Career Testimonials

Below are quotes from diverse professionals on their own experiences in the corporate world.

"I believe a part of the problem is that diverse candidates don't apply for certain positions because the way Corporate America has instilled in us that certain jobs are only for certain people."

"My race and sexual orientation has caused me to not be chosen time and time again. I’ll interview, the interview goes amazing, and everyone acknowledges that. Then, I’ll get a call (I have recently received 4 different opportunities) where I’m told I’m amazing, my skills and qualifications are excellent, but they had to go with someone else and had that white male or white woman had not applied hands down it would have been me. Very heartbreaking."

"Executives, leaders and hiring managers need to have a standard criteria for career advancement in their departments. In many cases, one has to meet or exceed the personal standards of the hiring manager. From my experience and observations it seems that one has to congregate in certain circles in order to be considered for certain positions or to get the training needed to advance."

"We do not have enough diversity at all the decision making tables in our corporate organizations. Therefore decisions are being made for people without knowing what is best for the demographic. [Leaders must] be intentional about picking, grooming, and investing in the appropriate measure of diversity. Select the best candidate, but give all diverse candidates an opportunity. Corporate America can cause you to sell out and lose yourself but with the right discipline, determination, and the understanding that you represent those who went before and came after."

"I believe Corporate America lacks diversity because they recycle candidates instead of looking beyond their immediate circles or promote people within the company. I have faced challenges based on race and gender. I have been overlooked for roles because employers stereotyped me based on my race, or because they didn't feel I could handle the job based on assumptions about my gender and family plans."

"I don’t think Corporate America invests enough time or money into hiring and developing diverse candidates. I think if companies that say they want to be diverse need to ask themselves, 'Have we been investing time into actually seeking out diverse candidates?" "Do we have a dedicated team of people whose job is to maintain a diverse pool of people?" “Is there any outreach being done in underrepresented communities?” "What is Corporate America doing to make sure their reach is truly diverse?"