Aurelia Butler

More stories

  • 213 Shares199 Views

    in Career Hacks

    Space, Missiles, and Fighter Jets – The Compelling Work of Travion Crutcher, America’s Top Intern of 2022

    Growing up in the shadow of the Boeing JetPlex in Huntsville, Alabama, Travion Crutcher often found himself with his eyes on the sky, contemplating ideas about air travel, or fixed upon the latest toy that he was deconstructing and putting back together. 

    Travion always knew that he loved to build things, but it wasn’t until his mother sent him to space camp that he realized his passion could be turned into a pursuit. A pursuit that would involve him finding the answers to the questions he often asked himself regarding the way things worked in the world.

    This passion-turned-pursuit would eventually manifest itself into a role at Boeing, the same company he grew up a few miles away from, working on everything from fighter jets to missile defense systems at one of the most cutting-edge aerospace companies in the world. 

    As WayUp’s Top Intern of 2022, Travion Crutcher exemplified everything companies look for in an ideal candidate. He applies his passions, he is brave in his decision-making, he tempers wisdom with curiosity, and he exudes confidence with everything he does. 

    Recently, we got the chance to speak with Travion regarding his rocket-sized dreams and how they came to fruition during his tenure with Boeing. In our conversation, Travion reveals what it takes to be recognized by your employers and peers on a national level and sheds some insight on the exciting work he took part in the past two summers.

    Setting His Sights for the Stars

    In addition to the support of his mother, the factors that Travion felt amplified his potential the most are his early involvement in leadership and education-based programs, his organization and execution skills, and his unquenchable curiosity for the unknown.

    Travion’s responses to my questions would increasingly shed light on the confidence he had. When I asked him if he had always been this way, he answered in the affirmative and went on to highlight the leadership positions he held from a young age.

    Holding down a leadership role in his community as well as immersing himself in the world of engineering, Travion maintained a busy schedule even from a young age. I inquired about how he kept himself on track and he pointed toward his organizational skills.

    Although he may not be the first person to use this method, Travion would employ the “aim and shoot” method in which every day started with a list of goals on a whiteboard that would get checked off as tasks get done.

    In addition to his commitment to developing everything he learned during his immersions as a young man, Travion’s undying curiosity can also be attributed to propelling him towards success at Boeing and WayUp’s National Intern Competition.

    “I was always curious how planes fly or how these big rockets get all the way to space. That’s what pushed me to pursue aerospace and aerospace-related subjects. Growing up my mom got me involved in a lot of stem-related things. I even got involved in a week-long NASA experiment camp where I met people all across the world.”Travion Crutcher, WayUp Top Intern of 2022

    Eventually, when the chance came, Travion knew he had to take his passion and everything he learned to the next level. So he set his sights on the company he grew up knowing so well for their accolades in engineering – Boeing.

    Do I Need Clearance For That?

    As an intern in both 2021 and 2022, Travion Crutcher’s work with Boeing spanned from fighter jets to missile technology. Although he wasn’t able to tell me much about the work he took part in this past summer, as it relates to top secret advancements in military technology, that only made what he did or didn’t do seem that much cooler. 

    What Travion could share with me, however, is how working across different sectors provided him with an advanced understanding of engineering concepts and a deeper appreciation of the things he was developing.

    At times, it was hard to believe that I was talking to an intern as the experiences that Travion described to me were in no way minimal. But that is the beauty of companies like Boeing – they empower employees at every level to succeed and achieve greatness in whatever realm makes them most passionate. It was clear that Travion felt this way as he would remark on his appreciation of the company that got him to where he is very often.

    Earning a well-deserved vacation, Travion will be spending part of his prize money on an ATV excursion out in Houston where he will be celebrating his anniversary with his girlfriend. If you take anything from Travion Crutcher’s story, know that passion will always fuel your efforts. So if you love something enough, pursue it, and maybe you too can ride off into the Texas sunset with a bag in your hand.

