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Making Culture of Authenticity an Employee Value Proposition

AT&T highlights its authenticity as a key asset in attracting talent interested in bringing their full selves to work. By capturing the authentic culture in assets such as Life at AT&T blog and social media campaigns, AT&T presents a promise to future talent and works to fulfill it.

• Prioritizes showing over telling, AT&T places employees front and center when giving candidates a preview of life at AT&T in formal corporate channels and informal channels such as social media
• Invites employees to share their stories through formal submission or hashtags on social media
• Emphasizes purpose and culture pillars to help talent understand what the organization stands for and how their people play a role in creating connection at AT&T
• Generates excitement by speaking to the whole person, not just the candidate’s ethnicity, gender, or any other attribute that makes them diverse

Making Culture of Authenticity an Employee Value Proposition

Creating Comprehensive Approaches to Increasing Diversity

Bottle Rocket views diversity, equity, and inclusion as a critical topic to be embedded in all business practices, and cultivates an open culture where conversation and learning is encouraged

• Attributes much of its DEI success to strong support from its parent company and regular touchpoints with executive level leadership to plan and host organization-wide DEI conversations and upskilling sessions
• Uses social media to highlight different DEI initiatives to promote transparency both internally and externally, even as they are on the journey to fully achieve their DEI goals
• Builds, updates and shares a Juneteenth toolkit externally on their website to assist organizations who would like to start the conversation
• Increases capacity by hiring more recruiters to ensure their hiring team can find all kinds of talent with many facets of diverse background, personality and experience

Creating Comprehensive Approaches to Increasing Diversity

Changing behaviors and shifting mindsets

McKesson emphasizes fostering a workplace environment that supports the diverse world in which we live and work and creating ambitious diversity, equity, and inclusion goals to make sustainable change

• Views the Dallas talent pool as a rich landscape for diverse talent if organizations have an intentional recruiting strategy
• Prioritizes listening through sessions and townhalls to have vulnerable conversations with employees and leadership and build community
• Engages Employee Resource Groups in crafting long-term DEI strategy and setting tangible DEI goals
• Equips employees with the tools and resources needed to begin to upskill themselves and continue the journey, recognizing that complete progress will not happen immediately

Changing behaviors and shifting mindsets

Reimaging Talent Acquisition to Find the Best People

Accenture built an innovative pipeline platform and invested in its own apprenticeship program to create new career pathways for talented individuals who have not always had the same opportunities as those from traditional recruiting channels.

• Launched FutureofU, an innovative pipeline approach that connects candidates with the skills and jobs to transition back to the workplace after disruption from the pandemic; Accenture and clients remove barriers for candidates by paying them and providing skill development resources so candidates can make a smooth transition into their new role
• Hires an overwhelming majority of participants who completed the apprenticeship program into full-time roles and uses data to identify opportunities to make the program even stronger
• Provides formal learning, on-the-job training, coaching and real-world experience to help apprentices build their skills and advance their careers
• Created a national apprenticeship program playbook to help employers initiate their own programs and address their evolving talent needs
• Co-founded Chicago Apprentice Network, which now consists of nearly 43 companies and has created 725 apprenticeships in Chicago since 2018 

Reimaging Talent Acquisition to Find the Best People

Prioritizing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as an Economic Imperative

Corgan realizes the value in diversifying their workforce and balances that with setting achievable targets for their industry (Black architects represent 2% of the industry while women architects represent 18% globally) 

• Recognizes the importance of crafting a narrative to candidates that showcases the richness of their offerings and company culture
• Builds long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with diverse pipeline partners to expand talent pool and connect with candidates early and often
• Grants five scholarships focused on supporting diverse candidates; will consist of tuition support and an internship opportunity
• Developed an intentional, layered data strategy to quantify their results, capture their impact, and ensure meaningful change sticks

Prioritizing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as an Economic Imperative

Focusing on the ‘Why’ in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Hiring

Hilti digs deep into why diversity matters for its organization and models authenticity and vulnerability when attracting new talent. The approach helps managers avoid the check-the-box mentality and foster meaningful change and deliver powerful results.

