S4 57 |CXR Foundation: Gerry Crispin talks about the three T’s of volunteerism

Announcer 0:00Welcome to the CXR channel, our premier podcast for talent acquisition and talent management. Listen in as the CXR community discusses a wide range of topics focused on attracting, engaging and retaining the best talent. We're glad you're here.

Chris Hoyt 0:16Hello everybody This is Chris Hoyt with CareerXroads. I have my business partner Gerry, on the line with me today, Gerry, how are ya?

Gerry Crispin 0:24I'm, I'm wonderful partner. Life is good

Chris Hoyt 0:28So the topic we're gonna talk about today quick broadcast, because we've got a little special something that a handful of folks in the space have been working on and something that I think it's actually been boiling up for a number of months, if not at least a year with us. Yeah. Is is the announcement of the new CXR Foundation, a nonprofit that has just been formed and established.

Gerry Crispin 0:52Yeah,

Chris Hoyt 0:53Yeah. And I guess I've got I've got you on the line today, because I just thought it would be interesting for us to talk a little bit about why, why this and why this now and share that with everybody where headspace is at. So I guess my first question to Gerry is like, what, why on earth? Did we form a nonprofit?

Gerry Crispin 1:13I think a nonprofit has a different kind of mission. And, and the mission is not just to make money, it has to be a business in the sense that it has to pay for itself. But its goal is not to make the owners rich. And there's a transparency around nonprofits from a public point of view, that kind of helps that along. But I do think the attitude has to be there as well. And I do think that we've been talking about and doing things for, for the space for the industry, for many years. I mean, just because and and we've been very fortunate and very privileged to be able to have the kind of where with all to spend time to try to help others, you know, within our space and to bring people together. And I think we recognize that our success has been about community, that's a part of our industry, which is the the practitioners and very large companies. But what's left out, in part because of our business model is the ability to bring literally everybody in our space vendors, consultants, you know, service suppliers, practitioners together to solve common problems for industry, that, that we believe, you know, are part of the challenge that make this not just a profession, but but a place that we're proud of. And I think there's enough people in our space who want to work together to work on problems bigger than themselves bigger than their employer. And I think this gives us the platform to be able to, to accomplish that at least that's, that's my aspiration.

Chris Hoyt 3:07Yeah, I agree with you. And I think we've we've already sort of been doing some stuff. You know, we were just talking about this the other day, like this sort of goes hand in hand, along the lines with the work we were doing in local communities, right with the CXR Cares efforts.

Gerry Crispin 3:20Without a doubt, I think, a, a foundation, if you will, a nonprofit that's focused in on our should be at varying levels. So our ability to go into a different community that and help our members realize that this is kind of a you know, every community is unique, it has a special set of issues, we tend to look only at those people that we're trying to hire. But the fact is, there are people who might eventually become hireable, that we should maybe be adding some value to people who have disabilities, people who may have had some hard times, and then fundamentally can come back into the workforce. And I think that's part of how we have to give back in total. And so that's at one level another level, we want to be able to encourage recruiters to think beyond putting a body in a seat. And that fundamentally, they have a responsibility in the, in the community to to kind of engage and and kind of provide help to those people looki...

Announcer 0:00
Welcome to the CXR channel, our premier podcast for talent acquisition and talent management. Listen in as the CXR community discusses a wide range of topics focused on attracting, engaging and retaining the best talent. We’re glad you’re here.

Chris Hoyt 0:16
Hello everybody This is Chris Hoyt with CareerXroads. I have my business partner Gerry, on the line with me today, Gerry, how are ya?

Gerry Crispin 0:24
I’m, I’m wonderful partner. Life is good

Chris Hoyt 0:28
So the topic we’re gonna talk about today quick broadcast, because we’ve got a little special something that a handful of folks in the space have been working on and something that I think it’s actually been boiling up for a number of months, if not at least a year with us. Yeah. Is is the announcement of the new CXR Foundation, a nonprofit that has just been formed and established.

Gerry Crispin 0:52
Yeah,

Chris Hoyt 0:53
Yeah. And I guess I’ve got I’ve got you on the line today, because I just thought it would be interesting for us to talk a little bit about why, why this and why this now and share that with everybody where headspace is at. So I guess my first question to Gerry is like, what, why on earth? Did we form a nonprofit?

