Diversity & Inclusion

Diversity is a wonderful concept.  Total Inclusion is even better, when you can find it.

There was a discussion on a recruiting site that I occasionally visit in their Diversity Forum regarding the lack luster performance (is that an accurate term for a job board?) of diversity job sites. Now, I do keep up on what sites are out there. That’s my job as a Recruiter, to keep up on all the places to seek talent.  But being that my specialty is Diversity Recruiting, I go to great lengths to keep in the know about where to find diverse talent.  Ethnicity specific, gender specific, disability or veteran specific, all the way to total inclusion (which would make it supposedly like all the other job sites I suppose). But there is a lingering misconception that a diversity job board will magically bring in diversity candidates. I can’t tell you how wrong that is and how frustrating it is to me as someone who specializes in diversity recruiting. I think some people just don’t get it. Some companies are tight fisted with the dollars and don’t want to put their money where their mouth is as far as diversity initiatives go. Recruiters on the average don’t care about diversity because their objective it to fill the job by any means necessary.

I bring you this post from the perspective of a recruiter and a diverse candidate and hope you’ll feel compelled to fill in any areas I may inadvertently leave out.  I won’t get too heavy into it from the recruiter perspective, as that is not my intended audience.

Job boards of any kind are but a tool and should not be relied on to be used for a major portion of “diversity” sourcing. I think everyone would agree with me that a true diversity (or rather inclusion) initiative would include the company GETTING OUT IN SIGHT OF CANDIDATES. Posting an ad on any diversity job board is not enough. I believe candidates want to see companies who get out and get involved to show that they stand by their mission. Attending events that target diverse candidates, creating a message to share that will catch the interest of diverse candidates, and contributing time, expertise and writing talent to deliver content attracts diverse (or specific) candidates.  Most employers fail to take advantage of those opportunities to step forward and present their company in a different light from the competition. Honestly speaking, I, as a diverse candidate, would only utilize a diversity job site if it had other things besides job postings to catch my eye. Show me why I stand out. Show me why I matter as a diverse candidate. Show me how you as a company promote diversity, not just that you are posting a job on a site to attract my attention. You need to HOLD my attention. Show me how you have a message I might be interested in. Show me that your experts look just like me. Show me that I can see a kaleidescope of people in your company that match the global landscape (and I don’t mean just in the call center). Wouldn’t you agree?

There are lots of sites in the internet to choose from.  In terms of Diversity sites, I know people sometimes want to visit a site that relates to them in some manner.  A site that shows they understand the needs and wants of you as a person from a certain gender or ethnicity.  Some hit the mark and provide a range of tools, articles and activities to keep the continuity of interest. Others are an extension of a network or organization (such as Empower Me! Careers…which is still in development).  Then there are some that put up some cute graphics or flash and proclaim to be the #1 source for [insert ethnicity or gender here] and want to charge exorbitant fees for access to their “exclusive” database of resumes.  Newsflash….if they are selling their database to anyone who pays for it, how is it exclusive?  But I digress.

As a diversity recruiter (and an African American and Hispanic Woman), my approach is different than the average recruiter. I gauge a job site by how useful it is to candidates. I put myself in the mindset of a (so-called diverse candidate) and try to understand the draw of the site. Is it related to an active organization? Do the members actively participate? How does the site get into the mindset of the candidates who visit the site? What types of people does the site draw? What is the attraction and why do people want to return? Are there things for me to do there as a recruiter other than just posting? Will I be able to create a relationship with the site through contributions (articles, etc) that will brand my company as being truly involved in diversity initiative? The answer to many of these questions for a lot of diversity sites is often NO.

As head of Empower Me!, I know that my members are fickle. They are not looking for companies that are just fishing for black women to add to their staff. They are savvy when it comes to making their career decisions and are interested in looking at genuine opportunities from top notch companies. They want to see more than just a job ad, so they expect more in a job site than just a colorized version of Monster or Careerbuilder. Companies that do advertise jobs on the Empower Me Careers site need to understand that they need to create a message for the candidates they seek, and they are agreeing to a partnership of sorts to promote their employment brand to members. They can’t just post a job and run. Companies that we partner with are excited about being able to answer these very same questions (I mentioned above) and know that they are not just being sold the same database that other employers are receiving the same access to. Oh yeah, and I don’t sell the resume database. The site allows for companies to create their brand identity to attract diverse candidates. In other words, they have to put in time and work to cultivate relationships and get their message out.

