How to Answer: What do diversity, equity, and inclusion mean to you personally?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for an ADP job interview.
38. What do diversity, equity, and inclusion mean to you personally?
Why the Interviewer Asks This Question
Diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) are a focus for many organizations, ADP included. The interviewer is trying to determine if you're familiar with the terms and if you understand their importance in the workplace. This question allows the interviewer to gain insight into what DE&I means to you.
Written by Jaymie Payne on November 13th, 2022
How to Answer
In your response, demonstrate that you understand the meaning of each (DE&I) aspect and speak honestly about what it means to you on a personal and professional level. If you have received any corporate or more formal training in this area, be sure to speak about that experience and how it's impacted you.
Written by Jaymie Payne on November 13th, 2022
1st Entry Level Example
"Many people believe that diversity is just about race and gender, but it encompasses so much more! Age, religion, veteran status, disability status, and education are just a few other areas that diversity should be considered. It's important for me to join an organization that values DE&I and where employees of all backgrounds and experiences are represented. Everyone should feel valued and included in the workplace and I'm constantly evaluating my actions and being more self-aware to ensure I'm contributing to this and fostering DE&I in the workplace."
Written by Jaymie Payne on November 13th, 2022
1st Answer Example
"DE&I is extremely important to me. A diverse team comprises individuals of different genders, ethnicities, educations, backgrounds, and experiences. Equity means that everyone on that team is treated fairly and given equal opportunities in the workplace. Inclusion means that everyone is welcome and should feel safe to express their concerns and ideas. DE&I is important to me because everyone should feel a sense of belonging at work. More creative and innovative ideas are born when people from different backgrounds and experiences come together."
Written by Jaymie Payne on November 13th, 2022
2nd Answer Example
"DE&I is something I'm passionate about, and I have earned three certifications this year relating to the importance in the workplace and unconscious bias. A diverse team produces more unique ideas and viewpoints, and those different perspectives help achieve our common goals. It's important to me that everyone feels a sense of belonging and safety in the workplace."
Written by Jaymie Payne on November 13th, 2022
About the Author
When I started my career in business management, branding, and marketing, I mistakenly assumed hard work and integrity alone would get me noticed. Back then, I assumed the harder I worked, the faster I’d rise through the ranks. Yet, even in a meritocracy, this is rarely the case.
The goals of my peers competed with mine, and too often, they were better at getting noticed for their accomplishments. And, some of them were all too happy to watch me working harder, as they worked smarter, rising through the ranks faster than me. At one point, a boss of mine labeled me a stealth worker. They said they had no idea I was the one performing all that great work. If only I’d drawn more attention to what I was doing, maybe I would have gotten rewarded for it. So I learned most of my leadership skills the hard way, and the journey was long.
As a leader, my favorite part of the job came to be coaching others. I took pride in sharing the secrets to my eventual success, and offering my outside-of-the-box view of the role. Where other leaders were only in it for themselves, I was genuinely in it for the company and the team. So I taught those I mentored not only what they needed to do, and how to do the job right, but why each step was important. I spelled out how everything fit into the big picture and shared every trick of the trade that no one shared with me. Every single individual I mentored advanced far ahead of their peers, surpassing those who were only in it for themselves.
Another favorite part of the job was recruiting and building the perfect teams. For me, conducting an interview was an art form. I later volunteered my services at career fairs and trade schools, offering advice, from crafting the perfect CV and resume, to delivering a perfect interview, to negotiating a decent raise. Now I am a full-time writer, and left my management career behind me. Yet, I still love coaching others to succeed, and I love writing for mockquestions.com for this very reason.
Here’s what I said to a friend of mine whom I mentored a long time ago: “Every single thing you do, at every stage, can alter the perception others have of your professional worth. My goal is to make you look like an asset worth fighting for.”
Learn more about Kevin Downey