Event Recap: Recruit-adelphia 2022
A recruiter, hiring manager, and DEI strategist walk into a club…
Okay, maybe it was the Fitler Club, nearly 100 business professionals joined them, and this probably isn’t the punch line you were hoping for. But it got your attention, right? Good, because we’ve got a lot to share.
Last Wednesday, June 8, we gathered Greater Philadelphia’s top talent acquisition professionals for Recruit-adelphia, a half-day conference designed by recruiters, for recruiters, offering opportunities to network and gain new insight into the staffing and workforce solutions industry. Between a featured speaker and four different panel discussions around some of the hottest topics in talent acquisition, attendees left with fresh ideas to spark their next talent search.
Luckily for you, we’ve gathered a few of the key takeaways from each discussion for you to share with your network, review at your next team huddle, or maybe highlight a key point to that hiring manager who could use a nudge in taking on a new technique.
“You might be leaving some really good talent on the table…”
Featured Speaker: Dan Rhoton, Executive Director, Hopeworks Camden
The secret of post-pandemic hiring is not finding more talent, it’s taking advantage of the talent we haven’t seen. A key player in this game is Hopeworks Camden, a social enterprise that uses technology, healing, and entrepreneurship to transform lives. In his talk, Dan Rhoton elaborates on the Hopeworks difference - on average, over 99% of young adults (aged 17-26) entering Hopeworks are unemployed, making less than $400 annually. Young adults completing the Hopeworks program make, on average, over $43,000 annually, with an almost 90% 12-month retention rate in their jobs.
Dan’s biggest point is this: when you’re willing to think differently about what talent you bring in and how you bring them in, it’s not just great for your bottom line and company (which it definitely is), you also have a chance to make a huge social impact, and change communities, families, and people’s lives in really amazing ways.
Ready to make a difference in your community? Consider re-evaluating your KPIs, make an opportunity for young adults, and contact Hopeworks Camden.
“If your community looks just like you, you need to do something about that.”
Panel Discussion: Differentiating DEI Recruitment and Representation
Our role as recruiters, HR professionals, and people who are at the epicenter of bringing talent into our organizations, is critical to driving DEI outcomes in our companies. And this panel, featuring Jameel Rush of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Eustacia English of Accolade, Michael Peters of Qurate Retail Group, and Alyssa Wagner of Benefits Data Trust, didn’t shy away from the uncomfortable questions.
How do we get hiring managers to care about diversity of their team?
There’s the business case for diversity that’s based on real data that show the huge impact a diverse team can make on your company’s success. But we’ve known this for a while now. Yet we still have to convince people that the candidate we’re putting in front of them is qualified. How do we do this?
Michael Peters suggests focusing on the story of the candidates as individuals and to challenge hiring managers. “The focus has to be on that individual’s accomplishments and what they can bring to the table. Us as recruiters have to become marketers… don’t be afraid, be courageous and drive that hiring manager to think differently.”
Jameel and the panel also touched on:
How the hybrid environment made it easier (or harder?) to reach underrepresented groups of candidates
The value of pay transparency and its impact on current staff
The importance of rethinking traditional requirements of the job that may or may not be correlated to success (i.e. a bachelor’s degree) and how it impacts diverse recruiting
“Some of the talent we’re trying to find is too smart for college - it was holding them back!”
Panel Discussion: Emerging Talent and the Great Reskilling
Emerging talent: it can mean a lot of things in today’s world. Traditionally meaning someone who is early in their career, like recent graduates with a ton of potential and motivation. Nowadays, “emerging talent” can mean so much more. Think: individuals changing career paths, transitioning to a new industry, or even re-emerging if they had some time away (stay-at-home moms, we see you!). Our panel, featuring Sarena Tseng of iCIMS, Tim Brown of Peloton, Angela Bradley of CubeSmart, and Karen Fox of Berkadia, elaborates on how this sector of talent is making a great impact in the post-covid hiring landscape.
We often hear of a skills gap in emerging talent. How has this impacted the way you recruit or hire?