    Stay tuned for 2023 as our competition unfolds again and a new queen or king is crowned! More

  • 88 Shares179 Views

    in Employer

    Employer Brand at a Booming E-Commerce Company

    This pet care brand is building an exceptional culture while growing rapidly, thanks in part to its successful employer brand strategy. And though stay-at-home orders certainly played a role in Chewy’s success, it isn’t just the convenience of online shopping that’s driving its transformation.
    Its employer brand is helmed by Senior Employer Brand Manager Kara Hendrick, who has played a crucial role in helping Chewy keep pace with a season of rapid growth.
    Internal Champions
    The employer brand function at Chewy grew out of the company’s goal to raise awareness of the growing number of diverse roles it needed to fill. Chewy’s HR department was one of its first champions, which kickstarted company-wide enthusiastic support for Hendrick’s work.
    Hendrick knows that finding these internal champions is key to employer brand success, and she prioritizes building relationships with stakeholders in PR, talent management, branding, and social. These relationships are especially beneficial for employer brand projects with vast scope but limited resources; they help Hendrick avoid getting too “in the weeds.”
    Culture Investment
    This attention to the personal pervades Chewy’s culture beyond its customer service strategy. Team members aren’t “employees” but “Chewtopians,” and Chewy’s operating principles include statements like “Act like an owner.”
    When lockdown restrictions forced Chewy’s corporate offices and customer service centers into home offices, the company’s talent management and employee experience teams met with its CHRO and CEO to revisit and recommit to its values.
    No One-Size-Fits-All Strategy
    Chewy recruits for corporate customer service, tech, and fulfillment center roles, all while maintaining a unified message and navigating each talent segment’s unique challenges. Hiring for a diverse array of roles, Hendrick has learned, demands diverse strategies.
    “What attracts a software engineer in Boston isn’t the same as what attracts an operations manager in Dayton, Ohio,” she observes. Designing an employer brand strategy that will be successful for all these markets demands careful listening.
    This fact hit home in Hendrick’s early days at Chewy when she met with the Head of Fulfillment Center Recruiting. After listening to Hendrick present her grand plans for targeting fulfillment center candidates, he asked, “Have you ever visited a Chewy fulfillment center?” Hendrick admitted she hadn’t yet. But after her first visit, “It all made sense.”

    To follow Kara Hendrick’s work in employer brand, connect with her on LinkedIn. For help gathering the right data and developing strategies to make real change at your company, get in touch.
    Share this post: More

  • 125 Shares199 Views

    in Employer

    How Smart Companies are Solving Post-Lockdown Working (4 New Trends)

    From ‘swarm teams’ to the metaverse, innovative ideas take on the challenges of the new world of work…

    In late 2021, Professor Lynda Gratton of the London Business School asked 150 executives from companies around the world for their take on the biggest challenge currently facing businesses. The answer came back loud and clear: “retaining people,” closely followed by “recruiting people.”

    It picked up on a problem destined to grow. The Great Resignation, the result of lockdown-fuelled dissatisfaction with our jobs was first. Then it was followed by the Great Reshuffle, as workers leapt from job to job in search of fulfillment. As we entered post-lockdown working, how would companies evolve?

    In May this year, the UK’s Office for National Statistics revealed that there were more job vacancies than unemployed people in the country for the first time since records began. The marketplace has since begun to settle, but a July survey of 1,100 US professionals showed that 31 percent were planning to quit within the next 12 months. In other words, employers still need to focus hard on hiring and keeping the best talent.

    Post-Lockdown Working at Home vs In-office

    According to Josh Brenner, CEO of Hired, the largest AI-driven recruitment marketplace for tech workers, what is most likely to attract and retain employees is the offer of flexible working. In a recent Hired survey, less than two percent of respondents wanted a full, five-day return to the office.

    “We’ve seen really high rates of attrition when companies have forced people back to the office for a full five-day schedule,” he says.

