With experience working for the likes of CareerBuilder and The Adecco Group, Marcus Sawyerr is now the founder and CEO of EQ Community, a private member's network that connects professionals to opportunity. Today he joins us to discuss all things talent and the types of challenges currently coming up when he talks to clients. Marcus sheds light on why he founded EQ Community and some of his goals for the company before discussing the importance of DEI and the gap between the well-meaning folks talking about it and the reality of the market. You’ll also hear about how EQ Community is adding value in the counseling it offers to talent to companies who are trying to build a more representative workforce. To hear more about the importance of retention in a climate where companies are scaling back on hiring, what Marcus learned about HR tech when he worked for The Adecco Group, some profound insight into developing inclusive culture in terms of DEI, and so much more, tune in today!

 

Key Points From This Episode:

 

• The types of challenges are coming up currently when Marcus Sawyerr talks to clients. 
• Why Marcus is not phased by the fact that companies are trying to be more lean and scale back on hiring.  
• Why he thinks that retention is more important now than it has been previously. 
• Some of the considerations that come into play when employees choose employers. 
• What led Marcus to found EQ Community and some of his company goals. 
• The four C’s that EQ Community focuses on: Community support, Connections, and access to Careers, which leads to Capital. 
• The gap between the well-meaning folks talking about DEI and the reality of the market. 
• Where EQ Community is adding value: offering counseling to talent and the two areas they focus their efforts on when helping individuals.
• How they help organizations develop an inclusive culture in terms of DEI. 
• Why it is so critical to focus on the onboarding part of the DEI process. 
• The circumstances that would make EQ Community a poor fit for an organization. 
• Signals that people can look for to understand if a prospective company is a place where they can thrive and what Marcus’s “red carpet experience” would entail.
• Thoughts on whether or not all candidates should be treated fairly or if preference should be given to referrals.
• How you can enhance the candidate experience from a communication standpoint with technology. 
• What stood out about the HR tech companies Marcus evaluated when working for Adecco.

 

Tweetables:

 

“I think as companies get their employees in the right positions and get their ducks in a row, so to speak, retaining that top talent is going to become more and more important. We'll probably see a little shift in the type of business that we do with organizations moving forward.” — Marcus Sawyerr [0:03:28]

 

“I noticed there were less and less people that looked like me when I got to the “top” and thought, ‘If I don't set something up to empower people to get access to these opportunities, these experiences I've had, I'd be missing an opportunity myself.’” — Marcus Sawyerr [0:08:49]

 

“Part of what we've spent time on is really changing that narrative and not having DEI as something that's a nice-to-have, something to help people, but really it’s a superpower to drive performance inside organizations.” — Marcus Sawyerr [0:11:46]

 

“I think that you can absolutely, with technology today, enhance the candidate experience from a standpoint of communication.” — Marcus Sawyerr [0:22:14]

 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 

Marcus Sawyerr 

EQ Community 

CareerBuilder 

The Adecco Group

Talk Talent to Me

Hired