Talk Talent To Me
Recursion Director of Talent Daniel Benavides
Fri Jun 30 2023Description
Recursion's inclusion strategy includes recognizing Juneteenth as a company holiday, launching employee resource groups (ERGs) focused on women and pride, and organizing monthly activities aligned with core values. Success factors for ERGs include having an executive sponsor, autonomy, flexibility, and involving diverse perspectives. Daniel's background in talent acquisition and operations brings insights on the impact of diversity and inclusion. The speaker shares their passion for recruiting, career advice, and the importance of innovation. Recruiting involves connecting with people, assessing career fulfillment, and finding new strategies. Tips for success include focusing on the bigger picture and introducing Hired as a platform for connections in the tech and sales industry.
Insights
Recursion's inclusion strategy
Recognizing Juneteenth as a company holiday, launching ERGs focused on women and pride, and organizing monthly activities aligned with core values
Success factors for ERGs
Having an executive sponsor, autonomy, flexibility, involving diverse perspectives, and preventing ERGs from becoming solely educational sessions
Daniel's background and recruiting insights
Impact of diversity and inclusion, protecting ERGs as safe spaces, Daniel's experience in talent acquisition and operations
Passion for recruiting and career advice
Combining spreadsheets, data, and people in talent acquisition, the speaker's journey into recruiting, importance of community in the industry
Insights on recruiting and career fulfillment
Different types of recruiting roles, handling rejection, assessing career fulfillment, importance of innovation
Tips for success and introduction to Hired
Focusing on the bigger picture, making small adjustments, introduction to Hired as a platform for connections in the tech and sales industry
Chapters
- Recursion's Inclusion Strategy
- Success Factors for ERGs
- Daniel's Background and Recruiting Insights
- Passion for Recruiting and Career Advice
- Insights on Recruiting and Career Fulfillment
- Tips for Success and Introduction to Hired
Recursion's Inclusion Strategy
00:06 - 06:56
- Recursion will recognize Juneteenth as a company holiday and encourages employees to educate themselves on systemic racism
- The inclusion council provides resources for employees to educate themselves and learn about various topics
- Monthly activities aligned with core values are organized by the inclusion council, such as lunch and learns, actions, and celebrations
- The inclusion strategy evolved from the women at Recursion group and the need for information sharing after the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor
- Two employee resource groups (ERGs) focused on women and pride have been launched, with plans to expand to other marginalized groups
- The ERGs aim to ensure inclusive policies, support employee growth and development, and show up in the community
- The women's ERG recently launched, while the pride ERG launched last week
Success Factors for ERGs
06:27 - 13:21
- Having an executive sponsor who believes in diversity, equity, and inclusion is crucial for the success of ERGs
- Autonomy, flexibility, and budget are important for ERGs to make an impact
- Conversations with executive leaders, benefits teams, and people operations teams help bring diverse perspectives into the conversation
- External events aligned with core values can also be a great option for involvement and impact
- ERGs are not exclusive to specific groups; allies are encouraged to participate
- Creating a space for allies to learn and ask questions helps remove biases and strengthen the organization's culture
- Preventing ERGs from becoming solely educational sessions for non-identifying employees is essential
- Strategic planning ensures a strong foundation of individuals within ERGs before inviting allies to join the conversation
Daniel's Background and Recruiting Insights
12:51 - 18:52
- Having conversations with employees about the impact of diversity and inclusion
- Changing the world by involving everyone along the journey
- Protecting ERGs as safe spaces for marginalized groups
- Extending an olive branch to bring more people into the conversation
- Introduction of Daniel and his background in talent acquisition and operations
- Recursion's growth and focus on leveraging data in recruiting processes
- The importance of trying new tools and processes, learning from failures, and iterating
- Daniel's previous experience as an analyst and his transition into recruiting
- The combination of data analysis and working with people in talent acquisition
Passion for Recruiting and Career Advice
18:25 - 24:27
- The speaker loves spreadsheets, data, and people, and enjoys combining them in talent acquisition and recruiting
- The speaker applied for a recruiting role at Comcast because they were young in their career and thought it could be fun
- After job shadowing with the team and learning about the impact they could make, the speaker was hooked on recruiting
- The speaker enjoys connecting with people, understanding their goals, and helping them find their true passions within their careers
- Recruiting is often stumbled upon by accident, but many people stay in the field because it offers a great career
- There should be more education and training programs focused on recruiting to attract more talent to the field
- Having a sense of community and reaching out to others in the industry is important for sharing experiences and guidance
- When coaching someone who was unsure about continuing in recruiting after being laid off from an agency job, the speaker helped them identify what aspects of the role they enjoyed most
Insights on Recruiting and Career Fulfillment
23:57 - 29:37
- Recruiting is a career that involves connecting with people and learning about their backgrounds and career goals
- There are different types of recruiting roles, such as high volume recruiting, technical recruiting, corporate recruiting, and agency recruiting
- Rejection is a common aspect of recruiting, but it doesn't reflect on the recruiter's abilities
- It's important for individuals to regularly assess what they enjoy and dislike in their roles to find fulfillment
- The best career advice received was that no one is ever too busy to be innovative
- Being innovative and questioning the status quo can lead to finding new strategies and approaches in talent acquisition
Tips for Success and Introduction to Hired
29:17 - 30:45
- Focus on the bigger picture and don't get bogged down in the details
- Take time to reflect and make small adjustments instead of reinventing everything
- Hired empowers connections between companies and candidates in the tech and sales industry
- Hired provides salary transparency, customized assessments, and salary bias alerts