FEATURE A SPORTING CHANCE
One thing is almost universal in business – the use of sporting clichés. Andre Flemmings, Manager, Banking & Finance programmes at diversity graduate recruitment specialists, Rare, cites one of his favourites as ‘All men are created equal; some just work harder in pre- season.’ As businesses start thinking about their diversity game plan for the new season he asks whether they have been making their diversity initiative pay its way from day one, or whether societal or industry-wide benefits have been benched in favour of results…
Building understanding, trust and relationships takes time. Structured mentoring programmes with multiple touch points can help quicken this process by developing the skills of the target group, and educating the business.
• Take the occasional punt – Be prepared to get things wrong. Tried and tested hasn’t worked so you need to take risks. Accept a greater error tolerance whilst the strategy is refined.
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Be open and honest – whether internally or in partnership with industry partners/bodies, nothing can improve without an honest
dialogue about what worked, what didn’t, why and what should be done to improve it.
• Be open and honest – whether internally or in partnership with industry partners/bodies, nothing can improve without an honest dialogue about what worked, what didn’t, why and what should be done to improve it.
t may sound like a ridiculous question, after all, why would any company spend more money than necessary on something that doesn’t benefit it directly? Let me explain. Before Rare, I used to work as a communications consultant to private equity firms and other institutional investors. When they entered new markets, they would talk about ‘playing the long game’. New markets needed to be entered carefully – you needed to adapt to the new crease. Relationships needed cultivating; local signings made, if necessary; new styles of play developed. Only once that was in place could you talk profit. I appreciate that at a time when budgets and tolerance of failure are low, long-term recruitment strategies are perceived as too risky and looking beyond one’s own graduate recruitment targets for the year might seem like madness. However, in seeking to widen awareness and increase engagement amongst as yet untapped, non-traditional talent pools, you are really entering a new market. As with any new market, you need good set-up play before going for goal. Your aim should be to build a robust talent pipeline. For that you need to do five things. • Commit to tackling diversity – By that I mean invest time, effort and resource.
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• Get your team in-line – Irrespective on the source of your diversity recruitment spend, if it is to be money well spent, all stakeholders’ interests should be aligned. That includes managing the expectations of senior management and the business.
Andre Flemmings, Manager, Banking & Finance programmes, Rare
• Play the long game – Hold the line, have a steady nerve and don’t be in a hurry to get hires. Remember, the initial years are unlikely to yield much in the way of ‘success’.
20 GRADUATE RECRUITER
Different Approaches Google runs a series of award-winning mentoring programmes – CodeF, Google Top Black Talent and TechAbility – which seek to develop the technical skills of female, black and disabled students respectively and highlight non-technical roles available in the industry as well. The long-term aim is to tackle the ‘geeky, middle class and male’ image of the industry and help develop the next generation of technologists. In the PR industry, industry bodies like the Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) and Chartered Institute for Public Relations (CIPR) as well as initiatives led by the Taylor Bennett Foundation are starting to improve access to the industry for candidates from non-traditional backgrounds. Articles is our cross-industry collaboration with commercial law firms. Dubbed the “virtual dinner table” and involving one-on-one mentoring from former City lawyer, and group sessions with legal professionals, it helps promising ethnic minority students develop the commercial understanding, intellectual dexterity and resilience needed to become great lawyers and secure vital summer vacation schemes places in the process. There is no ‘I’ in team – or in company for that matter – and the issue of diversity goes beyond a company’s walls. There are, however, ‘I’s in both society and industry. A company’s best interests are often served by ensuring that society or industry also benefits from its efforts. There are no quick fixes to building a robust diversity talent pipeline. To end on another sporting cliché: “You get out what you put in.”
www.rarerecruitment.co.uk
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