floor for the interviewer to explain, with specific examples, if any, how they are putting their company's values to work not just in theory, but in practice as well. It's one thing to say you value something, but you could actually trust it when you see them apply it to their operations, events and overall culture.”
As chair of Jews at VTS, a cultural ERG, Rosado adds, “Another question could be, ‘Do you have any ERGs for employees to bond or learn about others?’ If a company is thinking about this deliberately, it could lead me to believe they’re serious about DEI, and I could tell that that approach is applied to most if not everything they do. I personally subscribe to the notion of ‘how you do anything is how you do everything.’”
4. Inquire about how the company is continuously improving
Implementing DEI practices is a continuous process, requiring constant evaluation and evolution.
Nina Vogel manages VTS’ workplace operations initiatives and is the co-chair of their LGBTQIA+ ERG, Queer The Space. She says, “A good base is to start with, ‘What does your company currently do to support DEI?’ but I believe the follow up questions of, ‘Where do you think your company can improve?’ and ‘What steps have they taken and are they taking to get there?’ will tell you more about their commitment not only to how they value DEI, but also if they are aware they can do better and are striving towards it. The road companies are on in pursuit of making their hiring, resources, and products more inclusive is just as important as where they are at today.”
3 reasons these employees knew VTS prioritized DEI
When these employees joined VTS, there were several signs the company's culture would be supportive of fostering DEI. Look out for these positive signs the company is living out its values.
They were interviewed by a diverse group of people
Mariam Javed: “Personally, some of the signs I saw that indicated a positive company culture at VTS was the diverse interview panel, employee resource groups and a supportive manager. A diverse interview panel is important because it allows for multiple perspectives to be considered during the hiring process and it minimizes unconscious biases from a homogenous panel.”
Carl Schubert: “I was personally interviewed by a very diverse group of people both demographically and in terms of background and experience. To me, that was a strong signal that VTS valued, fostered, and maintained diversity.”
There were numerous ERGs in place to support employees
Ivette Assis: “I wanted to understand how a company empowers employees to show up as their true selves, amplify their voices, and feel heard. It was very important to me that the ERGs played a key role in helping to shape and mold the values of the company. I also love that the ERGs at VTS have an executive sponsor. This made me feel like any actionable feedback would make it to our senior leaders and also enable them to take actionable steps. Additionally, I also appreciated that VTS understood the value of separating ERGs and the diversity group. Allowing ERGs to serve as a safe space for its members while the diversity working group serves to educate and train the company at large.”
Nina Vogel: “I really appreciated that they had a structure in place to support ERGs, which has opened the door for new ERGs to form over the years I have been here. Starting from scratch is not easy. With a framework in place, it takes some of the pressure off when working to build community within your workplace.”
Mariam Javed: “ERGs are a great indicator of a company’s commitment to supporting employees from different backgrounds. They provide a safe space for employees to connect and bring their whole, authentic self to work. I was so excited to hear about the multiple ERGs at VTS and knew that I wanted to help start an ERG for Muslims@VTS.”
The company was living out inclusive values
Harris Rosado: “For me, it was the interest and celebration in everyone’s background, no matter what. This was specifically evident in the values the company set, one literally being ‘Appreciate the Difference.’ This gives us both the cultural benefit of taking in as many perspectives and experiences as possible and this also translates into a business advantage.”
Mariam Javed: “My manager at VTS has always created a safe and inclusive work environment by fostering open communication, respecting different perspectives, and encouraging and supporting the formation of the ERG Muslims@VTS. This has always been a key indicator of a positive team culture and commitment to DEI.”
