Diversity in Recruiting
Challenge
As a fast-growing, venture-backed technology startup, Transparent attracted applications from almost a thousand job seekers in 2019, and we doubled the size of the company during that period of time. If we want to understand how well we were living our stated core value of diversity, there was no better place to examine than our recruiting practices, outreach efforts, and hiring decisions.
Actions
As a result of closely examining our past recruiting and hiring practices through the lens of diversity, we have changed how we write our job descriptions, started outreach with different recruiting sources and communities around the country, and we have well defined criteria for hiring decisions.
Outcomes
We have just started recruiting again following a hiring freeze during the pandemic, but we have a greater appreciation for unconscious biases that had existed in our recruiting and hiring practices and believe we are in a better position to improve the company’s diversity.
Contact
Alex Fowler
Quote
One of Transparent’s core values since it was founded by the late Paul Allen is to live diversity: ‘We embrace our differences and value diversity and inclusivity in all we do.’ However, in light of what we have witnessed in 2020, coupled with the vast systemic inequalities exposed by the pandemic, our efforts thus far are merely a good beginning. We can and must do more.