    With that comes the need to make the best of hybrid work, potentially across disparate geographies. In order to retain employees, companies also need to work harder to engage them. They need to help them feel aligned with the organization’s values, Brenner believes.

    “When we hear about companies losing high numbers of staff, a lot of it is because employees feel disconnected. They lack a solid understanding of where the company’s going, and how their work  bubbles up and contributes to goals.”

    Throw in the need to prepare for a fast-changing world – technologically, geo-politically – and you have a cluster of problems for companies to solve in post-lockdown working. Those that do so most effectively stand to gain a competitive advantage – so what are the most innovative trending ideas? 

    In WIRED’s report, readers learn about the:

    AI company that has done away with managers marketing company making a four-day week pay dividends professional services company using the metaverse to engage its workforcerise of a new C-suite role that’s re-shaping business… More

  • 138 Shares119 Views

    in Employer

    2022 Survey Results: Top 3 Benefits Ranked by Engineers (Besides Salary)

    Last year was largely characterized by the Great Resignation but this year, in 2022, both employers and employees face uncertainty in the hiring market. This challenges employers to be more efficient when attracting, hiring, and onboarding new tech employees. To help you be more competitive when sourcing top talent, Hired’s 2022 State of Tech Salaries report reveals the three benefits ranked highest by engineers.

    Analyzing data from more than 907,000 interview requests across over 47,750 active positions, the process revealed insights from top tech talent and what they want in potential employers. 

    Potential candidates strongly factor benefits into their decision so this is important to your retention efforts with current employees. 

    Incorporate The Top Three Benefits in Your Recruiting Strategy 

    Hired’s 2022 State of Tech Salaries Report revealed engineers rank three benefits as most important to their job search outside of base compensation: flexible schedule, PTO, and physical health benefits. Are you an employer, recruiter, or hiring manager? Prioritize these benefits for robust recruiting and talent retention strategies and efforts. 

    1. Flexible Work Schedule 

    The pandemic forced companies to jump into remote work head first. However, as we adapt to the future of work, Hired found employees aren’t interested in fully returning to the office. Take a look at the response to our WFH questions. We found only 2% considered an in-office workplace most ideal. While over half (54.2%) would be willing to go back to the office if it came with more job security, they also reported they would search for other jobs with flexible remote work options right away.

    Note the flexible option to work from home is now the bare minimum. You need a comprehensive flexible work schedule. Here are a few trending best practices to consider implementing and promoting: 

    Shortened Work Week 

    Many companies are testing adaptable schedules, such as shortened work weeks. This model makes sense, especially for tech roles unnecessarily tied to the traditional, Monday-Friday, 9-5 work week. Companies adapting to a 4-day model see increased productivity and better work-life balance. 

    Family-Friendly Workplace 

    The pandemic also shined a light on the specific challenges faced by caregivers. For working parents or those caring for aging adults, it was overdue. It humanized a lot of working relationships and often provided a bit of levity. How many kids and dogs have you seen on video calls?

    As a result, reports found 57% of senior leaders plan to prioritize care benefits. When promoting flexible scheduling options, emphasize families may work around their responsibilities. Remember to be inclusive. Flexible scheduling isn’t only for working parents. Think of those who are in the “sandwich generation” or taking care of partners/parents. 

    2. Clear PTO Policies 

    First, it’s best to define your PTO policy. You won’t get far with candidates with vague mentions of “generous PTO.” What does that mean? Generous to whom? It’s all relative. Instead, clearly outline policies in your job postings. 

    Remember, asking employees to categorize their paid time off requests is passé. A solid and robust PTO strategy combines days for vacation, sick time, bereavement, and personal time in a single bank for employee use — no explanations for their use needed.

    Another hot-button topic for benefits is the debate over unlimited PTO. There are pros and cons to its implementation:

    Cons of Unlimited PTO

    Ambiguity actually makes employees take less time off. Branka Vuleta, founder of LegalJobs.io, explains: “In reality, people who have an opportunity to take as many vacations as they can end up taking fewer days off than those with a limited amount of days off in a year.

