Advocacy in Action: Erasing the Opportunity Divide in the Workforce
Opportunity is not equally distributed. It’s an undeniable fact that some are fortunate enough to get opportunities that simply never come the way of others. For us, we don’t see this opportunity divide as an impasse that we can’t push past. We see it as a chance to build bridges that develop stronger workforces and give more chances to underrepresented people.
To really understand the opportunity divide, we have to first understand the people most affected by its presence. This unfortunate truth of the hiring process is most likely to impact workers who have traditionally been held back, unheard, or simply overlooked. They may be someone that lacks conventional skills in the field they’re applying for, or one who doesn’t meet every criteria on paper, yet when you take a closer look at the full view of their potential, it just may exceed that of a candidate that pops more on paper. These are the people we love to go to work for.
We take a full view of the candidate when we begin the process of advocating for them. What does that mean? It’s simple, really. Actually, it’s human. We do everything we can to get to know each individual as a person first and foremost to get a true understanding of their skillset, background, capabilities, and their own unique ways that they can be perfect for the job they want. Even if that position may be traditionally outside of their reach.
Once we do this, we work with employers to help educate them on the importance of viewing the process through this filter, to really be mindful of this opportunity divide, and to do everything they can to view this candidate as the total package, not just checkmarks on a resume. We help employers understand that when they approach hiring with this human touch that we bring to our own operations, they’ll begin developing a true workforce of capable, hungry, talented people that are ready for anything tomorrow’s economy can throw in their way.
Erasing the opportunity divide takes work. It takes effort from all parties to make it click. But above all of these things, it takes heart. It takes a genuine passion for doing better and improving people’s lives to get true results. This motivation to help underrepresented people enter the workforce with confidence that lies at the heart of everything we do…and we love doing it.
