diversity

HR Hammer Interview: Rathin Sinha of JobFindah

There are numerous benefits to having a diverse workforce. Not only have diverse teams been shown to perform better and appeal to a wider customer base, but it is the right thing to do. Ensuring that hiring brings in a variety of people helps bring in multiple perspectives, which can improve the overall success of a business. Rathin Sinha founded JobFindah, a job board committed to helping connect employers committed to diversity to job seekers. I recently spoke with Rathin to learn more about his site and to find out what makes his platform different from traditional job boards.

Tell me about your background and why you decided to found JobFindah.

Prior to JobFindah Network (JFN), I developed America’s Job Exchange (AJE) and led its growth until AJE was acquired and integrated with Time Warner Cable. Previously, I built and ran the e-commerce channels for Monster.com, which became perhaps the largest online sales channel for our industry. Earlier, I had stints as a CMO, Head of strategy, marketing, e-Commerce and a strategy consultant for Fortune 500 companies.

I decided to launch JobFindah to carry on the original vision of AJE that couldn’t be carried out as the new owners were weathering the affects of consolidation in the cable industry. Consequently they had no appetite for investment in a non-core business such as AJE other than harvesting it for profits. We, on the other hand, wanted to build a modern platform that solves the challenges of talent acquisition within the context of regulatory compliance. Customers kept telling us that they wanted a solution that is not confined to merely checking the box for the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) compliance, but a solution that truly helps them find great talent, enhance diversity and also fulfill the requirements of the OFCCP regulations. JobFindah is built with that vision in mind--an aspiration to serve the broader needs of our customers beyond just compliance.

What makes JobFindah different than traditional job boards?

Unlike traditional job boards that merely offer recruiters online real estate for posting jobs and then leaving them "praying" for applicant response, JobFindah offers a systemic approach through our "Attract-Reach-Manage" framework. We focus on attracting applicants to employer job postings using job boards and employer branding. This allows us toreach applicants through a diverse set of partnerships and job distribution technology while also managing the compliance process through mandated outreach, reporting and analytics capabilities. Helping businesses with their OFCCP compliance and reporting is a core expertise of ours, but so is the focus on applicant delivery. JobFindah offers a broad set of products and solutions so businesses can optimize their strategy based on goals and budget.

How does your service help companies improve their hiring practices and contribute to a more diverse and inclusive workforce?

We help companies attract general talent through job postings on our flagship job site, as well as through our community specific sites for the veterans, women and individuals with disabilities (and more in the pipeline). We help them create branded micro-sites to communicate their culture of equal opportunity and inclusiveness via social media to engage with a diverse set of talent communities. To improve effectiveness in hiring from the under-represented groups, we help companies with targeted job distribution and community partnerships at the ground level. We help companies post or list their open job ads on state-run as well as reaching out to community-based organizations where employment counselors help job seekers to search, select and apply for the right jobs.

Finally, we provide tools and software that empower companies to broaden their links with local organizations and events. Overall, by using our solution, companies can greatly improve their hiring practices, and build a diverse and inclusive workforce based on their overall corporate ambitions and commitments.

What are some steps employers can take to ensure they are building a diverse workforce?

Companies should use JobFindah as the foundation to build their more ambitious efforts to enhance workforce diversity. JobFindah provides all the required elements of compliance and recruiting diversity as well as the tools, technologies and marketing capabilities for companies to go beyond the requirements and create a culture and environment of inclusiveness.

Is there anything else you would like to share about JobFindah?

JobFindah was built as a continuation of the original vision of AJE which couldn’t be executed, and so this is our opportunity to take the category from a myopic compartmentalized service to a truly effective platform for results. Current players either lack the grasp of the possibilities, or they perhaps decided not to invest in the change as this can also cannibalize their current profitable business models. The industry, however, needs to embrace the change and we hope to be the catalyst for the change.

Connect with Rathin on LinkedIn or follow him on Twitter.