• Dedicates resources to focus on comprehensive strategy and execution of diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy
• Invests time with hiring managers to understand the core motivation for increasing diversity—the “why”—to generate intentional approaches to find the best talent and educate managers to avoid a check-the-box mentality
• Ties work to overall business strategy and manages expectations on results in short-term and long-term timeframes
• Develops fruitful partnerships with NBMBAA Dallas-Fort Worth chapter to create vulnerable and transparent experiences for mid-career professionals to understand what it means to work at Hilti
• Maintains relationships with candidates even if they did not receive an offer for a role: Hilti maintains a vibrant talent community by providing monthly updates, job openings, and additional opportunities to stay engaged so they can ultimately find the right role at Hilti

Focusing on the ‘Why’ in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Hiring

• Raise your standards: Instead of using the same dated job description, encourage hiring managers to think critically about skills required for the role ​
• Create partnerships not transactions: Create mutually beneficial relationships with organizations and campuses (e.g., speakers, events, funding, etc.) to build a reputation as a strong champion for DEI ​
• Facilitate belonging:  Galvanize your internal networks and create intentional onboarding experiences to ensure new hires feel welcomed and supported​
• Set measurable, realistic goals:  Measure your baseline performance and determine goals for improvement; consider industry data and deploy both short-term and long-term strategies (More resources available in Measuring Impact section)​ ​
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a journey not a program: Employers feel a sense of urgency for results, but this isn’t just about numbers; empower employees with tools and roles to create systemic change within the organ

• Focus on skills: Shift emphasis from GPA or college degree requirements to measurable, relevant skills for the role to expand the possible talent pool​
• Expand beyond learning institutions: Consider upskilling organizations, coding schools, or other organizations as sources for diverse talent​
• Equip talent for success: Continually support candidates throughout the recruitment process (early involvement, application workshops, mock interviews) to thoroughly prepare them for the company environment​
• Recruit for “careers” versus “jobs”: Position employment at your organization as a long-term opportunity and provide employees with support beyond their salaries (transportation aid, childcare)​
• Grow diverse talent after hiring: Place new hires with people developers who will provide them with feedback, clear expectations and learning experiences to ensure a positive experience and their continued growth​

46% have applied to and not been interviewed for tech jobs they were qualified for​

54% lost out on jobs because they were told they were not a ‘good fit’ 

Heard from Candidates

• “Meet talent in the places where they are living or educated”​
• “Stop saying [diverse] talent doesn’t exist”​
• “Focus on creating environments where the talent can show up as their best self”

Creating opportunities for candidates to feel seen can improve the candidate experience. Providing actionable feedback to candidates who were not selected can increase goodwill and leave the door open for future opportunities.

DIVERSITY IN TECH HIRING TOOLKIT HOME

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Name: Aurélie Thiele

City: Dallas

Neighborhood: Uptown

Company/Title: Southern Methodist University, Associate Professor

When did you move here? Where from?
July 2016, from Pennsylvania

Where else have you lived?
I was raised in Brussels, Belgium; went to college in Paris, France; lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for doctoral studies at MIT; and worked at a university in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

What made you Say Yes to Dallas?
I wanted to go back to a big city with a booming economy and a thriving cultural scene.

How did you choose where to live in the Dallas Region?
My criteria were a short commute to work and a walkable neighborhood, while being close to city attractions. Uptown was perfect.

What is the one thing that you could have done to make your move easier?
I was lucky to find Dallas-based Arpin America to move me across the country. If I had to do the move again, I would have the movers do a full pack instead of a partial pack. They were so much more efficient than I.

How has your opinion of the Dallas Region changed since moving here?
I like Dallas even more now. Culture is really important for me, and I expected good cultural opportunities because I knew about the SMU Meadows School for Performing Arts, Dallas Museum of Art, the Dallas Symphony and the AT&T Performing Arts Center. I thought I’d miss New York City, where I would often go when I lived in Pennsylvania to catch a play, a concert or a Broadway show. It turns out I don’t miss New York at all. The arts in the Dallas Region have been spectacular.

I love how institutions such as the Dallas Museum of Art, the Crow Collection of Asian Art and the Kimbell in Fort Worth offer free year-round admission to their permanent collections. For a vibrant society, it’s important that everyone be exposed to culture, independent of financial ability to pay. And the excellent Dallas Symphony, led by New York-bound Jaap van Zweden, also has great ticket prices. It tells you a lot about an area when local institutions (helped by generous donations, obviously) make access one of their priorities. I like how so many local businesspeople have given back to the community.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to move here?
Don’t believe the clichés. Family members in Europe mentioned JFK’s assassination and the 1980s TV show when I told them about the job offer. They meant well, but those were the only two things they knew about Dallas. Acquaintances in the northeast said they’d never be able to move to such a conservative city. I think by that they meant judgmental — not realizing they were the ones passing judgment. But I have found Dallasites to be very welcoming. People haven’t asked me where I went to church or to which political party I belong — two things I had been warned I would surely be interrogated on as soon as I set foot in Texas. I’ve been stunned by how much of a gem Dallas is.

What is your passion, and how does Dallas help fulfill it?
I love everything creative. Dallas offers so many opportunities to be exposed to first-rate creative output. My passion is to write, and I have found the book-related events at the Dallas Museum of Art (Arts & Letters series) and the Dallas Institute for Humanities and Culture to be inspirational. I also love art. It doesn’t get any better than having the Dallas Museum of Art, the SMU Meadows Museum, the Kimbell Art Museum, Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and the Crow Collection of Asian Art nearby.

