My comment, later in that same discussion, is to the effect that putting any additional constraints on your applicant other than "good at the work in question"

My comment, later in that same discussion, is to the effect that putting any additional constraints on your applicant other than "good at the work in question" impairs your ability to get the most qualified people. In some sense, you don't need to "hire for diversity." You just need to hire the best, regardless of who they are. Seeking to The Best instead of The Best (White Middle Class American Male) will tend to be both more inclusive and raise the quality of your hires. It's a subtle distinction, but having gone back to revisit the discussion, I have started a draft for a blog post inspired by those remarks. Not sure yet where I will go with it, but I am glad you commented on it here too.