There has been an interesting phenomenon happening and I want to call attention to a few things connected to it. I’ve been contacted by a few executive search firms lately with email subject lines that read “Exciting Opportunity” or “DEI Position Match” or “Exciting DEI Role” and on and on. So one day I decided to respond just to see what would happen.

Immediately, the executive recruiter responds with a “thanks for your interest” statement and then shares a “before we go too far…” question. The question went something like this: “Because I am recruiting for a global company, I want to be sure that you have global DEI experience.” Well… the response can be so diverse. So I responded to the affirmative, outlining a few items related to my international experience. They replied and shared that they had spoken to the company representatives and wanted to be certain that I had designed DEI programs/initiatives for a company globally. When defined like that, it was a “No” for me however, what an opportunity missed for the company. Here is what I thought about:

1. When companies have a prescribed definition of what it means to do global DEI work, it might negate the value of the global experience that candidates bring to the table. For example, I’ve worked and lived in foreign locations. I’ve worked with international student populations. I have travelled extensively and have done so with a level of cultural sensitivity and growing intelligence to the degree that I trust myself to be placed in any location and able to do my professional DEI work effectively. I mentor young people who reside in foreign locations. There is a level of intimacy and understanding that comes with working with people from all over the world only matched or exceeded by living in international locales. I have collaborated to develop a foreign recruiting initiative. In my case, this is not what the company was looking for but what value this experience could have brought to the table in addition to the other experiences and skills I have that could have informed global DEI work.
2. If I have to make this argument before I even get the interview, what are the implications for what I would need to do if I got the job? I think there needs to be some diversity training on how to do this recruiting process well, how to do job postings better, and how to think about the populations being recruited and what experiences they might bring to the table given the historical nature of career progressions for folks doing DEI work. How many DEI leaders will have this specifically prescribed experience and even if they don’t, does it prevent them from doing effective DEI work on a global scale? Think about impact and outcomes as well as applicability. Put that forward in the postings and the recruiting process. For example, an alternative question might have been: Have you designed any DEI programs/initiatives that have global applicability or global indications?
3. Start over. Just start over from the perspective of – What are we trying to have happen here and what skills and experiences would we look for to tell us if the candidate will be able to make these things happen? How does our process open opportunities for candidate influx? A long time ago, I was on an interview committee for a Sr. Executive in an organization. The first question I asked was, “What training is available for the committee?” – None. The second question I asked was, “What evaluative rubric are we using?” – None. The final question I asked was , “When is the meeting so we can talk about reducing bias in our search and interview process?” – again, nothing for me. There was so much that made me cringe throughout that process. I knew that the committee was going to struggle in not only assessing candidates but in understanding what to look for and how best to get that information from the candidates. In these important processes, there needs to be a plan and process for mitigating bias and implementing a truly inclusive search and hiring process across the board whether it be for a domestic based or global centered role.

Because of the example I shared above, I am happy to consult and help you/your team/your organization prepare and initiate an inclusive, fair and satisfying recruiting and hiring process through my partnership with June Partners. Even if we don’t collaborate, consider what I have outlined above to get you started. Go through each phase of your process and ask yourself and others, “Do we have a fair, equitable and inclusive process here?”