Diamonds in the Rough: Finding Talent Where You Aren’t Looking

Identifying and attracting top talent remains the most important, and one of the most challenging, activities for any leader. It is recognized that in the next decades, hundreds of thousands of new technologists, business analysis, process architects, and organizational change professionals will be needed. As leaders in higher education, the talent is all around us, yet most organizations struggle to fill positions and have unknowingly constrained their search for young professionals, resulting in our organizations being more monocultured. Through a case analysis of over 100 majors, this presentation gives the audience insights of where to find untapped talent in new university graduates, expanding beyond the traditional business, engineering, and social science majors. The audience will be exposed to dozens of fields where diverse students are being trained with critical skills we need in our organizations. What skills and classes does a history major have that creates the perfect business analyst? Why is a philosophy major trained in systems architecture? And how do I engage with nontraditional student bodies? Through this discussion, audience members will gain new insights on finding untapped talent on their campuses and develop a pipeline of future professionals, all while supporting their campus missions.