The Salesforce Talent Alliance team recently spoke with fellow Trailblazers about what it takes to build an inclusive hiring and employee experiences. Check out the highlights from this inspiring conversation and learn how you can diversify your talent pipeline.
Grit Over Degrees
David Lopez, CEO and Co-Founder of the career accelerator Gritly, was inspired to launch the program after not seeing representation for careers in tech within his community. Gritly’s 12-week online program provides training, mentorship, and community support to tech sales jobseekers. 100 percent of Gritly’s students identify as underrepresented groups in tech, largely Black and Latinx.
"The most important factor that we’ve seen among the communities we serve is that they can overcome adversity.” said David. “They can get the job done. They may not always have the traditional degrees or the traditional backgrounds, but what they do have is a really detailed and outcome-oriented education that sets them up to be successful in that first role." That’s where the namesake “grit” comes in and it’s what makes his candidate stand out.
Many of Gritly’s students are not just pursuing a new career but also balancing other jobs and family responsibilities. The program’s flexible learning environment, supported by Trailhead, is what drove big results for its busy students.
"We’re seeing students double and triple their incomes,” said David. “We’re seeing them get off government assistance."
By the end of 2022, Gritly expects to place 150 students into new careers in tech sales. Ready to hire for “grit”? Learn more.
What Gets Measured, Gets Done
Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Redpath Consulting Group, a Salesforce partner, found itself at the epicenter of the Black Lives Matter movement with the murder of George Floyd in 2020. The turbulence and increased attention helped magnify the issues of diversity and inclusion across the ecosystem. Bree Maddox, HR and Talent Acquisition Manager at Redpath Consulting Group, took it upon herself to bring positive change to her organization in light of the tragedy.
"I was the only Black person and only woman in leadership when I started at Redpath,” Bree shared. "It can feel isolating and lonely." As a true Trailblazer, Bree sparked the difficult, but critical, conversation about recruiting and hiring more women and people of color that would evolve into Redpath's Diversity and Inclusion Action Committee.
Joined by other passionate employees like Redpath Project Manager, Christian Ohonba, the committee works toward a more inclusive environment for interviewees and employees by:
- Eliminating unconscious bias in job descriptions, interview questions, and resume reviews
- Removing college degree requirements from all roles and emphasizing outcome-oriented education, job readiness, employee values, soft skills, and the ability to overcome obstacles
- Offering Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training to hiring managers
"We firmly believe that what gets measured gets done. So having goals and measurements, then checking in and being accountable—that's the first step," said Bree.
And she’s right, Redpath’s getting it done. Since deepening its commitment to diversity and inclusion, Redpath has increased its number of employees identifying as BIPOC by five percent, for a total of 17 percent of full-time staff members identifying as BIPOC.
Christian not only sees these results in data but also in her daily work. As someone who identifies as both a Black woman and member of the neurodiverse community, her passion for the Committee’s work centers on creating an environment that allows everyone to bring their full self to work. Christian challenges others doing this important work to consider how they will impact future generations and often asks, “What legacy did you leave?”
Redpath also recently started recognizing Juneteenth as a paid company holiday which also includes new offerings of self-education events for employees and support for community initiatives focused on bridging the gap.
Inclusive Hiring and Retaining Underrepresented Talent
Bree, Christian, and David have each made it their mission to empower underrepresented talent in the Salesforce ecosystem.
Gritly and other workforce development groups training Salesforce talent connect directly with employers to help diversify their talent pipelines. Christian reminds us that it’s not all about degrees or past work experience.
“You need variety and spice [in your talent]. You need to have people who know how to zig when they zag to really meet the complicated needs of your clients.”
Similarly, diverse teams outperform more homogenous ones, David adds.
Bree and Christian from Redpath Consulting Group are outstanding examples of how ecosystem employers drive change. Bree reminds employers to lead with empathy and that your commitment to equity and inclusion doesn’t stop once someone is hired. Christian adds that as a Black woman, being heard, understood, and seen for who she really is creates a feeling of comfort and safety in the workplace. It’s a feeling that you can’t get without a daily commitment to inclusion.
Learn more about Bree and Christian’s work at Redpath and connect with David at Gritly to fill your open tech sales roles with quality talent.
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