The Equitable Interview: Creating space for your values in the job search and the workplace

You’ve landed an interview for a new position. You want to communicate that equity - DE&I, social justice, however the company communicates inclusive behaviors - in the workplace is important to you and assess if it’s important to your potential employer…but how?

You’re a manager who wants to create a sense of equity amongst your team, including through new hires. What questions can you do - both legally and strategically - to make this happen?

Or maybe you’re just curious and like to hear from interesting and accomplished leaders!

No matter what county you work in or where your coworkers are from, It’s likely every one of us will find ourselves in all of these situations at some point in our professional lives. Join YPIN for a discussion with four leaders from diverse fields about their experiences hiring for, creating, and championing equity in the workplace. Given recent upheaval and reorgs in Seattle and globally, this event is ideal for anyone in transition as they search for their new employer. We will hear brief remarks from these leaders about their experience, then open the floor for questions and discussion led by you! Some ideas we will be discussing might include: what are ways an interviewer can make their questions and process more equitable? What is the general thinking about equity in interviewing and the hiring process? What are some things to say as either an employee or employer to convey your values around equity? And more!

YPIN hosts a wide range of networking and social events in and around Seattle, with an international focus and a goal of helping to foster global understanding and collaboration.

About our Panelists

Michael Greer is the President and CEO of ArtsFund. Having worked as a professional artist and an executive in the nonprofit and for-profit space, he brings a wealth of experience and unique perspective on the challenges and opportunities of diverse workplaces. In addition, he is a dedicated community partner and serves on a number of boards, including the World Affairs Council's.

Bobby Huang is the Director of Retail Strategy at REI. His team is responsible for designing and defining the future of commercial growth at the co-op. This involves following retail trends, the macro-economic climate, our competitors, and most importantly what REI customers and employees are saying about our experience. Bobby loves working at REI because they are a different type of company, they’re not beholden to shareholders and as a result profit and growth are NOT the most important guide posts of our business. Instead, REI puts equal weighting on employee experience, member rewards, societal impact and business outcome; they call this their quadruple bottom line. Every major decision they make must consider how the outcomes impacts those four elements. On a personal level, he is a husband, a dad and loves spending time outside with his family.

Andrea Ommen is the Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition at Human Interest. Andrea is a solutions-oriented Talent Acquisition Leader/Program Manager with over 15 years of experience in corporate and agency settings. She’s a multifaceted player-coach with a dedication to DEIB, operational efficiency, employer brand, and cross-team collaboration to attract, build, and retain talented teams to hyper-growth tech startups and public companies. Andrea harnesses the power of empathy to make allies out of leaders, and create equitable workplaces.

Rachel Cupples is a Senior Recruiter for Textio. Rachel has spent over a decade successfully building and leading best-in-class recruitment and inside sales teams. Rachel makes use of what she calls one of her true superpowers, "meeting people where they are and building from there." Rachel specializes in diversity corporate recruitment. For over six of the ten-plus years Rachel has been recruiting, she has focused on building recruitment programs that empower candidates, hiring teams, clients, and being a champion for diversity and inclusion. Rachel’s focus allows her to deliver top talent and cultivate partnerships without cutting corners or compromising candidate experience.