Gerry Crispin 1:13
I think a nonprofit has a different kind of mission. And, and the mission is not just to make money, it has to be a business in the sense that it has to pay for itself. But its goal is not to make the owners rich. And there’s a transparency around nonprofits from a public point of view, that kind of helps that along. But I do think the attitude has to be there as well. And I do think that we’ve been talking about and doing things for, for the space for the industry, for many years. I mean, just because and and we’ve been very fortunate and very privileged to be able to have the kind of where with all to spend time to try to help others, you know, within our space and to bring people together. And I think we recognize that our success has been about community, that’s a part of our industry, which is the the practitioners and very large companies. But what’s left out, in part because of our business model is the ability to bring literally everybody in our space vendors, consultants, you know, service suppliers, practitioners together to solve common problems for industry, that, that we believe, you know, are part of the challenge that make this not just a profession, but but a place that we’re proud of. And I think there’s enough people in our space who want to work together to work on problems bigger than themselves bigger than their employer. And I think this gives us the platform to be able to, to accomplish that at least that’s, that’s my aspiration.

Chris Hoyt 3:07
Yeah, I agree with you. And I think we’ve we’ve already sort of been doing some stuff. You know, we were just talking about this the other day, like this sort of goes hand in hand, along the lines with the work we were doing in local communities, right with the CXR Cares efforts.

Gerry Crispin 3:20
Without a doubt, I think, a, a foundation, if you will, a nonprofit that’s focused in on our should be at varying levels. So our ability to go into a different community that and help our members realize that this is kind of a you know, every community is unique, it has a special set of issues, we tend to look only at those people that we’re trying to hire. But the fact is, there are people who might eventually become hireable, that we should maybe be adding some value to people who have disabilities, people who may have had some hard times, and then fundamentally can come back into the workforce. And I think that’s part of how we have to give back in total. And so that’s at one level another level, we want to be able to encourage recruiters to think beyond putting a body in a seat. And that fundamentally, they have a responsibility in the, in the community to to kind of engage and and kind of provide help to those people looking for jobs, even if you’re not going to go forward with them. So there’s, there are those issues. And then of course, you know, we we got involved with Recruiters, Recruiting Recruiters in this time of pandemic. And that’s another level of trying to you know, give back to our own in helping them come to grips with some of the issues they have to face in either upskilling themselves so that they can become they can get back to work as recruiters at an potentially at a new level. So these are some of the things and I think we can go even beyond that.

Chris Hoyt 5:00
Yeah, I mean, are we are we poised? And I’m asking you for interview sake, because I kind of know the answer this obviously, poised, are we poised to do things other than a fun cooking show? Other than, you know, recruiters recruiting recruiters, other than the interview project that’s underway, like, are we poised to do something from a standards or publication standpoint with the foundation? Is? Is that also?

Gerry Crispin 5:24
Yes! What a great setup? Um, yeah, I think I think we’ve all been moved a lot by, you know, what’s happening in this pandemic, in terms of the kind of thinking that we have to go forward with, if we’re going to move the needle on how to build a 21st century recruiting process. It’s not just what we’re willing to take risks on in our own company, it’s how are we actually willing to promote standards, or positive practices, that that essentially, companies are reluctant to engage in? At this point, in less, perhaps we’re pushing the hell out of our entire industry, to move in that direction. And that takes all of us that would take, literally, you know, 100 of some of the top TA leaders, some of the top vendors in our space, some of the top consultants in our space, to come together and say things like, we need to fix the systemic problems in bias within our hiring process that still exists. And when I call him when I talk about systemic, I don’t I don’t mean just trying to figure out whether an individual is dealing with unconscious bias, that’s a that’s an individual problem that a you that a that we recognize, and that would that is involved with some training, etc. and those kinds of things. What I what I do mean is, why aren’t we? Why aren’t we empowering recruiters who are required to develop a diverse slate with a button that allows them to immediately know as a job is opened, what the what the disparity is for, for underrepresented groups for that job? Why don’t we give that data to the to the recruiter and hold them accountable, to starting to engage the hiring manager, about just how diverse the slate must be, in order for us to start making a shift in that in that underrepresented group in their, in their particular area. And then, and then, if I’m putting together a pool of 100, people, half of half of the Fortune 500 won’t give me as the recruiter, the capability to understand the diversity of that pool. When when a lot of that data is available. Um, and and certainly can be inferred and discoverable. And, and obviously, there’s different points of view about that, well, I think we should come to a common agreement, that if we’re going to move the needle, we need to do a little bit better than just having a lot of different kinds of opinions about this, we need to form a point of view about what is the most appropriate practice to help us move the needle from a diversity and inclusion point of view. And then we need to be able to tell people and step up with our names, our companies, etc, around that. And I think that’s one example, pay disparity is another example, some of the network approaches that give the privilege much more of a weight in terms of getting a job than those who are not so privileged. And a lot of those things are embedded in our hiring process. So if we’re going to get fairness built into our hiring process, to the point where the public could see that and kind of respect our profession for what we know it to be or what it can be, then I think it’s time to do this.

