Discovering and expanding diversity with authenticity

Abstract

Lack of opportunity or financial resources, the need to support a family or care for a sick loved one and a host of other factors often stand in the way and make community college or, increasingly, online universities, the only viable path to a degree. [...]by excluding candidates based on their education, hiring committees are also excluding talented and well-suited candidates from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Generational diversity adds a mix of cultural and technological perspectives to a company, but preconceived notions that youth equals innovation or that experience means wisdom may color how and whether a candidate is considered, even if such perceptions do not rise to the level of age discrimination in a legal sense. When a group of white men makes the decisions, not only will it betray that diversity does not go beyond lip service but also exclude people from the process whose own diverse backgrounds can offer insightful perspectives or make a candidate feel comfortable discussing personal and sensitive life experiences.