Breaking Educational Barriers in Talent Acquisition with Ren Akinci

In this episode of the Built by People Podcast, the host welcomes Ren, who shares her 15-year journey in HR across various industries and discusses the pivotal moment when she realized the unnecessary barriers created by college degree requirements.

Ren talks about her partnership with OneTen to remove degree requirements in over 75% of job descriptions and how this initiative has diversified talent pools and strengthened recruitment pipelines.

She shares insights on the impact of eliminating degree prerequisites on diversity and inclusion and emphasizes hiring based on skills and potential over formal education.

Ren concludes with advice for companies interested in adopting similar approaches and stresses the importance of tapping into a wider talent market.

00:00 Introduction and Career Journey

01:08 Realizing the Barriers of Degree Requirements

02:17 Practical Experience Over Formal Education

03:15 Partnership with OneTen

04:28 Impact on Diversity and Inclusion

05:47 Success Stories and Skills-Based Hiring

06:56 Parting Advice and Call to Action

07:44 Conclusion

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