Diversity and Inclusion Interview Questions

Practice 30 Diversity and Inclusion interview questions covering equity initiatives, unconscious bias, and inclusive leadership.

Question 24 of 30

What experience do you have relating to people with a background different from yours?

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Rachelle Enns

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

When you build relationships with people of a different background from yours, you must be open-minded, ready to listen, eager to learn, and open to new situations. Everybody has a powerful and unique story to tell regarding their background, culture, experiences, and beliefs. Talk to the interviewer about the exposure that you bring relating to others with a narrative different from your own. The hiring authorities will want to see your open-mindedness and desire to grow in acceptance of those different from you.

Rachelle Enns

Rachelle Enns is an interview coach and job search expert. She works with candidates to perform their best in employment, medical, and post-secondary admission interviews.

"I enjoy listening to the stories of people from generations before me, and people with backgrounds different from my own. I will eagerly strike up a conversation with anyone in an attempt to learn something new. I recently read that ageism is still a prevalent issue in the workplace, which I find unfortunate. One bit of advice that has stuck with me for years is when my mentor suggested that I seek friendships with people of different generations. There are many benefits of friendships across generations, including a much broader perspective on life. I also notice different communication styles and varying core values, which I find interesting. Rest assured, should you choose me to join your team, I will get to know my co-workers with an open mind and an interest in their background and story."

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I went to the University of Waterloo, which has a high proportion of international students from all countries. I noticed many differences such as different issues in having English as a second language, different work ethics, etc. This helped me better communicate with people who have English as a second language in the workplace. But more importantly, it helped me realize that we are more similar than different and now I can better empathize with people from different backgrounds.

Amanda's Feedback

It sounds like you've had the opportunity to get to know people from various backgrounds and cultures. You can help illustrate the depth and breadth of this experience by talking about projects you worked on with a diverse team and what you learned from the interaction, friends you made from other backgrounds, and how you appreciated one another's differences or cultural events you attended while at school that expanded your horizons.

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30Diversity and Inclusion Interview Questions & Answers

1.If you were to create a diversity and inclusion plan for your current company, what would be your priorities?

2.How do you define workplace diversity?

3.What strategies have you deployed to address diversity issues in the workplace?

4.What does inclusion mean to you?

5.Have you ever encountered a situation where a colleague was not accepting another colleague due to their gender or sexual orientation?

6.Have you ever experienced or witnessed a lack of inclusion in the workplace? If so, how did you address the situation?

Diversity and Inclusion Interview Questions

What experience do you have relating to people with a background different from yours?

30Diversity and Inclusion Interview Questions & Answers

1.If you were to create a diversity and inclusion plan for your current company, what would be your priorities?

2.How do you define workplace diversity?

3.What strategies have you deployed to address diversity issues in the workplace?

4.What does inclusion mean to you?

5.Have you ever encountered a situation where a colleague was not accepting another colleague due to their gender or sexual orientation?

6.Have you ever experienced or witnessed a lack of inclusion in the workplace? If so, how did you address the situation?

7.In your opinion, how can a company best embrace diversity?

8.Have you ever attended formal diversity and inclusion training?

9.What are the most common mistakes you see in a company's Diversity & Inclusion plan?

10.Why do you believe it is important to embrace diversity and support inclusion efforts in this role?

11.How do you feel about workplace diversity today, and how have your views changed over the years?

12.We have a steadfast commitment to our company's diversity and inclusion plan. What does our D&I plan mean to you?

13.Do you have any questions or concerns about working among a diverse population?

14.If hired into this role, how will you support our anti-discrimination policies?

15.What challenges do you believe you'll face when it comes to upholding anti-discrimination policies in this role?

16.Have you ever reached out to a colleague you felt was experiencing workplace discrimination?

17.As a manager or leader, how would you approach an equity problem in the workplace?

18.How would you help a co-worker to increase the value they place on workplace inclusion?

19.How has your education and experience prepared you to succeed in our diverse work community?

20.How have you demonstrated an active commitment to diversity and inclusion in your most recent role?

21.Have you ever mistakenly said something offensive to a colleague? If so, how did you mend the relationship? What did you learn?

22.To what extent do you think a company should encourage diversity programs?

23.How do you currently serve diverse groups in your personal or professional life?

24.What experience do you have relating to people with a background different from yours?

25.What have you done this year to further your knowledge and understanding of diversity?

26.In which areas of diversity do you have more to learn? How do you plan to grow?

27.Do you have experience recruiting a diverse workforce?

28.How do you demonstrate sensitivity to others?

29.How would you introduce diversity to a team member with limited cultural experiences?

30.What is the difference between diversity and inclusion?