At a recent Human Resources Professionals' conference ...
I attended a break-out session on diversity.
It actually was very good ... in that it expanded the concept of diversity beyond Race and Gender, to include Age, Youth, GBLT, Regionalism, and just about every identifiable human distinction. It was encouraging to watch as the, typically, young conservative group of HR pros, realized that EVERYONE brings SOMETHING to the table, if you allow them.
Then, during a break, I happened across an conversation of about 8 people (all young and all white). I recognized some of the participants, they were mostly Tech Recruiters of mid-level jobs.
I stopped by just in time to hear one of the older male Recruiters say, "Honestly, when I see an African-American, Hispanic or Female applicant come across my desk, I automatically give them a call!"
To which another Recruiter responded, "Yeah ... gotta meet that quota ... that everyone says isn't there."
This made me blanche a bit, as I decided whether to engage or not; but I didn't have to ... the original speaker said, "Oh ... Not at all. I couldn't care less about quotas, I want the best candidate available. Think about it ... Everyone that comes across our desk are experienced and proven, most are accomplished. Any woman or Black or Hispanic that rises to the top in this field has three things that we want ... competence, grit and the ability to fit in; as opposed to the self-entitled, whinny individualists (air-quotes), that seem to be out there."
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