Interview with Niani Tolbert, the Founder of #HireBlack
Niani Tolbert, Creator of the #HireBlack Initiative.
Niani Tolbert is the Creator and Founder of #HireBlack. I’m very fortunate today to get to interview Niani as she’s very busy meeting her goal to get 10,000 black women hired, trained, and promoted. The #HireBlack initiative has gained so much traction and visibility that Niani and the mission have been featured in Forbes this week. Congrats to Niani and the team of volunteers helping the mission!
If you’re landing on my website for the first time, I’m Kristen Diane McDonald, a successful HR and Recruitment Leader that has worked and consulted for Google, Microsoft, Activision, and frog Design… All with a GED and an Associate’s Degree from a Community College. I’m now turning that experience into career coaching, mentoring, and storytelling… on both the personal and professional. Niani's podcast episode is one of the many stories and missions that I hope to shed light on.
In the episode, Niani Tolbert and I discuss race and socioeconomics, how women and people of color should (or should not) tackle the biases that simply a person’s name on their resume can present… and how companies should shift their recruitment practices to become less biased through alterations in their Applicant Tracking Systems (or ATS… a.k.a. the tool applicants apply to jobs in and recruiters review candidate’s resumes). We also discussed shifting away from the use of the term “cultural fit.” Personally, I’m not a fan of the use of the term “cultural fit” and it’s refreshing to hear someone else so passionate to abolish the term.
Niani Tolbert’s experience with both Recruitment and Marketing, compounded with her polished presence and articulate disposition… Well, there’s no one better braced to lead the charge of #HireBlack’s mission to train, hire, and promote black women. I know her goal is currently at 10,000 women, but that goal has shifted from 19 women for a #JuneTeenth goal to an immense number in less than 60 days. I can see #HireBlack growing to be quite the large organization in the future with a major social impact and with goals much larger than 10,000 people impacted.
In the podcast episode, I highlight the GoFundMe page #HireBlack and Niani have set up. I encourage everyone to go donate, even $5, so they can keep this mission going.
If you would like to listen to the whole podcast episode, it’s only 28 minutes and it’s available on Apple/iTunes, Spotify, Google, Stitcher, Podbean, and iHeart Radio. The links are above and you can also play the episode directly from this webpage at the top.
You can connect with Niani Tolbert and follow her mission on Linkedin. Niani Tolbert has also been featured by Business Insider as a 30 Most Creative People Under 30 and you can view that award here.
If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to rate the episode and podcast on Apple/iTunes!
Update on 2/15/21: There’s been so much fantastic growth and news at #HireBlack. They hosted the first #HireBlack Summit and it looks promising that this will continue. #HireBlack also launched HireBlackNow.com, a community portal to connect employers and a fantastic community of Black professional womxn. I also saw that Niani and #HireBlack were featured in Essence as One of 4 Talent Agencies Helping to Place Black Women in Jobs. Way to go Niani and the #HireBlack team!
The Offers in the Episode:
BioClarity Plant Based & Vegan Skincare
I talk about my horrible experience with acne. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably seen my pictures or Instagram Stories on my horrible acne. I’ve had acne since the 4th grade. I see a dermatologist bi-monthly and use Retin-A and meds. I will never say any skincare product is a miracle cure, but I will advocate when something makes a difference. BioClarity has made a significant difference in the redness and discoloration as well as calmed some of my breakouts. For 15% off, visit BioClarity.com and use the exclusive promo code BBOSSYSAUCE. Don’t forget the extra B!
Flodesk Email Marketing & Newsletter Tool
I was an avid MailChimp user, until my list started to grow larger than my pocket-book could afford for a small-business. Mailchimp can easily cost $80-$200 per month after the free allotted amount. With Flodesk, the designs are sleek and modern, and it costs $39 a month for unlimited contacts! For 50% off that price and a free month (making it $19 a month continuously) visit https://flodesk.com/c/THEBOSSYSAUCE.
