The Power to Shift Attitudes in Hiring and Diversity

Samantha Smith is the Head of Customer Success at Regrow.io.

By Samantha Smith

My philosophy on hiring is straightforward: hire the best. But upon reflection, did I have access to the best? Was I spending enough time looking at candidates who didn't use keywords that would appear on candidate searches? Did I widen my scope enough to attract a diverse candidate pool for my team? 

I am building out a customer-facing support team in my current role. While hiring the best will always be at the forefront, I want to change my approach to finding the best. Sure, hiring referrals from current employees is a good practice. Having HR provide you with "qualified" candidates makes it easier to narrow the pool. This time I will limit these approaches and consider candidates from different life paths who have found success in other ways other than directly related to the job description.  

How will I adopt a new approach? I will let go of preconceived notions that a college degree is a formula for success. I will spend more time looking for candidates versus only looking at submitted resumes. I will be more involved in looking at industry blogs recognizing leadership potential and a strong aptitude to work within my team. I will recognize good customer service and explore if they are an excellent candidate to recruit.  

I am committed to recognizing I need to change and evolve my hiring practice. I am proud of my track record in identifying and hiring current leaders for many companies in the past and today. Still, I have denied myself, and outside candidates the opportunity to change career paths and contribute their life lessons to a new field that would provide increased income and better fulfillment in job satisfaction. Hiring the best requires that I don't just attract the best; I build new paths to find the best.

““I am committed to recognizing I need to change and evolve my hiring practice. Hiring the best requires that I don’t just attract the best; I build new paths to find the best.” — Samantha Smith @regrow_cannabis #PowerToChangeStories” ”
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