D
Catalyst | Diversity
An holistic approach to recruitment
T
ransform how you
bring people into
your organisation
to future-proof its success,
advises Nancy Lengthorn,
managing partner – head
of D&I and future talent
at MediaCom.
A business is built on its employees.
And that means more than just those
at the top. You can have a CEO with the
determination to drive the business
forward, a board with vast experience
and a management team that works
tirelessly to uphold client relationships.
But without the right staff, from
entry-level talent to managers and
beyond, your business will not grow.
We need to acknowledge this
challenge and turn the traditional
business model – being profitable
– on its head, making employee
wellbeing the number one priority. Nail
this, and profits will come. The first step
in the journey to prioritising wellbeing
is to look at the hiring process.
The CV is no longer fit
for purpose
In its 2018 Eye-Tracking Study, Ladders
Inc revealed that, on average, recruiters
spend seven seconds looking at a CV.
While you could argue that this is
because we’re all time poor, that misses
the crux of the issue: the recruitment
process is inherently broken.
The CV is an outdated way of
finding the right candidate for
the job. Rather than reflecting the
person themselves, their particular
skills and the experiences they’ve
gained throughout their life, a CV
often reflects what a young person’s
parents, careers adviser or teacher
tells them would “look good” to a
potential employer.
Nancy Lengthorn
“Changing the rules
when it comes to
recruitment shows
an understanding
that everyone is
different and unique
– and that diversity
and individuality are
good for business”
a business – losing the constraints
of a sometimes-meaningless CV can be
liberating. It allows you to understand
who a person is, rather than making
assumptions based on where they went
to school or where they live.
To cite a recent example: in her
application, a young candidate
explained to us that she had been a
carer to two older family members,
while also putting herself through
education, an insight into her life that
highlighted her resilience, leadership
potential and empathy. These skills
would not have come across in her CV
alone, as she had little ‘traditional’ work
experience to showcase there.
Invest in your culture
Changing the rules when it comes to
recruitment shows an understanding
that everyone is different and unique –
and that diversity and individuality are
good for business.
Diverse employees contribute to
diversity of thought and this brings
original ideas, better connections and
greater creativity. Most of all, it helps
to build a culture that is inclusive
and representative of different
cultures, containing a mix of skills
and opinions.
Transforming how you bring people
into your organisation can help you
rethink a host of embedded biases.
At MediaCom, we no longer use CVs How do you overcome barriers faced by
in our recruitment process. Instead, we talented young people whose families
rely on an open-ended application form expect them to enter a traditional
that asks people about their personal ‘profession’ rather than a creative
experiences, different cultures, industry? How do you hire someone
backgrounds and many other things who has the right skills but cannot work
that can all help to paint a picture of traditional hours?
the type of employee they might be.
Changing the conversation around
these types of questions comes down
Tomorrow’s world warrants to the culture you nurture and the skills
different skills
you prioritise and invest in. Ultimately,
Getting rid of CVs allows employers to this is how you can ensure you attract,
look past qualifications to understand hire and retain the best talent your
how a person might positively impact industry has to offer.
Issue 4 - 2020
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