Published originally as a LinkedIn article May 23, 2019.

We are all biased; it’s part of our human nature. Unconscious or implicit bias is when we make judgments about people or things. Through socialization, we have adopted stereotypes we believe to be true. Biases lead an employer to favor an equally qualified applicant over another; it happens all the time. One way to address our biases is to become self-aware of the stereotypes we have adopted and re-evaluate those beliefs. A hiring bias that I’ve noticed is the preference to hire students from elite schools. I recall a Washington D.C. lobbyist proudly trumpeting the fact that all his employees had gone to elite universities. I guess that makes sense. As a Harvard graduate myself, I know that I received an excellent education at that Ivy League school. My Harvard degree implies that I’m a talented student or, as the college admission scandal illustrates, that I’m the daughter of wealthy donors. I understand why employers have biases that favor students from elite institutions, but in hiring, there is always a risk factor no matter the school someone attends.

Human resource experts are familiar with biases; they’ve been trained and understand how the unconscious mind works. Others in the hiring decision chain may not be as enlightened.  I’ve heard awful stories from CSUF students searching for an entertainment industry internship. Someone in the hiring decision chain at a television network tells an applicant that she doesn’t look like the typical intern at that network. Another interviewer at a film studio looks at the student’s resume and says “you are from CSUF, I’m sorry, I’m looking for out-of-state applicants.” No wonder the entertainment industry has such a diversity problem. Even at the internship level, there are unnecessary roadblocks for a person of color to get hired. It’s not all doom and gloom for CSUF students trying to break into entertainment. Employers who are familiar with Titans make it a point to recruit from CSUF. A handful of entertainment companies consistently visit our campus to recruit from among our talented, hardworking, diverse student population.

Recruiting from CSUF, and probably any other CSU campus, makes smart business sense, especially if a company wants to increase its workforce diversity. CSUF ranks fourth nationally for awarding bachelor degrees to underrepresented students. Students at CSUF receive a solid education. U.S. News & World Report ranks CSUF among the nation’s top national universities. CSUF students learn in a diverse campus environment. Team class projects allow students to work with others who don’t look like them. Many students have developed excellent soft skill in their part-time jobs that they’ve had for years. Most students work in retail or service industries perfecting their customer service skills. CSUF students are go-getters looking for a fair shot at one of those coveted internship spots in entertainment that often are saved for the executives’ children. (I’ll save the topic of opportunity hoarding for another time). Employers who want to diversify their workforce should recruit from diverse campuses. The diverse talent pool is at CSUF and other public universities, not necessarily at the elite schools. To media and entertainment executives I say, give the children of working families a shot at working in your organization.