Shavonne Gordon on the Power of Diversity Recruiting

At Capital One, recruiting diverse talent is key in accomplishing our mission to change banking for good. Creating an inclusive workplace where employees can bring their whole selves to work isn’t just a business decision, it’s a personally rewarding aspect of the job for leaders like  Shavonne Gordon, Vice President of Enterprise Diversity Recruiting at Capital One. 

Gordon recently sat down with us to talk about her personal mission in diversity recruiting, how her team pivoted amidst the challenges of a pandemic, and all the ways her professional responsibilities align with Capital One’s mission to change banking for good.

Gordon is especially proud of the work she and her team have done in the past year, and says that the diversity recruiting team is integral to Capital One’s strategy moving forward. Below, learn more about a few programs and initiatives that Capital One has established to support candidates from all walks of life at every stage of their career—from college students to experienced professionals.

In College, at HBCUs and HSIs

Diversity is at the heart of Capital One recruiting, starting with comprehensive college outreach programs. By engaging diverse Campus talent, we share our mission, culture, values and career opportunities with them, with the ultimate goal of helping them identify a great role within our organization. 

This strategy is constantly evolving and growing, and includes partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) where we strive to build strong, lasting relationships. In 2019, our partnerships with Howard University and the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez focused on skill building, job preparation, and creating resources customized to the needs of the university. They included workshops, ranging from LinkedIn profile and resume building to imposter syndrome and resilience. 

The success of this program with Howard led to more HBCUs joining the program in the fall of 2020, and we’re proud to announce our new partnerships with NC A&T, and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU). We also plan to continue our engagement with HBCUs through the launch of our Tech mini-mester program, which is a two week curriculum designed to increase students’ interest in computer science and engineering, as well as First Gen Focus, which is a year long program designed to support first-year, first-generation college students. 

 

Recruiting Diverse, Top Tech Talent

Expanding Capital One’s pool of tech talent isn’t easy to begin with, but especially in light of the global pandemic and increased social unrest across the nation, it is even more critical we place additional emphasis on diverse recruitment. That’s why we are taking significant action to invest in creating a diverse, inclusive workforce through a series of initiatives, including: 

• Women in Tech (WIT) is an internal program to elevate our focus on and support of women working in technology. The program offers support and development resources like mentoring, speaker training, skill building, community partner work, and leadership training. 
• Hispanics in Tech (HIT) is an internal program to elevate focus on and support of Hispanic associates working in technology. We are increasing access to opportunities through leadership driven targeted events, offering mentoring support, and making greater efforts to drive higher engagement and awareness. 
• Blacks in Tech (BIT) is an internal program to elevate focus on and support of African-American associates working in technology. We are addressing the current social unrest, acknowledging the need for mental health resources for our Black associates, and increasing access to opportunities through leadership driven targeted events/efforts to drive greater engagement and awareness.

Professional Recruiting

Our professional recruiting teams focus on attracting underrepresented talent for our key business roles, including analyst, product, and tech roles. Our business partners engage in over 100 events annually, ranging from small, invite-only networking events to career fairs, conferences, and workshops. We work with many enterprise partners, including CALIBRE, Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility, National Association of Female Executives, and Working Mother Media. 

In tech, we partner with several organizations focused on increasing diversity in tech, including the Hispanic IT Executive Council, IT Senior Management Forum, and Lesbians Who Tech. 

Our recruiting teams have also supported a number of organizations and events focused specifically on building brand and relationships with underrepresented talent including the American Association of People with Disabilities, National Black MBA Association, National Society of Hispanic MBAs, and The Alumni Society.