Yeah, I think it’d be nice for us to influence. Specifically on the topic of diverse slates, I think it’s be nice to influence a standard, get a communication shift in the industry that goes a little bit further than encouraging or not encouraging.

Gerry Crispin 9:40
And it’s not going to be done because you and I think it should be done. It’s going to be done if we can get like minded folks together who represent enough influence in the space to be able to push that out whether it be you know, an set of articles or whether it be a set of trainings or whether it be, you know, to encourage that we we make this available and transparent to the industry itself through some kind of publication,

Chris Hoyt 10:10
Well you’re talking about we’ve already got about 80 employers and solution providers or vendors or consultants in the space on board. Right. So right out of the gate, I’m pretty excited. Gerry, let me ask you, um, is the CXR foundation in any way, some sort of competitive element to other organizations like the Association for talent acquisition professionals or ATAP?

Gerry Crispin 10:35
Well, as one of the founders of ATAP, I’d have to say, No, not at all.

Chris Hoyt 10:40
I just keep giving you these softballs,

Gerry Crispin 10:42
There’s a reason that I, I differentiate, I see what we’re doing is much more of a, of a think tank. And, and, and a group that can influence you know, for the future, it’s not something that everybody is going to want to do, or can do or can afford to do. Because we’re going to have to step up not with our talent, our time and our treasure. So you know, not everybody is going to be able to do those kinds of things. So we want to vet people for that. And for an associate professional association, it should be for everybody at every level, regardless of their ability to pay. And so I’m, I’m a fan of a professional association that creates a platform where we can, we can help everyone at every level of their development, to improve where they’re going. But I do think that we need different kinds of organizations that are willing to come up with the standards that that eventually an a tap can look at and say that is that is and should be part of the body of knowledge and part of the baseline for the future of our profession, etc. It’s up to them to be able to kind of act assess what we want. But we should be advocates, if you will, for a point of view that we think helps move our profession in an appropriate fashion.

Chris Hoyt 12:17
Yeah, long been a fan. I’m a lifetime charter member of ATAP. So obviously, I would encourage membership in both of these for anybody can pull that off, I can afford the time. And certainly the energy. I think they’re both endeavors that are well worth the investment of what was a time treasure.

Gerry Crispin 12:35
Time talent and Treasure

Chris Hoyt 12:36
Time Talent and Treasure. There it is. I’m stealing the three T’s

Gerry Crispin 12:41
So that’s actually the three T’s of volunteerism, that’s, that’s essentially what you need to be able to focus on as you as you grow and develop in ways to give back.

Chris Hoyt 12:53
I’m gonna get T-shirts, man.

Gerry Crispin 12:55
Okay.

Chris Hoyt 12:55
Yah you think I’m kidding. Wouldn’t be the first set of shirts we’ve made.

Gerry Crispin 12:59
It would be t cubed.

Chris Hoyt 13:01
Oh, no. All right, Gerry, I want to say thanks for the quick, quick, quick information in the quick, quick call for us to talk a little bit about it and share kind of where our headspace is out for this endeavor. For those who are listening, and are interested in finding out more about the CXR Foundation. You can simply go to www.CXR.Foundation. Yes, that is a valid URL address. don’t slap a dot com or a dot whatever on the end it’s just CXR.Foundation and Gerry, I’ll be talking to you real soon. Thanks.

Gerry Crispin 13:30
Thank you.

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