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Is Your Team Not Diverse Enough? This Could Be Why. Too many companies focus on quickly filling a position with a candidate who can do the job, or subconsciously hire people who reflect the makeup of the team

By Adam Bornstein

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

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Let's get the legal part out of the way: In general, you can't hire a woman just because she's a she. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects employees against discrimination based on religion, sex, age, national origin and race. And while the Bona Fide Occupational Qualification carves out exceptions to that rule, an employer must prove that hiring based on age or sex is essential to the success of the business -- which is unlikely. Meaning? Choosing someone because you want to check a box is not a sound defense.

Related: The 3 Most Common -- and Costly -- Hiring Mistakes

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