So I ask you as visitors and potential users of the site.  What, besides job postings, keeps you returning to a job site?  How important is the diversity message that each company portrays? What tools would be helpful to you? What type of content will make you think and take action to use in your own career?  What do you like to see from employers?  And finally, what are your thoughts on a website created “just for you”?  Your answers will help me in further refining the site to bring you the best tool possible.

Til next time.

Adrienne Graham

Black Enterprise Women Of Power Summit Part 3

Friday, I was sad because I knew I had to leave early to head out to L.A.  So I only stayed part of the day.  We started breakfast with the keynote from Rev. Dr. Jo Ann Browning.  The message was Living Your Purpose.  She delivered a wonderful speech and we all felt it was an invigorating way to start the day.  The first workshop of the day was Is It Time For A New You.  This workshop focused on mastering reinvention and never letting yourself become content with existing where you are (complacency).  The panelists for this include some great women.  Michelle Greene, Director Global IT at Sony Ericsson came all the way from Sweden!  A 19 hour plane trip just to be there to share with us.  She shared some wonderful tips about expanding out internationally and the most important question was asked towards the end.  Where does or how does a sister get her hair done in Sweden!?  She laughed and told us that she worked it out. LOL   Another panelist, Gail Morales is actually featured in the February 2008 issue of Black Enterprise (page 62).  She is right here in Atlanta! We’ll be meeting for lunch in the coming weeks. :)   Rosalind Hudnell, Director of Corporate Diversity at Intel shared how she turned down her current position 3 times before accepting.  She shared her experiences in working on different projects and never letting one project or title or success define her.  She is constantly seeking to produce the hits and is always open to helping mentor and bring up those behind her.  The overall theme of this workshop was to continually work on yourself and stretch outside of perceived limitations. Always take on more, show what you are capable of, and put yourself out there to get recognized.

The next session I went to I really enjoyed.  The panelist all knew each other so there was that “sister girl” vibe that made it that much more intimate.  Gwendolyn “that’s how I roll” Sykes  (you had to be there! LOL) CFO of Yale University, Donna James President & Managing Director of Larden & Associates (formerly President at Nationwide Insurance) and Jerri DeVard formerly a Coporate Marketing Executive at Verizon were the panelists.  The topic was Exit Strategy- Making the Great Escape.  The women all shared their experience with their corporate careers and what lead them to ultimately leave their high level positions.  Gwendolyn was until a few months ago the CFO at NASA. Donna made the decision to leave Nationwide after experiencing a stroke.  That was her wake up call to slow it down and start planning to move on to other things in her career.  She shared with us that the day the Black Enterprise issue featuring the top 75 Black Executives in Corporate hit the stands, she was in a hospital bed.  She is truly inspiring.  Jerri told us about how she decided to just take a year off and do NOTHING.  She has chosen to leave the corporate world and just do her.  She’s another phenomenal woman I will be keeping in touch with.

After, we had lunch which was supposed to be outdoors but it was windy.  So they took us indoors and we had lunch while an incredible Jazz band played for us.  Very nice and classy.

The final session (for me because I had to leave) was a great dialog about money and finances.The panel consisted of the wonderful Glinda Bridgeforth (Girl Get Your Money Straight author), Lori Anne Douglass (Partner at Moses & Singer LLP), Tanya Dean (Agent at State Farm) and Kristy Williams (Sr. VP Single Family Mortgage Business with Fannie Mae).  These women were on point.  They spoke of women and how we handle or don’t handle in some cases, our finances. We received tips on mortgages and managing through the subprime mess, practical advice on estate planning and the importance of doing it whether you have $75 or $75 million.  They spoke about the importance of the different types of insurance.  And most importantly about NOT LENDING OUT MONEY and enabling loved ones.  This session was so awesome an audience member asked if the session could be extended out beyond the allotted 45 minutes.  And it was!  Women were sharing their stories and opening up to the panel and it was so awesome.  They gave us the raw, no BS unadulterated truth about managing money.  Lori Anne was a trip!  She was serious but injected humor into her stories to make her point.  I will be contacting her about estate planning!  I loved her honesty.  Another message was you may have to pay a little (or a lot) now, but the peace of mind of being protected is priceless!

