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Diversity manager skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Sarah Kornfield

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical diversity manager skills. We ranked the top skills for diversity managers based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 16.0% of diversity manager resumes contained human resources as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a diversity manager needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 diversity manager skills for your resume and career

1. Human Resources

Human resources is a set of people in a business or a corporation that are designated to locate, interview, and recruit new employees into the company. They are also responsible to maintain the integrity of the employees and help them sort their problems out. They try to introduce and manage employee-benefit programs.

Here's how diversity managers use human resources:

Worked collaboratively with Human Resources colleagues on special projects and initiatives and best practice sharing.
Manage team of India-based project managers partnering closely with India's country president, regional senior staff, and Human Resources.

2. External Stakeholders

Here's how diversity managers use external stakeholders:

Advised Senior Leadership and partnered with key internal and external stakeholders regarding Diversity & Inclusion concepts and practices.

3. Inclusion Strategy

Inclusion strategies entail a strategy, and practices of an organization to support a diverse workplace. This is especially helpful in leveraging the effects of diversity to achieve a competitive advantage. Diversity and inclusion are a top priority while recruiting diverse employees.

Here's how diversity managers use inclusion strategy:

Created and implemented succession planning process for business leadership of Legal department's diversity and inclusion strategy.
Developed company-wide Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan incorporating diversity into annual business plan.

4. Employee Engagement

Here's how diversity managers use employee engagement:

Managed company-wide annual employee engagement survey process used to identify potential cultural change initiatives for implementation within the organization.
Developed and implemented evaluation tool to measure impact of diversity and inclusion programming on broader employee engagement.

5. Inclusion Efforts

Here's how diversity managers use inclusion efforts:

Present speeches at local and national events in support of MGM MIRAGE's inclusion efforts.
Manage 6 diversity and inclusion efforts including the Synberc Scholars program that supports underrepresented undergraduates in STEM.

6. Action Plan

Here's how diversity managers use action plan:

Provided guidance to 30 business locations on compliance with government regulations related to EEO and Affirmative Action Plans (OFCCP).
Analyzed results of the employee survey, developed action plans, and conducted focus groups to address areas needing improvement.

7. Professional Development

Professional development means to have the essential training certification or education with the purpose of earning and having a successful career. Every job requires a different set of skills. However, new skills may be needed in the future. Professional development, in this regard, helps people to develop and polish the skills and become efficient workers.

Here's how diversity managers use professional development:

Ensured consistent use of professional development plans, on-boarding practices and stay-interviews.
Consulted and reviewed individual management training needs to create specialized training workshops increasing professional development for a team of 30 managers.

8. Supplier Diversity Program

Supplier diversity is a business technique that ensures a diverse supplier base in the acquisition of products and services for any enterprise or company. It features the creation of a diverse supply chain that serves to ensure the formation of diverse groups in the procurement strategies for government, not-for-profits, and private businesses.

Here's how diversity managers use supplier diversity program:

Managed the implementation and compliance of the Corporate Supplier Diversity Program according to the Federal Acquisition Regulations corporate wide.
Helped company achieve national recognition for its successful supplier diversity program.

9. Community Outreach

Here's how diversity managers use community outreach:

Developed new statewide partnerships and Company support and funding for the company's community outreach programs, I.e.
Identify diverse suppliers through community outreach, participation in trade fairs on the local and national levels.

10. Strategic Plan

Here's how diversity managers use strategic plan:

Articulate and implementation diversity goals aligning to the overall business goals and strategic plan.
Developed agency's diversity strategic plan.

11. Diversity Training

Here's how diversity managers use diversity training:

Performed a wide array of responsibilities including auditing of previous diversity training modules and assessing the effectiveness of company diversity initiatives.
Facilitated diversity training and information sessions to ensure associates understood the corporate diversity goals.

12. Strategic Sourcing

Here's how diversity managers use strategic sourcing:

Partnered with the strategic sourcing team to understand requirements and identify small, diverse businesses to bid on opportunities.

13. Leadership Development

Leadership Development is a term for the process of improving the leadership, management, organizational, and similarly relevant skills of somebody working in a managerial or other leadership skill.

Here's how diversity managers use leadership development:

Re-established the learning and development function with an emphasis on leadership development and compliance training.
Established external leadership development partnerships with area Chambers of Commerce.

14. Business Development

Business development is the ideas or initiatives that work to make business work better. Selling, advertising, product development, supply chain management, and vendor management are only a few of the divisions involved with it. There is still a lot of networking, negotiating, forming alliances, and trying to save money. The goals set for business development guide and coordinate with all of these various operations and sectors.

Here's how diversity managers use business development:

Created and drove minority business development initiative to increase minority and women-owned business participation.
Developed and coordinated events that aligned with corporate business development goals.

15. Performance Management

Here's how diversity managers use performance management:

Partnered with HR in the design and global role-out of the new Performance Management System.
Counseled HR team on employee relations, performance management and workforce planning issues.

What skills help Diversity Managers find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What diversity manager skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Sarah Kornfield

Associate Professor of Communication and Affiliated Faculty for Women's & Gender Studies at Hope College, Hope College

The ability to evaluate data in a way that recognizes structural problems and to develop innovative policy solutions. For instance, imagine a corporation has difficulty retaining and promoting employees--especially women--with young children. To solve this problem, the corporation needs someone who can recognize the trend within the data and can see that there are structural problems preventing parents with young children from maintaining and/or advancing their careers at that corporation. The final step would be implementing a policy solution, such as enabling more flexible work time, creating an on-site daycare, or offering better benefits/subsidies for parents if daycare expenses in the area are expensive.

Do you want to know more?

List of diversity manager skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a diversity manager resume and required skills for a diversity manager to have include:

Human Resources
External Stakeholders
Inclusion Strategy
Employee Engagement
Inclusion Efforts
Action Plan
Professional Development
Supplier Diversity Program
Community Outreach
Strategic Plan
Diversity Training
Strategic Sourcing
Leadership Development

Business Development
Performance Management
DBE
Employee Development
Eeo/Aa
Ofccp
Shared Services
Career Fairs
Executive Management
Diversity Issues
Sexual Harassment
External Organizations
Training Programs

Diversity Councils
AAP
Inclusion Training
Cultural Awareness
Contract Negotiations
Business Administration
Wbe
EEO-1
Lgbt
Cultural Differences
Direct Reports

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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