Through equity and adaptive leadership practices, the backbone team co-developed a distinctive interview protocol for the two open positions: Community Engagement and Marketing Communications. The protocol consisted of three rounds.
“The aim of the process,” says Payton Richardson, Data, “was to create an affirming space centering each individual candidate and it allowed the backbone to lean into the philosophy of ‘hire for fit and train for skills’.”
In the first round, each application (51 for Community Engagement and 79 for Marketing Communications) was scored across seven values-based categories, including skills, DEIB [diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging], adaptive leadership, and collective impact.
For the second round, 11 candidates for Community Engagement and six for Marketing Communications were invited to participate in virtual interviews with the backbone team.
Notably, the interviews were conducted in a group format. This decision was motivated by the backbone team’s facilitation and convening services, as it was crucial to assess how candidates interacted with new people in a virtual space. The interview sessions were modeled after EP convenings, commencing with introductions that included pronouns and descriptions of appearance to ensure equitable participation. Gracious Space was provided, followed by group questions, which each candidate responded to. Additionally, candidates engaged in one-on-one conversations with a backbone team member, sharing their responses to a scenario provided three days prior to the interview.
In the third and final round, selected candidates had the opportunity to meet in person. Over a two-hour period, seven candidates for Community Engagement and four for Marketing Communications met with the backbone staff, members of the backbone board and Leadership Table, and some Partners.
The process required significant time and effort with the backbone staff investing over 25 hours in ideation and creation, and the execution and outcome proved immensely satisfying.
Vicky Yu, Operations, expressed appreciation for the opportunity to meet potential coworkers. “Through the interviews, I got to understand the candidates’ views around systems, equity work and how they may contribute to the team’s success.”
The backbone team is grateful to all who contributed their time and talent and helped expand the team! Thank you, Patrick Alina, Swarnima Aswinkumar, Sue Baugh, Catherine Cruz, Cathy Habib, Sarah Cotton Rajski, Melanie Roper, James Whitfield, and Ken Wong.