At that point I had to leave to head out to L.A. :(  I did not want to go.  I missed out on the fashion show and the concert with Jill Scott that evening.  I missed the dinner they had planned for us.   And I missed the Saturday activities which were the farewell brunch and a chance to continue networking.  But you know what?  I had a ball.  I met so many wonderful women that I will be keeping in touch with.  Some of us have vowed to plan on meeting up at next year’s event, which is going to be in Orlando, FL next February.  We’re going to try to cross paths before then.  But if you can, I would highly recommend you attend next year.  I heard it gets better each year.  If this is the case, I cannot wait until next year.  If I had to sum up with three words, I would say this event represented networking, success and class.  To be in the presence of so many powerful and successful sisters made me want to step up my game.  I am great at what I do and have accomplished some phenomenal things.  But being in the presence of these women made me ready to move to the next level of my success.  And with my new found connections and hopefully friends, I know I can exceed my wildest dreams.  I hope through my recap of the events, you all are inspired to reach higher as well.

For information about this year’s conference, visit Black Enterprise Magazine online at http://www.blackenterprise.com/wps

Til next time.

Adrienne Graham

Black Enterprise Women Of Power Summit Part 2

Thursday morning, I got up not knowing what to expect.  I went by myself so I was open to introducing myself to as many people as I could.  You don’t fly 3000 miles to NOT meet people! :)  The day started with a keynote speech from Sheila Johnson (co-founder of BET and current CEO of Salamander Hospitality AND President & Managing Partner of the Washington Mystics women’s basketball team).  She was phenomenal.  She exuded confidence, power and most of all class.  She spoke about tapping the power within yourself to achieve all of your dreams and success.  And let me tell you, she will be at the 3rd Annual Millionaire “Herstory” Brunch next month in Palm Harbor.  I am definitely going to try to attend that.

We went from the opening keynote to a special treat in my opinion.  Starr Jones Reynolds sat down to have a candid interview with Anucha Brown Sanders.  Those of you who follow sports or are in the NYC area should be familiar with her fight against Madison Square Garden, The NY Knicks and Issaiah Thomas.  I admit, I had not followed this story.  But listening to her tell her account of what happened made me both sad and proud.  She did not speak with ill intent against MSG, the Knicks or Issaiah, but she put it all out there.  I felt proud that she stood up and said “No”.  She fought the good fight so that other women who might be experiencing the same thing, would have a strong positive role model to help them through it.  She was the epitome of class and I am glad to have made her acquaintance.  She is now the Sr. Associate Athletic Director for Marketing at the University of Buffalo.  All I can say is “You Go Girl”.  I wish you could have all been there to experience this.

From there, we attended a series of workshops.  I only wish I could have cloned myself to be able to attend all of them.  Unfortunately, I had to pick one from each time slot.  The first one was Raising your Profile.  The panelist were Janet Rolle (EVP & Chief Marketing Officer at BET), Monica Pool Ross (CDO, Director of Diversity & Inclusion at Sony Electronics) and Window Snyder (Chief Security Officer at Mozilla Corp- the makers of Firefox).  The women on the panel were much like the women on all the panels.  They were candid, open, confident and truly wanted to share their experiences and pass along the wisdom to other sisters.  They gave tips about raising your profile and putting yourself out there to be known and recognized for your accomplishments.  The same things I consistently share with others.  They took the time to answer questions and were all very open about sharing their contact information.  And further, it wasn’t “give me a card and I’ll call you” type of deal. They genuinely meant it.  They each said to call or email them if ever there was a need for advice, mentorship, etc.   I am currently reading Minority Rules (a future Book Club selection) and Monica is actually in the book.  She and I are going to be catching up in the coming weeks to discuss the book.

