Fair & open hiring for people of color: Why it's important to me
From Lara Haddadin (she/her), Search Associate at Meso Solutions
Growing up as an Arab-American in an immigrant family, I saw my parents face prejudice — from microaggressions to outright racism — in the workforce. As I got older, these biases and instances of blatant racism followed me throughout my own professional journey, even as I sought to build a career in the nonprofit and social impact sectors.
I challenge organizations to consider race, gender, and holistic inclusivity at the core of their organizational culture, with an emphasis on fair and open hiring practices. At Meso Solutions, I’m determined to make space for people of color and other marginalized individuals in the workforce, who bring in different perspectives that enable organizations to be stronger, more well-rounded, and able to connect genuinely with the people they serve. It’s larger than the individual or simply hiring more Black people, queer people, and disabled people — it’s about about changing the system, so that historically marginalized people never face inequity in the first place. Meso knows this, and works to create a workforce where all individuals — particularly those who have lacked access to opportunity — marginalized groups feel safe and supported throughout their careers.
Meso’s mission is important to me because it connects to my broader passion for and commitment to social justice-related work. Systemic oppression of marginalized communities is often deeply intertwined with issues such as hiring practices and workforce inclusion. We see effects of inequity in the professional world through unfair hiring practices; jobs exclusively advertised to the homogenous demographic of middle-class, white, able-bodied individuals; microaggressions toward people of color, and a lack of diversity in the workplace. These symptoms of systemic racism directly cause people of color to not only feel uncomfortable at their jobs, but to also get hired less regularly. This perpetuates the cycle of job-seekers from historically underrepresented communities being left without the support or structure to succeed. When job-seekers are unable to find employment because of discrimination in hiring processes, whether intentional or not, they lose the ability to be financially secure, forcing them not only to take low-wage or multiple jobs just to survive, but also keeping them from obtaining safe and stable housing, caring for their families, accessing higher education, and many more opportunities that ensure upward mobility. These barriers correlate to larger societal issues such as generational poverty, higher rates of survival crimes (crimes committed in order to secure basic survival, like stealing food in order to eat), and the expansion of the prison industrial complex.
Meso’s work combats systematic racism in everything we do. As a Search Associate, I support our clients at each step of their job search and hiring process, keeping racial and social justice at the forefront. I also collaborate on projects that guide companies and progressive organizations in re-envisioning their overall organizational structure through an intentional lens on equity and inclusion. An example of this includes ensuring clients clearly understand how specific education requirements in a talent search tend to favor wealthier, white applicants, and inadvertently and immediately lock out entire groups of marginalized people. Meso also facilitates one-on-one conversations with clients’ current employees to discuss areas their workplace can improve when it comes to equity and inclusion. If we notice a client’s hiring practices exclude exceptional candidates from diverse backgrounds, we advise them on how to restructure their search.
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