The Talent 411 with Chris Galy: Rocket’s red glare in July

With the Supreme Court of the United States’ recent rulings on school loans and affirmative action, July 2023 will certainly go down in history as a pivotal moment.

Affirmative action’s impact on HR

Although both rulings should be of particular interest to human resources professionals, the case on affirmative action is of supreme interest to me and something we all should pay close attention to. Whether you agree or disagree with the SCOTUS’ recent ruling on affirmative action in college admissions, it is important to understand and prepare for how this could impact the workplace and our workforce. 

Could this negatively impact universities’ output of underrepresented graduates (especially STEM)? If so, what will that mean for hiring companies’ efforts when trying to advance DEI efforts? Will this ruling ultimately impact workplace hiring and promotional decisions? How could this impact our performance management strategies? What impact will it have on our own teams and their morale? What does this mean for our university recruitment plans? And, how do we do all this without spawning unintended divisiveness?

Just when we thought today’s workplace couldn’t get any more complicated to manage, we must expect the unexpected here. This will be no easy endeavor whether or not you agree or disagree with the ruling.

Actions you can take today

The good thing is so much of what and how we should play this out comes back to getting some basics right. To that point, here’s a few tried and true methods that most still haven’t perfected that would be great anchors for engaging talent until the dust settles a bit:

• Lead with skills and attributes in talent management strategies
• Take care of current employees through talent development, internal mobility, recognition, rewards, benefit, and promotions
• Build and manage a truly inclusive workforce through culture and engagement strategies
• Better tell your story both inside and outside of company walls

Resources to boost diversity recruiting

A few months ago, my friend Brett Coin shared some of his insights and experiences about building a talent ecosystem that scales. This recording is a great resource and deserves a second watch in light of these changes. He was one step ahead with the idea that diversity is a concern across all channels, not a channel unto itself.

His comments at the 31 minute time mark talk specifically about diversity in talent pools. The Findem solution for CRMs is a great fit for this strategy. 

To lean into attributes and skills for diversifying your talent pool, take a look at how Findem builds diverse talent pools without bias and beyond university requirements.

And of course, the most important way to achieve your diversity goals is to hire from within. Internal mobility is a great way to identify high performers and give them a pathway to advancement. More diverse leadership will making hiring a more diverse workforce that much easier.

Skills-based hiring uncovered

The best way to shift the focus from experience to skills is with attribute-based search. If that’s not ringing a bell for you, then check out this customer spotlight session with Eikon. Grant Weinberg, VP of Talent Acquisition, and Tori Madonick, Talent Acquisition Manager - Senior & Niche Hiring, showed us how they are finding top talent faster and making hiring more efficient. 

We had our first Findem Live session last month and it was great!

Talent Acquisition Week is coming up

Next week, the Findem team will be staffing up a virtual booth at Talent Acquisition Week. Stop by and say hello. We’ve got exciting news to share!

Looking ahead to August

“Change is the law of life. And those who only look to the past and the present are certain to miss the future.” John F. Kennedy

Sometimes it’s hard to enjoy the journey amidst so much chaos, and I can personally vouch for some sideline time to rest up. That said, if we can’t see ourselves jumping back into the middle of the chaos, we are missing our chance to impact and create a better future. Our jobs are tough, so let’s be sure to stick together as we get to some semblance of a new normal. 

If you have a trend or specific topic worth discussing in an upcoming webinar or sharing of any kind, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email.

Godspeed, happy July, and always be recruiting!

- CG