What if you were on an inclusive interview panel for your brand team?
BEGIN
But all you knew about the candidates were these simple facts.
Who would you choose?
An individual with three degrees, re-entering the workforce after taking time out to raise children
An individual with 30 years of experience who went to an Ivy League school
An individual with accessibility needs and experience in a related field
An individual with very little job experience on paper
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In a cover letter, Darryl explains that he took time out of his career to spend a few years caring for his child, while his spouse worked toward partner at an accounting firm. He knew that having a gap on his resume might be an obstacle, but he’s ready to dive back into the workforce and is energized by the new perspectives he’s acquired over the past few years as a parent to a child adopted through the foster system. As an experienced project lead, he understands better than ever how important it is to provide support to a team through all the challenges—personal and professional—that they might encounter over the life of a project.
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Julia entered the workforce young, at only 21, and earned several degrees along the way at a top university. Over the past four years, she’s explored her career options and taken 5-6 different positions but thinks that she has finally settled in her zone. She wants to take a step back from people management to return to project work. She loves managing people, but she’s invigorated by the collaborative and innovative work of leading projects. She thinks there’s something so gratifying about seeing something through from start to finish.
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Sasha called to ask about accessibility options ahead of the interview so that she knew how much time to allot for travel and transition time. She’s been working as a project lead and coordinator for many years in the non-profit world and has won numerous awards for her innovative leadership. However, she’s ready for a new challenge, and she thinks that this pivot to a new industry will be an excellent fit for her skills and changing needs.
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Lin has very little job experience on paper since they didn’t hold many jobs, officially. However, when they were a sophomore in college, they came up with an idea for a travel app that consolidated all of one’s travel needs—translation, currency exchange, trip planning, dining options, and more—in one place. The app’s popularity grew and was acquired at the price tag of 2.75 million dollars. Leading the design, development and sale of that app took an enormous amount of organization, management and leadership, and Lin hopes to show the team what they can do.
Click to select an option. Start with the one you would choose, but feel free to explore the others, as well. When you’re done learning about your potential colleagues, select the Next button.
NEXT
As you selected your new potential team member, what did you discover about yourself and your preconceived notions or biases? Can you identify why you chose the individual that you did? Did you choose them because they sounded interesting or different than you? Or did you select them because they felt familiar to you and aligned with your values? Or maybe you selected someone because the other options felt like a bad “fit” for you or your own personal values.

We all have our biases that we learn or carry with us. Recognizing them is the first step. Can you reflect on the internal (and perhaps unspoken or unacknowledged) dialogue that occurred when you made your first selection? What about the adjustment that you had to make when you discovered more about the interviewee? In that moment of dissonance or discomfort, what did you have to adjust to see this person more clearly?