Question: My agency is headquartered in Whiteville, USA. How can I be expected to hire colored people where none exist?
Answer: This seemingly legitimate question surfaces often. Additionally, even advertising executives in diverse, metropolitan areas recite a similar and related statement: I simply don’t see many and/or any minority candidates.
The truth is, adfolks in Whiteville, USA must pretty much do the same things as those in places like New York.
The answers are partly tied to Culturally Clueless FAQs—Number 6. Take a moment to review it.
First, it’s imperative that we rethink the traditional recruitment strategies. The search cannot always begin and end with our own Rolodexes and personal cultural comfort zones. Venturing outside of our time zones is possible too, as the lousy economy is encouraging everyone to consider moving. Location, location, location is no longer an excuse, excuse, excuse.
Forget where you land in Rand McNally. Determine where you’re positioned on the Darwinian chart. That is, how evolved is your corporate culture? Is your shop progressive and inviting? Do you encourage a variety of perspectives and experiences? Have you created an environment that thrives on the diversity of ideas—and the idea of diversity? Stop blaming your address and start addressing the necessary renovations to prepare your enterprise for life in the 21st century.
The candidates are out there. You just need to completely open your eyes, your minds and your agency’s doors.
Change has come to America. But it took a detour around Madison Avenue. While citizens have adopted phrases like “post-racial,” the advertising industry operates in a pre-Civil Rights time warp. Whenever the topics of diversity and inclusion appear, ad executives consistently display stunning ignorance. MultiCultClassics has sought to address the issues in the past. However, the matters have evolved along with society, despite Madison Avenue’s retarded development. As a public service, this blog will answer a series of Frequently Asked Questions to enlighten the asses… er, masses.
1 comment:
In this instance a widening of the perimeters would be in order. Every community has diversity of some sort. Sexual orientation, Mental & Physical differences & even socioeconomic barriers could be addressed in whiteville usa.
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