Today I’m joined by Renee Davis, Duolingo’s Director of Recruiting. In this episode, we address the issues with the old method of targeting a specific subset of students, and how to stay up to date with each new generation. We dive into how to improve the graduation numbers of underrepresented student populations, and debate the merits of recruiting through TikTok! Renee’s belief that a recruitment program is about what the students can gain from it has already proven its worth, with seven out of eight interns accepting their offers to come back to work, and she takes me through how she managed this impressive feat. From virtual yoga to why three-year recruitment plans are ideal, join me in a lively discussion about changing the way we find talent. 

 

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to Renee Davis, the driving force behind Duolingo’s modern recruiting operation.
• Why recruiting is about more than just meeting hiring goals.
• Tackling problems in university recruiting to impact students' lives.
• The challenges and rewards of going virtual.
• Using virtual events to improve outreach.
• What platforms you can use to improve your recruitment programs.
• How to ensure there is value for the students and not just the recruiters. 
• The Duolingo Thrive Program: building a sense of belonging in underrepresented students.

 

Tweetables:

“Whoever you’re talking to, it's all about making sure there’s value for them.” — Renee Davis [0:14:32]

 

“We are only as good as the students who are in the programs and are graduating with the degrees.” — Renee Davis [0:17:30]

“The long view is getting the problem at root and trying to solve it over time versus constantly trying to build a solution at top of funnel for just in time hiring.” — Renee Davis [0:24:02]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 

Renee Davis on LinkedIn

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