    In a nutshell, the unlimited PTO policy is a marketing trick supposed to lure people into applying for the job.” Employees new to unlimited PTO may not understand it’s not accrued, and therefore, isn’t paid out if they leave.

    Pros of Unlimited PTO

    Allows employees to take time off at their discretion and puts no caps on the number of days or hours used. This respects employees as adults instead of kids with a hall pass. This empowerment can be an attractive recruiting tool in a competitive marketplace.

    Employee Communication Guidance

    No matter what you decide, the key is to disclose as much insight into your PTO policy as possible. The last two decades of the tech revolution coupled with the pandemic created a more fluid and open-minded environment. 

    Prospective and current employees still want to understand, however, how and when they can take time off, and what the policy will mean to them. Consider mentioning:

    Required PTO minimums: Explain how your company requires workers to take time off to avoid burnout. Assistance with PTO coverage: This is often an issue with the unlimited PTO policies. People can take off as much time as they want, but covering ongoing projects, deliverables, and duties is cumbersome. Have company leadership take this burden off employees’ shoulders and be sure to communicate this in your job posting. People-first strategy: Showcase your first priority is employee morale, mental wellness, and as much work-life balance as possible. 

    3. Physical Health Benefits

    Healthcare in the U.S. is more expensive than ever. Combined with the painful lessons of the pandemic, employees are more aware of the importance of physical health and wellness.

    So, health benefits play an integral role in recruiting and retaining employees. In addition, study after study proves healthier employees are happier and more productive — benefiting employers and their bottom line.

    Physical health benefits include medical, dental, mental wellness, vision, and other benefits relating to healthcare. But it doesn’t stop there. While it’s imperative to list your complete health benefits offerings, be creative when it comes to wellness coverage and perks. Use these innovative companies and ideas as inspiration:

    Platforms like Modern Health allow employees to enjoy a full spectrum of mental and physical health benefits via one app. Companies like Accenture provide confidential employee assistance programs with training and resources to help with stress, mental health, or substance abuse.A fitness reimbursement program can offer financial assistance for gym memberships, virtual exercise classes, or even personal trainers. For instance, Microsoft offers “$1,200 per year for employee-only wellness-related expenses that help you get and stay fit physically, emotionally, and financially.”  

    Refer to this exhaustive list of perks and stipends for more examples.  

    Want to Attract and Retain Tech Talent? Promote the Right Benefits 

    Competing for tech talent in this current hiring climate and job market may feel like a herculean task, but it doesn’t have to be. Just adapt your strategies to meet evolving expectations surrounding work-life balance, remote work, and other benefits. The good news is the work to make these shifts benefits your current team members and retention efforts, too.

    Remember to emphasize your attractive benefits (specifically flexible schedules, PTO, and health benefits) on your careers page, job postings, and even social media. Shout about them everywhere. Quantify and qualify them to put it into context for prospective candidates. Consider asking current team members to participate in testimonials, quotes, or case studies. 

    This is a difficult time, but you don’t have to go through it alone. Hired’s platform allows you to highlight benefits in your company profile and helps ensure they’re communicated to candidates (i.e., in email requests to interview).

    Hired also gives you access to ongoing real-time market data to tailor your outreach and optimize response rates. This ultimately saves HR teams time to focus on higher-level tasks like retention via employee experience.  

    Top Benefits Ranked by Survey Respondents

    Get even more details about what tech professionals like engineers want regarding salaries, benefits, remote work flexibility, and more.

