Executive Search Expert to Discuss Disrupting Hiring Processes

Changing recruitment and hiring practices to increase diversity takes a committed approach and open mind, and BIPOC Executive Search President and Managing Partner, Jason Murray, is bringing his expertise on the topic to Algonquin’s Taking a Stand – Disrupting Black and Indigenous Racism Week (Feb. 1 – 5)

Murray, who specializes in executive searches as well as a range of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) services, will be presenting ‘How Disrupting the Hiring Process Can Increase Representation’ on Friday, February 5.

“The first thing that I am going to do is really talk about what hiring practices have looked like over time. It is important to ask the question ‘why’ about everything. Why do we have a resume, why do we have a covering letter? Where did that originate and why? Ask ourselves if the need for those types of tools is actually relevant to the day we find ourselves in or not,” said Murray.

“When people are provoked to think about those types of things, they start to open themselves up to the fact there could be different things they could do.”

How to build relationships and get the most from interviews with prospective candidates from diverse backgrounds is one area where Murray encourages employers to think differently.

“No matter what people say, the technical skills can be there to the zenith degree, but if you are not going to get along with the person, if you are not going to feel the warm and fuzzies, it is not going to work. You need to embed in your recruitment processes ways for you to actually feel those warm and fuzzies, but even more so when there are things that you do not know about people who are not in your orbit often enough. That is where bias comes in,” he said.

When it comes to EDI practices, Murray said his experience has shown that the post-secondary sector has made positive strides in increasing diversity on interviewing panels and overall governance structure. There is always room for improvement, he said, including giving students from diverse backgrounds the proper supports – including financial, tutoring and prep resources – they need when endeavouring to enter the job market.

Murray also offers advice to those preparing for interviews, and how the experience can be enhanced for both candidate and employer by setting out expectations and parameters.

“No one should come (into an interview) cold. It is not fair to say in our busy lives, here is the (company) website, learn everything about it and just guess what the five questions will be. Give people a sense of these types of things so they can really frame their thinking,” he said.

Onboarding works much the same way, according to Murray, noting that when someone lands a job and finds themselves in a minority situation at their new office, it can sometimes be stressful to speak up.

“Automatically asking those questions can flag them. So, people don’t ask the questions and work behind the scenes, which can cause retention issues because people don’t feel supported,” he said. “The organization has to put something in place… policies for onboarding that are specific for people that are from underrepresented groups and change what has been a reality for too long.”

When it comes to advancing EDI principles, Murray said that the pandemic has actually accelerated some processes. With so many candidates no longer interviewing in person, some things like a person’s height, that could act as a barrier to hiring, are now removed. Mobility is another area that is rapidly changing.

“People are not wanting to think about moving as much, which is causing employers to think more about the future of work… we can actually hire people who may never ever step foot in this office,” said Murray. “The pandemic for many areas has really forced us to leap into the future. What we would probably be doing 10 years from now, we are starting to do today.”

How to Register

Algonquin College students and employees will receive an email in January with links to register for the events. You can also email diversity@algonquincollege.com to receive an events calendar with registration links, in case you would like to highlight this calendar (or any particular events) to your learners, coworkers, staff, faculty, or grads.

Please use your Algonquin College email @algonquincollege.com or algonquinlive.com when registering for events.