Roz Harris, Head of Tech Recruiting at HBO MAX, Shares Philesophy Around Recruiting Strong, Diverse Talent
As an experienced recruiting leader, Roz Harris has worked at some of the fastest-growing companies in tech, including Microsoft, IBM, Uber, and Slack. Now, she is using her superpowers to help HBO Max. In this profile, Roz shares her approach and philosophy around recruiting strong, diverse talent.
You’ve previously led technical recruitment at companies such as Uber and Slack, what do you think is a key component to successfully recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds? What do you find to be common blockers?
I think one of the most successful components to a diversity recruiting strategy is making sure that it is a shared responsibility between talent acquisition and the business (in my case engineering teams). And most of that responsibility should be on the business to hire diverse talent. Education is another key component, however, in my experience there are several amazing D&I and Talent Acquisition leaders who have mastered educating technical leaders on why diversity matters. These folks have gone beyond the why and have given great solutions on how to. The governance of if that gets implemented falls on the business’ leadership. I believe the opportunity to hire diverse talent sits with the business. Fighting homogeneous hiring practices and bias interview tactics is a job that requires the true support and accountability of the leadership. Without this your diversity recruiting efforts will fail.
You were the co-lead for Slack’s Mahogany and Uber’s PRIDE employee resource groups. What are a couple of effective ways that ERGs can contribute to recruitment efforts?
ERGs are a great resource for recruiting. When an ERG is planning an externally facing event and are looking to engage with its members and outside community members, the recruiting team can be a great resource for you as well. Every ERG wants to grow its numbers and impact, what better way than partnering with recruiting to bring in more folks who identify as you do. Even if you are leading an internal ERG event, working with recruiting to host referral sessions to increase the population. 40% of tech hiring comes from referrals. URMs are not making referrals at the same rate as our white peers. ERGs can also help recruiting by staying in the loop and volunteering at events and conference that are being attended by recruiting and which ones represent the employee base of the ERG. Volunteer to work the booth and talk to job seekers. It speaks volumes to be at Afrotech or Lesbians Who Tech and get to talk to job seekers who identify as you and are depending on your experience to influence their interest in the company.
Could you tell us about a diversity recruiting initiative that you worked on that was particularly successful?
In my last three roles I’ve been tasked with External Partnerships, and I will scream it from the rooftops; Nextplay events is the best partner if you are looking to grow pipeline for Black and Brown senior to mid level engineering talent. I have partnered with Nextplay at three different companies now and these folks just get it! They are making sure that the Black and Latinx tech communities are connected to opportunities and move through the process with these tech companies. And they are holding the companies accountable! I keep trying to figure out how they do it, lol. Maybe it’s because they all come from Talent Acquisition and are so connected to the culture that they have this advantage over everyone else. They truly understand ROI and how tech companies track success with these types of partnerships. I may need to submit an invoice to Lesley and the folks at Nextplay for this statement lol, but its all facts. They are really special.
What motivated you to move out of tech and into media at HBO Max?
I love technology and have ever since I got my first Nintendo. I’ve had a great run in tech the last thirteen years and its been amazing. I have witnessed technology make its way into every part of our lives. I look around my home and see how technology is everywhere. Its in my bed, my coffee maker, my coffee table, my cat’s liter box, really everywhere I turn. I don’t have to work in Silicon Valley to enjoy tech. I am more passionate about Talent Acquisition and creating access for underrepresented communities than I am about enterprise software. When I knew it was time for a change, I looked at consumer packaged goods and media companies that I was personally connected to. I wanted to be at a place that offered something that I used or enjoyed every single day of my life. The bonus was that Warner Media delivers content that represents the same things that matter to me. Representation on screen, behind the camera, and in the writers room was there. The fact that a new offering was coming that made that more accessible, with more content, and more representation, and going directly to the consumer was a huge bonus for me. It once again connected my love of technology and my passion.
What are the first inclusive recruiting items that you’re tackling at HBO Max?
The first item is building a recruitment brand in the Seattle area. Would you believe that city doesn’t really know we are there? When folks here HBO, they think New York and when they here Warner Media they thing Burbank. Most of our engineering for HBO Max is done out of Seattle. I want to build on the current diversity recruitment efforts by widen the pipeline, creating more access through partnerships, and adding more sourcing channels for hiring. Being in tech has given me a lot of tools and resource to pull from.
What do you see for the future of talent strategy and the role that media can play in building a more inclusive world?
I love the role that media and content are already playing in that. They give a real view of the world and whos in it. If your employee base doesn’t reflect that, something is off. I don’t see media backing off at all. And I see the content becoming more real, more uncomfortable, more enjoyable, and more authentic. I watched Euphoria and had a reality check lol. I had to asked some of my friends in education, if that was what high school was like in 2019 and they were like “yep, you just are a parent so you don’t get the inside scoop.” I’m now looking into home schooling options lol.
What advice do you have for recruiters who are managing difficult cultures?
I want to level set with them a bit. The companies that we work at are still in the same country that we live in. I think what makes a culture difficult is the difference between expectations and reality. To a degree, we have been sold this hype of what work life is and should be like. I can remember some of my struggles and the wrong battles that I took up. My advice: Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Pick your battles very carefully. Determine what role you want to play in your workplace culture. Do you have the mental capacity and time to be the “educator”? Do you have the confidence, courage, social capital, and/or desire, to be the “hero”? Do you want to be the person who sends everyone to google for information? After all it’s 2019 and google knows it all. And most important, do you need to stay in that difficult culture? If you do (financially or other reasons), what is your exit strategy? You can suck it up but you need to strategize on your next more. That too is an option and one that you should store in your tool belt. Use with caution.
Is there anything else you were hoping to share with ModelExpand readers?
I just want you all to know that you are seen and supported. We add so much value to the companies that we work at. Remember this if you are considering your next move. You are going to make someone very rich with your time and brilliance. Your time is your most valuable asset and one that you cannot get back. Make sure the leaders of that company (team, etc) are ones that hold the same values and morals that you do. Because you are going to make them a lot of dough, Go get your coins and all the glory that you deserve!
What show should we all be watching right now on HBO Max?
HBO Max launches in the Spring, but I am excited for all the new content that is being developed. Right now you should all be watching The Watchmen! Just give Regina the Emmy now! I will watch all of the old stuff too once we launch. I just love me a good Big Bang Theory binge session. Sheldon is one of my favorite television characters of all time.
To learn more about how you can build diverse and inclusive hiring practices for your organization, check out ModelExpand’s flagship bootcamps that train recruiters and hiring managers on how to recruit and retain talent from diverse backgrounds.
ModelExpand: ModelExpand is a diversity and inclusion advisory firm that helps companies attract and retain diverse talent through strategic consulting, workshops and events.