    Related 

    Tracy Ring is a freelance writer and content marketer. She brings a real-life perspective to her writing from 10+ years of diverse experience, including HR, project management, customer and client relations, and admin roles. Connect with her on LinkedIn or Twitter. More

  • 113 Shares149 Views

    in Employer

    Attracting Talent to a Tech Company with French Roots

    This tech company with French roots has a unique way of framing its EVP—or, as Talend says, its JNSQ, or “je ne sais quoi.”“
    Talend was on a mission to put words to what were necessarily undefinable qualities of its brand and culture. What its people marketing team, led by Global People Marketing Manager Jonathan Hehir, uncovered was the importance of culture, diversity, and company-wide EVP stewardship.
    Why Culture Is Key
    “It’s tough for candidates to truly understand what their next business looks like and the type of culture they’re interested in,” Hehir says. “I can understand why candidates when they’re looking at their job search, are behaving more like consumers. Everyone’s edging for that little bit of attention.”
    According to Hehir, the people of Talend are close collaborators and united by love for their field. To succeed, Hehir’s team has to demonstrate that supportive culture to the rest of the tech world.
    What Makes a Unique Workplace
    Like many companies, the pandemic spurred the company to revisit its commitment to diversity and its employer brand. Led by its new CEO Christal Bemont, Talend sought out new ways to own its core values (agility, integrity, passion, and team spirit) and reexamined its “je ne sais quoi” (or JNSQ, as the team says).
    Among the many positive results of this self-reflection was a recommitment to making Talend an inclusive workplace: “An environment where people feel safe and feel a sense of belonging; a place where they can be themselves, even if they may not be visiting offices or their coworkers,” in Hehir’s words. Public reception was positive as well. According to Hehir, “People enjoyed the idea that we were celebrating people’s differences from the outset.”
    Revisit Your Culture’s Roots
    This sense of shared stewardship of the EVP, or JNSQ, has had a major impact on the success of Talend’s employer brand activation efforts.
    “Remember where your culture stems from,” Hehir advises fellow employer brand leaders. Remembering the people behind the brand, he says, is what gets him excited to tell Talend’s story—and welcome new faces into it.

    To follow Jonathan Hehir’s work in employer brand, connect with him on LinkedIn. For help with your own EVP, get in touch. We help you identify the values and culture you want to create in your company.
    Share this post: More

  • 125 Shares119 Views

    in Employer

    Is Your Employer Brand Helping or Hindering Your Hiring Objectives?

    Most employers agree that great employees are at the heart of every business. To secure the best candidates, hiring managers typically put significant efforts into two key facets of the hiring process: producing an attractive job advert and properly screening the applicant’s CVs.
    The interviews and onboarding that follow must be conducted with the utmost care, managed by members of staff with the knowledge and time to ensure they do not miss out on the opportunity to secure the right candidates.
    However, with 72% of recruiting leaders worldwide agreeing that employer brand significantly impacts hiring, the key to enticing top talent could lie within how attractive your business seems to potential employees.
    So, if you want to meet your recruitment objectives, it might be time to think about the meaning of business branding and how you can use it to gain a competitive edge in the market…
    The ins and outs of company brands
    In short, business branding is a way of identifying your business. It encapsulates what sets it apart, what makes its offering different, and, perhaps most importantly, reflects the company’s values.
    A company develops a positive (or negative) impression of its brand through the quality and competitiveness of what it can offer its employees, including its salary and benefits, management style, culture, and commitments. As such, branding and recruitment go hand in hand — particularly in the digital world, where so much business and hiring activity happens online.
    Organizations around the world are working on nailing their branding — but why? What benefits are employees looking for, and why is it vital to get it right?
    Firstly, it generates cost savings. According to LinkedIn, companies with positive employer brands or favorable reputations within the market can get up to 50% more applications than companies with negative brands. And that is not all; successful employer branding has multiple proven benefits for hiring businesses, including:

