How to recruit more Women of Color in Sales
Yesterday I sat down with 🌟 Joi “The Joiful Recruiter”🌟 and we talked about how to get more Women of Color in Sales. We brainstormed a bunch of great ideas, so I thought I’d share:
1) Business Dev & Sales Dev roles are the obvious entry point into a Sales career…
What’s less obvious is how to get that talent. Most people’s minds go to HBCUs, HSIs, and schools with Sales Programs. But any recruiter will tell you that these schools are competitive. Not to mention, their Career Centers are often understaffed and underfunded.
This is why I love RippleMatch! They make a technology that’s like eHarmony. They match you with relevant diverse students across the nation. Students will be more open to your non-FANG company. Because RippleMatch tells the student how your company meets all their requirements.
After learning about what they do, I would never EVER waste time trying to partner with a Career Center. It’s not scalable.
2) Partner with Networking Orgs dedicated to Women In Sales.
Might I recommend National Association of Women Sales Professionals (NAWSP)? NAWSP provides coaching, community, and advocacy for more than 15,000 saleswomen. There are lots of opportunities to become a sponsor. Join Cynthia Barnes on her podcast, we can promote your roles, and even host a career fair for you.
But the bigger opportunity is to partner with us for the women in sales you already have! It’s not hard to hire Women, including Women Of Color, at your entry-level. The real challenge is battling attrition. You have to provide these women with psychological safety and a career path. But also professional development, ongoing training, and support. NAWSP helps with that.
3) Think outside the university box!
There are training programs help people get into tech sales. Some you may have heard of are Flockjay and Elevate. I’m a Tech Sales Instructor with Skillz Academy. Their students are people who work in Hospitality, Retail, and Food & Beverage. They are all underrepresented. Many of these people don’t have college degrees. And, hey, guess what? You don’t need a college degree to do Tech Sales. I didn’t need my degree to do my job.
Oftentimes this population makes the BEST salespeople! They have experience working with personalities. They already know how to talk to adults. And they already know how to hustle (and you can’t teach grit!). If more People of Color is your goal, you have to expand your idea of what a “good” candidate looks like. Because the talent is out there. But are your opportunities?
