WorkFair 2022: Recap and Highlights

Our third annual WorkFair event just took place – and it was a huge success! We linked students and graduates with LGBTQ+ inclusive workplaces, provided help and advice for job seekers, and hosted a number of panels geared towards promoting diversity, inclusivity and equality in the workplace. Thank you to everyone who took part, we hope you found it insightful and helpful.

If you missed out on any of our excellent panels on topics such as Securing a Graduate Job and Attracting Top Talent, have no fear! You can still watch the full recorded sessions or read our recap of the main WorkFair panels below.

Attracting Top Talent

In our panel for Attracting Top Talent, we were joined by Lewis Bell (Technical Sourcer at Booking.Com); Jayson Darby (Director of Science at Thomas International); Kelley Hartman (Manager and Talent Acquisition at Resmed); Brett Hemmerling (Programs Manager at Moody’s) and Amy Vankirk (Senior Director at Paraxel).

Our first panel of the day focused on attracting talent, featuring a range of professional panelists giving an exclusive insight into how their companies attract and retain talent, making their work teams as strong as possible. Topics discussed include the intricacies of the hiring process, the role of diversity and inclusion in each company, and the barriers they have overcome to ensure equal opportunities for each potential candidate. When asked about the importance of diversity, the panelists informed us of how their companies value inclusivity, and how it benefits both employees and employers.

“You can have everyone getting on well because they're really similar, which is easy to manage, but sometimes a bit of healthy difference doesn't have to become conflict, it can help companies be more creative," explained Jayson Darby. "If you're creating opportunities for more people from different backgrounds to work together, they'll have better ideas, they'll solve problems better.”

“At Paraxel, we take our D&I approach a little bit further, and we apply it to our suppliers as well," Amy VanKirk said. "We like to partner with minority owned businesses, or women owned businesses as well, so that we can say our suppliers are also connected into our D&I strategy.”

Hear what the rest of the panelists have to say and watch the full video here!

How To Secure a Graduate Job

Offering their top tips on our How To Secure a Graduate Job panel were Ashley Hever (Talent Acquistion Director at Enterprise); Julie Buggenhoudt (People Continuity Manager at AB InBev); James Gordanifar (Global Head of Early Careers at WTW); Shane Windmeyer (CEO and Founder of Campus Pride) and Patricia Lucas-Clarke (Inclusion and Diversity Manager at GSK).

In this panel, graduate recruiters and industry professionals gave their advice as to what students can do to secure their graduate job, providing guidance on how to approach the constantly shifting job market, and gaining the confidence they need to get on the path to their inclusive career. Topics included the value of experience, how their companies are constantly adapting to ensure inclusivity, how to discuss mental health in the workplace, and unique advice on achieving your dream job.

“Today’s young person is very aware that just turning up in a Pride parade with your rainbow logos is wonderful, but they want more than that," Shane Windmeyer discussed. "There is a workforce coming that wants to have inclusion and diversity for who they are. We work with companies to talk about how we change the day-to-day as opposed to the policies.”

“Our patients aren't all just one background. They're global. There’s intersectionality, there’s differences." Patricia Lucas-Clarke said of GSK. "If you've only got one viewpoint, you're not going to understand the patient, so you've got to have that diversity of thought coming in. Getting other ideas, other people’s perspectives.”

To watch the full discussion and obtain some invaluable advice, watch the video here!

ERGs, How Can I Get Involved?

Explaining ERGs and their purpose in the workplace in the next panel were Andy Goff (Diversity and Inclusion Manager at Capgemini); Elinor Leafgren (Associate Scientist at PPD); Rochelle McFawn (Senior Director of Product Merchandising at Nike); Andy Meaney (Sales Insight Data Lead at Oracle), and Joe Nevares (Marketing Communications Project Manager at Resmed).

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are an increasingly important aspect of a healthy work environment. In order to ensure that all workspaces are safe, inclusive and smoothly ran, ERGs focus on making sure staff are healthy and happy. Discussing the role of Employee Resource Groups and the power they hold, our panelists gave their professional view on how the incorporation of these groups can benefit both employees and businesses alike.

“I have learned so many diverse perspectives and we focus really firmly on intersectionality too," said Rochelle McFawn. "It has been a great opportunity for allies to learn something as well, so that educational aspect has been really huge.”

"The benefits of ERGs is that they are there to help drive forward change," Andy Goff explained. "We've had reverse mentoring, putting people in our LGBTQ+ network with senior leaders of the business to give them a different perspective, to ensure that what they're doing is inclusive. It's levelling the playing field.”

Learn more about ERGs and the benefits of implementing them in the full video, available here!

Bringing Your Whole Self to Work

Joining us for a panel about workplace confidence and being out and proud were Claire Brody (Director, Diversity Equity and Inclusion at Warner Bros. Discovery); Abraham Briseno (Assoicate Account Strategist at Criteo); Fernando López (Data Associate at S&P Global) and James Woolley (Senior Operations Associate at Fitch Group).

Creating a safe and welcoming workplace is vital to business success and, more importantly, to maintaining a healthy and happy staff and employer relationship. Our panelists talked through the importance of being your full authentic self at work, the negative impact of being in the closet at your business, and what employers can do to make their workspaces feel more inclusive, open and safe.

“If you want to encourage your employees and your associates to be their full selves at work, you should partner with companies that do the same," Abraham Briseno stated. "If you partner with companies that do not accept diversity, then you are not empowering your employees to be their full selves at work.”

“Anyone in a position of leadership in a company – it should be a priority that you keep LGBTQ+ voices, Black voices, Latinx voices across the board, that you elevate and empower those voices," Claire Brody discussed. "When I think about the dynamics of power and how that impacts how inclusive or non-inclusive experiences are in any space, I think about how much good could be done from allies and folks that can leverage their power.”

Hear more about the personal experience of the professionals, how it relates to many LGBTQ+ experiences, and what companies should do moving forward by watching the full video here!