To attract or not to attract great talent – 3 tips to avoid biasing job descriptions
While a rose by any other name still smells sweet, when it comes to jobs a name and description could be the difference between...
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Melissa Dobbins
- 5 days ago
- 5 min
To attract or not to attract great talent – 3 tips to avoid biasing job descriptions
While a rose by any other name still smells sweet, when it comes to jobs a name and description could be the difference between attracting great talent and falling flat. Job titles and descriptions are the first windows into the job. They allow potential applicants to imagine the stage of the organization, the role they would play, and determine if they would want to take on that role. When done well, job descriptions will resonate with those that will be great for the positi
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Melissa Dobbins
- 6 days ago
- 2 min
Increasing diversity does not always require budget
Are your job descriptions inclusive? Sometimes, simply rewording them around the goal of the job can greatly improve diversity.
186
Melissa Dobbins
- Jan 18
- 5 min
The importance of ‘Why’ behind DEI
“Why” is a common theme on the career.place blog. “Why” is the trick to refining job requirements and identifying transferable skills. It drives prioritization and selection of initiatives, technologies, and candidates. It’s behind creating exciting job descriptions. It’s what brings meaning to our work. “Why” is so critically important to so many aspects of what we do. And yet, we often skip the most fundamental “Why” question of any DEI effort. “Why do we want Diversity, Eq
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Melissa Dobbins
- Jan 11
- 4 min
The formula for COMPELLING diversity, equity, and inclusion goals
“How do we create truly compelling goals?” Good question. The formula is simple: goals must be CLEAR, MEASURABLE, COMPELLING, and REASONABLE. But, of course, ‘simple’ does not always apply to the details. The individual asking the question had what they thought were compelling goals – they were aligned to the organization’s stance on DEI, supported the DEI initiative, and they were the right thing to do. But, if they were truly compelling, why wasn’t the individual getting an
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Melissa Dobbins
- Jan 4
- 4 min
The meaning of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging through the dance, art, and business
“What is the difference between diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging?” A common question for those new to the D&I conversation, and for many who are not so new to the conversation. The answer is both simple and vastly complex as it’s full of nuances and subtleties seeped in human behavior, perception, and assumptions. To infuse emotion and nuance into answering this question, we turn to analogies. One of the most common is “the dance”. “The dance” as an analogy to D&I
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Melissa Dobbins
- Dec 21, 2022
- 4 min
Shifting the privilege conversation to empower change
“The talk.” A phrase that usually evokes an immediate response. Often it brings up memories of that very awkward conversation with a parent or child about the ‘birds and the bees’. “The Talk” is one of those “if you learn nothing from me, at least know this” moments where a parent conveys to their child a critical piece of information to keep them from making a dangerous, long-lasting, and, in some instances, fatal mistake. After “The Talk”, we are a little wiser when enterin
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Melissa Dobbins
- Dec 14, 2022
- 5 min
Action Ideas to Fuel Actionable DEI Initiatives – Part 6
DEI Initiatives are only as good as the changes they drive. Great DEI initiatives have a measurable and sustainable impact on employee retention, engagement, satisfaction, productivity, and growth as well as the revenue, profits, product output, and other critical business objectives that those happy, productive employees drive. The key to great, impactful diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives is to fill it with actionable, measurable activities each
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Melissa Dobbins
- Dec 6, 2022
- 6 min
Action Ideas to Fuel Actionable DEI Initiatives – Part 5
DEI Initiatives are only as good as the changes they drive. Great DEI initiatives have a measurable and sustainable impact on employee retention, engagement, satisfaction, productivity, and growth as well as the revenue, profits, product output, and other critical business objectives that those happy, productive employees drive. The key to great, impactful diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives is to fill it with actionable, measurable activities each
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Gabe Gurman
- Nov 30, 2022
- 1 min
Designing a meaningful 2023 DEIB initiative on a budget
Once again, the year is coming to an end. The holiday season is upon us, full of must have sales for items no one really needs but at such a deal (why not, peppermint flavored everything), and glittery decorations winding their way around trees and poles and windows. And with the turning of the seasons, we are also turning our attention to the final tasks of the year and planning for new ones. Unfortunately, for many, this planning is being done among uncertainty and change.