    Conversely, companies that fail to focus on branding stand to lose out significantly — financially and reputationally. One study revealed that 82% of prospective employees consider brand and reputation before applying for a job, which could prove disastrous for business growth and bottom lines in organizations that fail to meet expectations.
    So, can you afford to fall short of the mark in the current recruitment landscape?
    Establishing a brand for your business
    A strong employer brand is crucial for securing skilled, engaged, and leadership-bound workers.
    When done well, a branding strategy can deliver multiple functions simultaneously — from defining products and services to showcasing a unique approach to company culture. Consistent, first-rate employer branding should speak for itself, helping to communicate all a candidate needs to know through every interaction with your company.
    Though defining and developing your business brand is a long-term commitment, there are a few key areas you can focus on to improve how your business appears to prospective candidates…
    Refining your employer value proposition
    Branding works alongside employer value propositions (EVPs): an employer’s marketing message and promise to its employees regarding its core values.
    Every company’s EVP is different. It is the sum of everything you offer as an employer — an employee-centric approach that tells the story of your business and why someone should consider joining your team.
    An EVP can be conveyed through consistent corporate messaging and recruitment marketing that helps communicate key messages to the employees you are trying to reach. However, whilst talking a good game is great, you must also walk the walk to ensure your branding comes across as genuine — a key facet to succeeding in your goals.
    Bringing your online reputation up to scratch
    One of the trickiest parts of navigating the job hunt for candidates is working out which companies they would enjoy working for. So, ensuring your business’ reputation reflects well across the board is crucial — from online reviews and staff testimonials to official accreditations.
    Many employers throw out attractive perks and salary offers, but a growing number of workers look for something more. According to research by CareerBuilder, 83% of candidates are willing to accept a lower salary from an employer with an excellent reputation. So, building and maintaining your brand as a business can lead to lower salary responsibilities and attract more interest from serious job seekers.
    In today’s world, social media plays a starring role in business branding, with many candidates basing their employment decisions on the quality of a company’s online presence. Monitoring and updating social media pages and websites are critical to ensuring you put your best foot forward.
    Optimizing your onboarding process
    Candidates often gain their first impression of your business brand during recruitment. As a result, every onboarding stage should be carefully considered to ensure talent is not dissuaded from pursuing an opportunity within your company.
    For employers, this means issuing timely, thorough feedback, remaining organized, and staying up to date with the latest trends — from virtual recruitment and remote working to HR management.
    Of course, this can quickly become an overwhelming task — especially in the current candidate-driven market. So, experts recommend enlisting the support of a specialist recruitment agency to support a successful business branding strategy.
    After all, if you are going to invest time and money in your business brand, you want to do it right.
    By Julie Mott, Managing Director, Howett Thorpe.
    Share this post: More

  • 125 Shares129 Views

    in Career Hacks

    5 Interview Secrets for Landing a Job at Capital One

    Interviews can be exciting, intimidating, life-changing, and sometimes, all three. As you make your way into the professional world, chances are you will go through tons of different interviews and hiring processes, each one different from the last. 

    But if you happen to be fortunate enough to land an interview with Capital One, one of the most innovative and forward-thinking companies in the financial services industry, there are a few things you should keep in mind.

    From preparation tactics to presentation skills, here is a list of the 5 Ps that recruiters, hiring managers, and employees suggest familiarizing yourself with if you want to land a job at Capital One.

    Preparation

    First and foremost, you want to be prepared going into a Capital One interview. But prepared for what? According to Anna, an associate software engineer, she found success by familiarizing herself with life at Capital One and doing plenty of research prior to her interview.

    By digging deep and finding some relevant information about the company, Anna prepared herself to have meaningful and in-depth conversations with her recruiter. In doing so, she portrayed herself as both informed and interested in the position, two things that recruiters love to see. 

    In addition to gaining hard knowledge of the company and the role you will be undertaking, another thing you can do to stand out is familiarize yourself with the culture of the company. For example, maybe a company does monthly outings or other social events. Mentioning something like that, which may not have to do directly with your position, is a great way to show you want to work at a company and are looking at it from all aspects.

    Presentation

    Once you’ve dedicated enough time to prepare for the interview, then comes the time to present your knowledge, skills, and most importantly, who you are. In our conversation with Abhishek, a Senior Associate and Enterprise Services Project Manager, he shed some light on what he thinks is the best way to present yourself during an interview.