The next workshop was about being more than a one hit wonder.  The panel for this workshop gave the same great vibes, however, there was something about them that was a little more inviting.  They took the time to embrace the women in hugs as they came up to greet them after the session.  They shared personal stories about their successes and failures.  One panelist, Andrea Fant-Hobbs (VP of Brand Management at Verizon) said straight out that she would love to mentor and network.  But that you’d have to be willing to go above and beyond and put the time in even if that meant a call at 6AM!  Well, I went up to her and told her expect a call from me at 6AM! LOL  And I meant that.  She was so wonderful to speak with.  They all were.    One of the other panelists (Karen Wells, VP US Strategy and Menu and McDonald’s) had to catch a flight but hung around as long as she could to answer each and every question.  And when she ran out of time, she gladly gave her contact info and told people to reach out to her.  She and I spoke and I am not only connecting with her to network, but also introducing her to my brother, who is a manager at McDonald’s, to get some advice on moving into owning his own restaurant.  She said she would be glad to network. June Haynes, VP of Retail for Valentino was the third panelist.  She and I chatted about some of the issues in diversity recruiting in the retail world.  She was not only fiercely dressed, but had a wealth of information about  continuously striving for success.  She is  one of very few Black women in a high level position with a major fashion designer.  She has been there, done that and has seen it all.  The one thing that stuck with me most in speaking with her was her saying that she hires based on pure talent regardless of ethnicity or gender.  It is clear that she has a strong eye for talent.  She is definitely someone I wan to remain in contact with, and will!  I missed the luncheon and afternoon workshops because I had some business to take care of.  But later that evening I came back for dinner with two wonderful ladies I met earlier in the day.  After we were treated to a Brian McKnight concert that was off the hook! I was a little sad I couldn’t spend Valentines Day with my sweetie (although I did speak with him).  But that concert was a great way to spend the evening.  Especially when he did his tribute to Luther Vandross.  That show was so hot that LITERALLY the fire alarms went off! LOL  But Brian continued on through it until the staff managed to fix it.  Earl Graves was very upset (you could see it in his face) but we didn’t care.  We all had fun despite the fire alarm.  The mood was so festive and everyone was having a great time.  Brian had his two teenage sons join him on stage and they are very talented.  It truly does run in the family! And that ended the first full day.

Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit

Ladies!!  Next week the3rd annual Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit will be held in LaQuinta, CA.  I for one am very excited and can’t wait.  I am registered and looking forward to spend a few days with some of the business world’s most powerful Black Women.  I will be sure to take notes and bring back some helpful information for all.  If you have not heard of it, visit Black Enterprise online.

Let’s hear it for all of the Empowered Black Women!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year Ladies!!

I hope 2008 finds you with much blessings, peace, contentment and success.

I’m a day late in my “New Year’s Message” so please forgive me. Each year I sit down on December 31st and review my list from the beginning of the year. They are not so much “resolutions” as they are goals that I set for myself. While I didn’t meet every goal (I was short by four) I did add 5 amazing accomplishments in 2007. For that, I feel extremely blessed. I always ask everyone for periodic updates on their progress to their goals. I plan to continue that practice. But this year instead of asking you all to create a list of goals for 2008, I’m asking something different.

Someone asked me “what is your theme for 2008?”. I admit, the question stumped me. My theme had never been given any thought. We all have the usual affirmations we recite and try to follow. But I would say that 2008 is the year to invest in myself. I had a contest recently entitled “Invest in Yourself Career Makeover”. It drew a lot of entrants. As I go through the entries, I see a lot of people who see this contest as a way to have someone “fix” their situation.

For me, fixing your career (business, life, etc) begins with investing in yourself. Whether through reading, education, attending conferences and workshops, finding a mentor, networking, etc, it all begins with you making an investment and a commitment in bettering yourself. You have to architect the foundation from which to build. You may choose to invest in yourself by one, a few or all of the suggestions above. But you and you alone can get it started.

So instead of asking you all to make a list of goals (which you should be doing anyway), I am asking that you all take action. Get involved. Read. Network. Take a class or two. But please, make the commitment then take the action to invest in yourself. Don’t think about it, just do it. Because, “Education + Action = TRUE Empowerment”™.

Have a wonderful 2008 and I expect to see great things for you and from you this year. This is the year of the Empowered Black Woman!

Adrienne Graham
Empower Me!
The Empowered Black Woman™