Employers

There are more than 165,000 human resources managers and 666,500 human resources specialists employed in the United States. The Department of Labor does not provide data specifically on diversity experts, but both human resources sectors could include this profession. Workplace diversity experts work full time as employees at companies. They also work as independent consultants, running their own businesses. They may work for large corporations in various industries and they may provide diversity education and training to smaller companies. Government agencies may also hire diversity and inclusion experts.

Starting Out

Many workplace diversity experts start in their careers through an internship or part-time job in the human resources department of a company. Find opportunities by visiting the Web sites of companies that interest you. Professional associations also post employment opportunities on their Web sites. Search for job openings also on sites such as Indeed, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, Monster, and SimplyHired.

Workplace diversity experts who are employed in large companies may advance to become senior diversity experts. Their responsibilities may increase to managing larger groups of people and overseeing human resources and related teams in other states and countries. Those with years of experience as employees may leave full-time positions to start their own consulting firms. They may also advance by teaching diversity and inclusion workshops and classes at professional associations. Some advance by teaching at higher education institutions.

Participate in an internship program while in school or get a part-time job in the human resources department of a company that interests you. Your schools career services office can assist you with locating internship and job openings.

Read publications such as the Diversity Officer Magazine, https://diversityofficermagazine.com, and HR Today, https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine, to keep up with workplace diversity news and issues in the workplace.

Become a student member of a professional association for access to resources such as chapter meetings and educational workshops and events. Find information about student membership on Web sites such as https://www.shrm.org/membership/student-resources and https://www.ipma-hr.org/membership/membership-categories.

Follow diversity experts on their social media sites such as LinkedIn and Twitter to learn more about issues and developments in their work.