Professionally, I love making a difference. It’s exhilarating to teach SMU students; they’re bound for great things. I’m proud to make my own small contribution to that.

What would you miss most about the area if you had to leave?
I would miss the great quality of life: the restaurants, the performing arts events, the proximity to everything I like. And the people, too.

Tell us about the work environment here.
I love working at SMU. All the faculty and staff members I’ve met are committed to helping students become world changers who will cultivate principled thought, excel in their endeavors, and contribute to their communities. It’s one thing to have people tell you as much during the interview process, quite another to see it in action.

Where do you go and what do you do on the weekends or days off?
I usually go to a performing arts event at the AT&T Performing Arts Center, attend a panel discussion at the Nasher Sculpture Center or drop by the Dallas Museum of Art. I might catch a movie at the Angelika. On occasion, I go to the Bishop Arts District or White Rock Lake. At some point during the weekend, I try to catch up on Krys Boyd’s Think podcasts.

Where do you go to experience culture?
SMU Meadows School of Performing Arts, Dallas Museum of Art, Meyerson Symphony, Winspear Opera House, Wyly Theatre — I like everything creative.

What is your favorite restaurant?
Dive Dallas in Snider Plaza near SMU. Their salads and seafood are extraordinarily fresh and tasty. I also love True Food Kitchen, Mesero, Meso Maya, Bolsa Mercado and Terra Mediterranean Grill in Irving for their weekday buffet. For upscale celebrations, nothing beats Flora Street Café, across the street from the Meyerson Symphony Center. It’s worthy of a Michelin star.

What is your favorite festival/event?
Anything happening at the SMU Meadows School for the Performing Arts is my favorite event of the moment.

Where do you like to shop? Why?
I usually do my shopping online, but NorthPark is the most beautiful mall I’ve ever seen and the art on display is outstanding.

Who is your local hero? Why?
Ret. Chief David Brown of the Dallas Police Department, for his leadership

Do you travel often? Is it easier or harder to do here?
Dallas is at most three and a half hours by plane of any major city in the U.S. and is a hub for both American Airlines and Southwest Airlines. That’s hard to beat.

Anything else you’d like to tell us?
Dallas is uniquely positioned to become one of the main creative cities in the U.S. and a leading innovation hub, thanks to its mix of top universities, thriving companies across a wide span of industries, and great quality of life. I’m not sure if the people in Dallas realize how remarkable and unique the city is.

(And, thanks to Derrick Spencer of Lure Salon for styling my hair!)

Photo Credit:  Sarah Bradbury

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Name: Aaron Throneberry

City: Dallas

Neighborhood: Uptown

Company/Title: Dallas Cowboys, Special Events Sales Manager

When did you move here? From where?
2014, from Conway, Arkansas

What made you Say Yes to Dallas?
Because Dallas is only a six-hour drive from where I grew up, I have taken vacations and work trips to the area many times. I chose to live here because Dallas is thriving with innovation and entrepreneurs, which is inspiring.

How did you choose where to live in the Dallas Region?
Being in the heart of the city where I could experience the big city life was important to me. I did my research online and with my friends, and Uptown, Deep Ellum, Lower Greenville and Bishop Arts were all contenders. I ultimately chose Uptown for its proximity to everything — food galore, parks and trails, nightlife and other young professionals. Not to mention that it was only a 25-minute commute to work.

Tell us about your city/neighborhood. What do you like best? What makes it different?
I like Uptown because everything you need is within walking distance. Klyde Warren Park is my go-to — it has a dog park, food trucks, free concerts and entertainment, yoga classes and more. My favorite restaurants in the area are Savor, Uchi and Next Door.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to move here?
If you’re considering a move to Dallas, do your basic research and make sure your commute to work is opposite of the rush hours.

What would you miss most about the area if you had to leave?
I would miss that there is always something fun, entertaining and usually free to do.

Where do you go and what do you do on the weekends or days off?
I am constantly exploring the city. As an avid outdoorsman, I spend my time at the trails on White Rock Lake, and the Dallas Arboretum is a must-see. I scored a deer and duck hunting permit, so I will be spending a lot of time on Lake Grapevine and Lake Lewisville, both of which are only half an hour away. 

What is your favorite outdoor activity, and where is your favorite place to do it?
Elm Fork Shooting Sports is the most impressive gun range and skeet course I have ever seen.

What is your favorite festival/event?
Dallas’ hugely popular annual St. Patty’s Day Parade on Greenville Avenue is my favorite for people watching.

Do you travel often? Is it easier or harder to do here?
Traveling from Dallas is a huge bonus to living here! DFW Airport and Dallas Love Field are close and have extremely affordable flights out of Dallas.