In Tim Brown’s experience, moving away from of traditional types of programs and being flexible can open doors to new pools of talent you may not have been reaching before. “You just don’t have to have a bachelor’s degree in computer science anymore… In fact, some of the talent we were trying to find were too smart for college - it was holding them back.” He suggests dropping education requirements from job descriptions and moving to an equivalency base to find nontraditional talent. Brown also acknowledged that this could take some coaxing of leadership, “it doesn’t happen overnight,” but once the foundation is laid, it can really pay off.
A few other questions this panel touched on:
What strategies can companies reach emerging talent?
What are common skills that emerging talent is lacking and how do you combat that as a recruiter?
How can employers upskill their own employees?
“If you don’t have anyone that wants to follow you, you’re not really a leader.”
Panel Discussion: Next Evolution of Leadership: Executive Recruiting
As we’ve experienced since the start of the pandemic, not just anyone has the skills it takes to lead an organization through trying times, let alone do it successfully. Our panel featuring Robert Crowder of Chapman Farrell, Foster “Phil” Fountain of The Wharton School, Dave Fechtman of Velocity Advisors, Lindsay Mareau of Phenom, and moderated by our very own Samantha Yanczak, explores strategies to find these leaders, the impact of DEI accountability, and how to address the great resignation and the future of retention.
What do you think has changed most about leaders and leadership over the last two and a half years?
According to Robert Crowder, successful leaders in the past few years all have 2 key facets: being a good cultural steward and understanding the importance of community. “We can’t accomplish anything of significance without the help of somebody else.” He encourages finding leaders that know how to build and expand a community through genuine kindness and someone who is truly curious about the well-being of their followers. “If you don’t have anyone that wants to follow you, you’re not really a leader.”
Dave Fechtman continued by acknowledging that the great resignation has put an emphasis on the importance of culture. “Organizations that don’t prioritize culture, don’t prioritize leadership development, are falling behind pretty quickly,” said Fechtman.
The panel elaborates on a plethora of more insightful topics, including:
how it takes a very special skillset to be a “hybrid” leader
the requirement to be more flexible and adaptable as a leader in addition to being more vulnerable and “human” in today’s world
the importance of investing in employees at all levels, not just leadership development, and the commitment to developing your talent
the role leaders play in the topic of DEI
“Find little advantages that make big differences.”
Panel Discussion: The Future of WorkTech
Each individual on our last panel, including Danielle Dibner of Phenom, Bruce Marable of Employee Cycle, Jess Podgajny of LLUNA, Tyler Reinhard of SkillSurvey and Shannon Morales of Tribaja, is a part of the talent ecosystem in some shape or form, from the first touch with a candidate, employee experience and engagement, to data driven decision making in leadership. Our moderator Allen Born of Fairmount Partners had the panel delve into a discussion around the role technology has played and will play in the future of HR and recruiting.
There’s a generation of talent that are digital natives. How are we using technology to reach this new pool of talent that has never known anything but an iPhone?
Danielle Dibner feels it’s important to focus on personalization and connecting through that generation’s means of communication by using “video job descriptions, 24/7 chatbots, to SMS and emails,” not just to attract the candidates but to continue to use that approach to engage them throughout the process.
What role does data play in talent acquisition?
Bruce Marable elaborated on new ways to reach out to talent based on the data you have. “You have to understand why people aren’t accepting the jobs...” Think of it like a product: if you’re putting a product out there, you need to understand how many people are interested in that product versus how many people actually buy that product. “Truly understanding why people are turning down your job is the most important thing to be looking at from a data standpoint when it comes to talent acquisition.”
Watch the full video to hear the panel discuss:
the evolution of talent communities and how to manage them
the development of reference checking
how to improve retention through the employee experience
Can’t believe you missed out on this event in person?
We hear ya. Make sure to subscribe to our email list so you don’t miss any announcements for our next event!
We couldn’t have put on this amazing day of insightful tips and strategies if it weren’t for the direction of our board and the support from our sponsors.
Recruit-adelphia 2022 Board
Jameel Rush, PHR, SHRM-CP
Angela Bradley
Stephen Brittin
Karen Fox
Interested in participating in our next event?
We’d love to have you! Whether you’d like to speak, sponsor, or join the board, reach out directly to Stephen Brittin at sbrittin@junosearchpartners.com.
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