FAQs About DEI Careers
Do I need a certification for a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) career?
No. A certification in DEI is not required to find a DEI job, but some companies are beginning to list DEI Certifications as a bonus. While a certification is not required, having the right combination of skills, experience, knowledge of DEI and passion is important to landing a DEI job. Check out this post on DEI Certifications to learn more about the various certificates, certifications, and continued education opportunities that exist for aspiring DEI professionals.
How do I become a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Leader?
If you want to be a DEI manager, DEI Director, or Chief Diversity Officer, it is important to understand which job is right for you before applying for a DEI job. Do you like building programs? Do you like developing strategies? Do you like facilitating tough conversations? Finding a job in DEI requires understanding more than just the fundamentals of DEI like unconscious bias, but actually being able to apply that knowledge while using your transferable skills and experience. The DEI Career Center helps you find clarity as a job seeker to confidently begin your DEI Career search. We’ll help you assess your skills, update your resume, and prepare for an interview as a part of DEI Career Coaching services.
What do the different acronyms for DEI mean?
Each organization can create the acronym they believe best reflects their approach to this work. Acronyms may include JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion), EDI (Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion), DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging), IDEAS (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, and Social Justice).
How do I create a DEI strategy for my organization?
Start with the data, both quantitative and qualitative. Your strategy will be unique to your organization based on your findings. You can work with a consultant, like AGT Diversity Consulting to help your company assess its needs and develop a strategy, or learn to develop a data-informed strategy as a part of our online course with group coaching.
What does it mean to work in DEI?
Working in DEI means you are actively working to help organizations become more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Typically, if you work “in-house” this means you work for one company and may have a job title such as DEI Coordinator, DEI Manager, DEI Program Manager, Diversity Business Partner, Diversity Recruiter, Head of DEI, or Chief Diversity Officer. You could also work for a company that specializes in helping many organizations with DEI. You may have a title such as DEI Consultant or DEI Strategist. These are just a few examples as there are many ways to work in DEI. To learn more about in-house careers in DEI, check out the Intro to DEI Careers Course.
Are there free resources I can use to learn about Diversity and Inclusion?
Yes. There are many great online courses on LinkedIn and other sites that will help you better understand the basics of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Visit our resources page for a curated list of some of our favorite podcasts, videos, articles, courses, and more.
How much do DEI managers get paid?
Like most jobs, salaries for DEI managers (and all DEI roles) vary. Factors such as industry and location can impact your base salary and whether or not you receive stocks and/or bonuses. As this industry lacks standardization, job titles, responsibilities, and years of experience needed also vary, which means there is a wide range of salaries for roles with similar titles. Based on a recent survey [1] of more than 100 DEI professionals, on average DEI Managers make $61,000-$80,000, but there are DEI managers making well over $200-250,000 annually.