Diversity hire in Chicago

Challenge

Working with a large Investment Bank in Chicago who were looking to hire for their Futures and Options team. Dealing directly with the Americas Head of Business, we were tasked to find a candidate with up to five years’ experience in running a line function as well as helping implement new technology and improve processes. More importantly, a diverse shortlist was required which was challenging to find in a largely male dominated sector, and also because many Futures businesses had left Chicago.

Approach

As the ideal candidate was neither on our database nor sitting on any social media, we immediately targeted contacts from various sources and generating referrals locally. After speaking with dozens of people who were either too senior for unable to work in Chicago, we turned our attention to an existing to generate specific referrals. Speaking to the Head at a competitor bank who was well known to us provided the breakthrough. We were referred to a junior Latino female candidate whose profile was neither on job boards nor social media platforms - but had recently been made redundant.

Outcome

After speaking to the candidate at length, the team presented her resume to the hiring manager, and although highlighting her academic shortcomings, we promoted her experience and eagerness to learn. After several interviews including an assessment for numeric and risk behavior, an offer was made and accepted. The lesson learned here is that stringent academic qualifications are not always the answer, and ultimately the managers decided she would be an asset to the business.