    Abhishek went on to say how at the end of the day, everyone is similar to one another in the sense that we all have lives and interests, and to present yourself as such helps form a connection that will ultimately work in your favor.

    At the same time, you don’t want to come off as overly familiar or unprofessional. By combining a personable and friendly attitude with a professional and corporate one, you will be able to check off even more boxes as a candidate.

    Patience

    Hand-in-hand with presentation skills comes the ability to be patient. Without it, you risk giving off the wrong impression or missing the chance to demonstrate the full extent of your worth. But interviews are nerve-racking! And oftentimes stressful. So what is an eager prospect like yourself to do?

    According to Senior Recruiter Kelly, the best way to remain and appear patient in an interview is to listen.

    Kelly spoke about how much of a turnoff it is for her as a recruiter when a candidate constantly cuts her off or interrupts her. But she agreed that a lot of the time it’s unintentional. So when you’re interviewing, remember to take a breath, take your time, and try not to worry about filling empty space or replying so quickly. 

    There are several things that public speakers suggest in order to help ease this burden. For example, repeating back the question, using a filling sentence like “that’s a great question,” or “let me think about the best example of that” all are ways you can buy time and make sure you answer the question correctly.

    Passion

    Throughout every conversation we had with the Capital One employees, there was one common trait that they all shared: passion. Passion not only for what they do at Capital One as employees but as individuals and what they do in their personal lives as well. 

    Although it may not seem like it, exuding your passions, whatever they may be, will get you very far in Capital One’s hiring process. Just ask Abhishek.

    “My recruiter and I connected on a very personal level after I mentioned my love of motorcycles. It was then that I realized that the people at Capital One are real people too with interests, passions, and beliefs of their own.”Abhishek, Senior Associate and Enterprise Services Project Manager

    Whether or not you end up sharing interests with your recruiter doesn’t matter. What Capital One wants to see out of people applying is that they can get excited about something, no matter what it is. So if there is something you love and are passionate about, don’t be afraid to mention it during the interview!

    Personality

    One factor that bears a lot of resemblance to your passion is your personality. And although they are similar, your personality has to show so much more than what you’re passionate about.

    We spoke with Student and Graduates Recruiter Addison regarding what the best steps are to show your personality during an interview and she responded with an ode to authenticity.

    Recruiters are able to tell when something sounds rehearsed. And it prevents them from getting a true understanding of who you really are. So during your interview process, make sure you’re confident in portraying yourself not only as a professional but as your true authentic self as well.

    Putting It All Together

    While all of the tips shared by these exceptional associates at Capital One are invaluable, there is one critical piece of information that everyone should remember, and that’s to apply.Now is the time to explore opportunities and really see how far your capabilities can get you. So what are you waiting for? Start browsing open opportunities at Capital One today and find the job of your dreams. More

  • 138 Shares99 Views

    in Career Hacks

    How Citi is Paving the Way for African Americans in Finance

    Ever since Maggie Lena Walker established and presided over the first bank to service black organizations, African Americans have been shaping the history of finance. 100 years later, people of color are still making contributions that leave everlasting impacts on the industry.

    Although a lot of progress has been made for people of color (POC) in the banking and finance space, they are still at a disadvantage. The facts of the matter are that POC are disproportionately represented in finance and face a harder time breaking into the industry than their caucasian counterparts.

    As a company that emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusion, Citi identifies with these issues wholeheartedly. Citi also knows that if these trends continue, an entire legacy of future Maggie Walkers might cease to exist. Even worse, the ideas that these people of color would have contributed to the space would never see the light of day, slowing down the evolution of the finance world as we know it.

    In order to allow diverse mindsets to continue benefiting their company and the industry as a whole, Citi has made sure to create a space where people of color not only feel welcome but motivated to succeed as well. In order to do that, they have rolled out a series of initiatives that are paving the way for people of color in finance. The first of which has to do with their recruiting strategy.

