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Living my passion in diversity recruiting
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I have over 20 years of experience in sales, business development and change management. After spending much of my tenure in the technology field, I decided to pursue a career with Vanguard. I started out in a project management position, supporting our Retail business. While I enjoyed the challenging work and am glad for the skills I developed, I decided I wanted to explore another passion of mine: to help others on their talent journey. Regardless of the “talent” role I landed, I was determined to aid others in reaching their potential by playing a more active role in driving Vanguard’s recruitment strategy. Further, I was looking for an opportunity that had direct ties to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). Lucky for me, I was offered what I like to call the perfect position, a role as a Diversity Recruiting Lead on Vanguard’s Diversity Recruiting Strategy (DRS) team.
DRS and our investment in the DEI space
As a Diversity Recruiting Lead, I’ve focused on three major goals:
- Increase Vanguard brand awareness in the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Ecosystem
- Support alleviating inequity gaps in the HBCU Ecosystem
- Grow the diversity in Vanguard’s talent pipeline
In an effort to support these goals, the DRS team strives to deliver programming to students that is unlike others. And that is where the strategy evolves. I try to think like college students, understanding how to meet them where they are, and empathize with their college to corporate journey. Vanguard programs like HBCU EXPLORE, a three-day event that provides an enriching experience for students and our HBCU partners, gives students direct access to our recruiters so they have an idea of what to look for when exploring internships and full-time opportunities. Further, HBCU EXPLORE offers students the space to ask questions related to the personal journeys of those who have recently graduated and accepted roles at Vanguard and to learn ways in which they can maximize their college experiences and pursue jobs they may not have previously considered.
Along with reimagining programs like HBCU EXPLORE, we also partner with major organizations like Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), launching Vanguard scholars programming to help alleviate financial burdens for students working hard to ace their grades. Additionally, the team works with several HBCUs to partner on how best to support classroom curriculum, sharing the technical skills and information to help set students up for success in the financial services industry.
Lastly, we recently introduced a new program in collaboration with Howard University: the Howard University Sales Management Fellowship Program. For almost a year, I’ve had the honor of working closely with the Chair of Marketing and a Marketing/Sales Professor at Howard University to help develop this fellowship program for under-represented talent in the financial services industry. As the sole corporate partner, Vanguard will help debunk myths about what sales is, introduce Howard University students to sales leaders, and provide an experience where they will gain insight into sales at Vanguard. In continuing to seek ways to lean into our HBCU partnerships, we hope to add value to both the students and faculty experiences at Howard University.
A new opportunity
As for what comes next, I’m excited to share that I’ve accepted an opportunity to manage the program for the Howard University Sales Management Fellowship full-time. I feel like things have come full circle as I’m back where I started, working closely with Vanguard Sales domains, helping to increase the diversity in our sales pipeline, while amplifying Vanguard’s broader DEI commitment.
-Kristy P.