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Melissa Dobbins
- Nov 16, 2022
- 5 min
Action Ideas to Fuel Actionable DEI Initiatives – Part 4
DEI Initiatives are only as good as the changes they drive. Great DEI initiatives have a measurable and sustainable impact on employee retention, engagement, satisfaction, productivity, and growth as well as the revenue, profits, product output, and other critical business objectives that those happy, productive employees drive. The key to great, impactful diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives is to fill it with actionable, measurable activities each
65
Melissa Dobbins
- Nov 9, 2022
- 5 min
Action Ideas to Fuel Actionable DEI Initiatives – Part 3
DEI Initiatives are only as good as the changes they drive. Great DEI initiatives have a measurable and sustainable impact on employee retention, engagement, satisfaction, productivity, and growth as well as the revenue, profits, product output, and other critical business objectives those happy, productive employees drive. The key to great, impactful diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives is to fill it with actionable, measurable activities each with
50
Melissa Dobbins
- Nov 2, 2022
- 4 min
Action Ideas to Fuel Actionable DEI Initiatives – Part 2
DEI Initiatives are only as good as the changes they drive. Great DEI initiatives have a measurable and sustainable impact on employee retention, engagement, satisfaction, productivity, and growth as well as the revenue, profits, product output, and other critical business objectives those happy, productive employees drive. The key to great, impactful diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives is to fill it with actionable, measurable activities each with
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Melissa Dobbins
- Oct 24, 2022
- 4 min
Action Ideas to Fuel Actionable DEI Initiatives – Part 1
DEI Initiatives are only as good as the changes they drive. Great DEI initiatives have a measurable and sustainable impact that go well beyond candidate and employee diversity. They have a measurable impact on employee retention, engagement, satisfaction, productivity, and growth as well as the revenue, profits, product output, and other critical business objectives those happy, productive employees drive. The key to great, impactful DEI initiatives is to fill it with actiona
90
Melissa Dobbins
- Oct 19, 2022
- 6 min
Setting effective diversity, equity, and inclusion goals for the new year
Once again, the year is coming to a close. The first wave of the holiday season is creeping into retail spaces just behind the Halloween products, orange packaging and pumpkin spice flavored everything crowds the supermarket shelves. For those of us in colder climates, the leaves are turning brilliant shades of red and orange and yellow, and the jackets and coats are coming out of the closets. And with the turning of the seasons, we are also turning our attention to the final
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Melissa Dobbins
- Oct 12, 2022
- 8 min
Engaging those with disabilities: From Awareness to Equitable Inclusion and beyond
Of all the facets and demographic ‘buckets’ of humanity that we address and engage through diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) efforts, the bucket of disabilities is one of the most interesting and challenging. There are two basic reasons for this: The disability bucket is vast. Disability refers to any person who has (or is perceived to have) an impairment that limits one or more major life activities, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). N
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Melissa Dobbins
- Oct 3, 2022
- 5 min
The more the merrier… applying DEIB hiring practices to panels and group interviews
When designing inclusive, equitable hiring practices, there is no shortage of tips and techniques. From drafting inclusive job descriptions to diversifying sources, to ensuring true requirements, to creating insightful questions, there are so many ways to increase and sustain equitable practices. But what if it is not just you? Having control over every aspect of the hiring process is easy when you’re the one in control. But for many, hiring is a team sport. For example, comm
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Melissa Dobbins
- Sep 28, 2022
- 5 min
Neutralizing hiring inequities – organization research
“I look for people who take the time to research us. I want people who show interest in our organization and in the job.” It’s a common wisdom, and a sound one. Candidates who show interest in an organization and take the time to research it are probably more likely to engage, accept an offer, and stay… probably. But, when it comes to equity, there are a few little hiccups to this wisdom. 1. ACCESSIBILITY is not created equal Not everyone has the same accessibility, both in a
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Melissa Dobbins
- Sep 21, 2022
- 4 min
Using panels to remove bias from the hiring process
Career.Place was hiring. We wanted someone who was passionate about our mission of promoting and creating equitable hiring practices. Someone who was able to embrace our values of respect, integrity, and genuinely good intentions, was creative with approach, not afraid of risks, thrived with discovery and change, had an eye toward detail and the discipline to complete tasks, and a small collection of knowledge and abilities. So naturally, we used our own candidate screening p
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Melissa Dobbins
- Sep 14, 2022