    HBCU Recruiting and Presence

    In order to employ the brightest minds, first, you have to find them. That’s why Citi decided to set up an aggressive recruiting strategy at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). And we’re not just talking about free koozies and stickers. Citi is going to these campuses and doing presentations on diversity and inclusion, educating students about opportunities, and portraying itself as a company where people of color can really succeed.

    Here is what Global Banking Analyst Brianna Demming had to say about the impression Citi left when they visited Howard University during her time as an undergraduate.

    By continuing to establish meaningful relationships with students at HBCUs, Citi intends on building a workforce that includes both incredibly talented individuals and people from diverse backgrounds.

    HBCU Alumni Network

    By creating groups and communities that allow people from similar backgrounds to come together and share thoughts, companies can create new environments to help their employees thrive. That’s why Citi established the HBCU Alumni Network! As you might be able to infer, the HBCU Alumni Network is a group at Citi that allows alumni from different HBCUs to connect, network, and help one another grow. Which, for a lot of people, helped them succeed and learn in a lot of ways. 

    My involvement with the HBCU Alumni Network has taught me the importance of being proactive when you’re on a team. I was tasked to work alongside another team member to initiate contact with 19 schools. I hesitated on whether I should wait for him to reach out first since he has been employed at Citi longer than me but I ended up having the courage to set up the first meeting. He expressed how impressed he was that I took charge right away and set up a strong foundation for the work we’ll be completing together. That experience taught me to never doubt myself or my capabilities, even if I may be the youngest on the team, and if there is an opportunity to showcase your skills or leadership, you always jump at it! Brianna Demming, Global Consumer Banking Analyst

    Through her involvement with the HBCU Alumni Network, Brianna not only gained more experience and confidence in herself, but she also made a good impression on her colleague. All around wins.

    Black Heritage Network

    Similar to the HBCU Alumni Network is the Black Heritage Network affinity group at Citi. Within this group, people of color can come together, socialize, share their thoughts, seek out mentors, and essentially just share space with people who are similar to them.

    After you graduate, the number of groups and organizations you can join to socialize, grow yourself, and feel welcome gets cut in half. When these groups are no longer available, especially in the corporate world, some individuals face issues that diminish their productivity and most importantly, their self-worth. That’s why establishing affinity groups is so advantageous and why Citi chose to do it themselves.

    POC in Leadership Positions

    One very direct way to help people of color succeed in the finance realm is to place them in leadership and management positions. By doing so, you not only diversify the leadership on your team, but you also create mentors, idols, and individuals who people from similar backgrounds can identify with. As a result, students and job-seeking individuals become more inclined to apply for positions at the company.

    No one likes being the only spotted duck in the pond. It’s comforting to grow with and be trained by others who have similar experiences to you. They are the only ones who can truly understand what it takes to succeed in this business with a background similar to my own.

    As Chike said, it’s comforting to grow and be trained by people who are similar to you. When you can relate to these people, it makes the relationship better on all ends. Corporate Banking Analyst Brielle Self had a similar experience with her mentor during her time at Howard. 

    If it weren’t for Citi putting Brielle’s mentor into that Campus Ambassador position, it’s possible that Brielle may have never ended up at Citi. By creating this position and ones like it, Citi now has talent pipelines that will draw in some of the brightest minds in finance for years to come. Pipelines that might just end up finding you one day.

    What’s Next for Citi?

    While these initiatives may seem bold, Citi has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. Much like the Action for Racial Equity Initiative, a $1 billion+ commitment to help close the racial wealth gap and increase economic mobility in the United States, the ideas Citi is putting forth will have a substantial impact on the industry and the world for years to come. 

    If this is an endeavor that you would like to be a part of and contribute to, check out the positions Citi is currently hiring for. Who knows, in just a few years it could be you leading the change. More