April2022: when they tell you who they are, believe them
enter into it
with intention. discernment.
no stone left unturned.
hey yall…
Let’s talk interviews. Understanding our non-negotiables. And the power of discernment.
But Tamisha, hiring season is over. Isn’t this late?
No, it’s always hiring season. So as my wife would say, “Stay ready so you don’t have to get ready,” and make sure that resume is updated and your LinkedIn is active (if that’s your thing).
I’ve had a few conversations with people over the past month who are interviewing for DEI practitioner positions. As I’ve coached them on preparing for the interview, it’s given me an opportunity to reflect on my past interviews, especially where I could have been a stronger interviewer of the schools I was applying to. I’ve paid the price of saying yes to positions because I listened more to a friend’s recommendation than the facts in front of me. I’ve held back on asking questions because I was encouraged not to seem too critical of the position or was led to believe that my questions may display my inability to do the job at hand. In each of those situations, I regretted not interviewing the school just as much, if not more, as they interviewed me. We spend over eight hours at our places of work. The sustainability of ourselves requires that we have discernment about the places we’re entering into.
Maya Angelou shared wisdom about discerning judgement for people in our lives. And I’m applying that to discernment around our workplaces. When they tell you who they are, believe them. When the job description reads like three full time positions, believe it. When the hiring process is disjointed, lacks transparency, and disorganized, believe it. When you’re blocked from speaking with key stakeholders in a community during your interview process, believe it. And when they don’t have acceptable answers to your most critical questions, believe them.
As I reflect on my past interviews and positions that felt misaligned, here are some of the questions I wish I had asked. I was applying for DEI practitioner positions in schools. I hope these questions inspire you to consider critical questions for your own context.
Interview questions I wish I had asked when I applied for Director-level DEI practitioner jobs:
POSITION STRUCTURE
Who does this position report to?
Is this position a part of the leadership team?
If no (which is a red flag): Can you share your reasoning behind that decision?
If no (which is a red flag): How does the leadership team regularly collaborate with and seek counsel from this position?
Does a robust budget exist for this department?
If yes: What’s the budget for this department?
If no (which is a red flag): Can you share your reasoning behind that decision?
If no (which is a red flag): What other departments operate on a zero dollar budget?
What structural support exists for this position? OR Is this position a part of a team?
If no (for multi-division school - red flag): Can you share your reasons for the current structure?
If no: Are you open to discussing the expansion of this department?
If yes: Does this role manage the team?
If yes: Are the other positions full-time or part-time?
If part-time: What percentage of their roles is dedicated to DEI work?
In what ways does this position engage with the board?
Follow-up: Can you share examples of what equity work looks like at the board level?
In what ways does this position engage with students? Student leadership?
In what ways does this position engage with families? Family associations?
In what ways does this position engage with the greater community?
SUPERVISION AND MANAGEMENT
Questions directed towards the intended supervisor:
What professional development are you engaged in to sharpen your equity literacy?
Can you share your experience in managing DEI practitioners?
Follow-up (if limited experience): What networks are you a part of that could support your development in this area?
What resources do you turn to when faced with a equity related question or concern?
How have you navigated triangulation among those that you’ve supervised? OR Can you share how you’ve responded to someone bringing you feedback about someone you supervise?
DEI PHILOSOPHY AND VISION
Is there shared understanding about key terms, such as diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, etc. throughout the community?
If yes: Can you share how these terms are defined within the community?
If yes: What do they look like in action? (diversity, equity, inclusion, social justice, etc.)
What are your hopes for the deepening of this work in the community?
What are your equity-related concerns within the student community? Family community? Employee community?
What would you like to be true, related to these areas of concern, within 1-3 years?
(If a multi-divisional school) Can you share examples of equity initiatives at each divisional level?
Follow-up: What’s been the documented impact of those initiatives?
How are the topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion integrated into the school’s strategic planning efforts?
DEI TIMELINE AND MAJOR EVENTS
Can you share highlights from the school’s journey to becoming a more equitable learning environment? Work environment?
Reflecting on the school’s equity and anti-bias work, what are you most proud of? OR What do you feel is the school’s biggest accomplishment related to equity and anti-bias work?
What community events exist that educate community members on systemic oppression?
What community events exist that prompt action towards systemic change?
ABILITY TO NAVIGATE FEEDBACK/CONFLICT
Can you share an example of how student voice/leadership has contributed to equity-related decisions you’ve made?
Given the pushback that anti-bias work has received in recent years from parents of younger students, how do you advocate for discussions around equity and identity for younger students?
Can you share about an equity-initiative or response that didn't go well.
Follow-up: What lessons were learned?
Follow-up: What shifts have been made since then?
What initiatives are in place that support (insert a population of students who you know to be marginalized within that school/region/etc.) students?
I may prep this question by sharing what I know. Example, “In conversations with other practitioners, I’ve noticed that anti-Black racism among students is increasing. What initiatives are in place that support Black students?”
What policies are in place that address (insert systemic oppression)? Among students? Among families? Among employees?
Again, I may prep this question similarly as I did above. Example, “Given the recent anti-Trans and anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in our state, I’m wondering what policies are in place that address homophobia within the student body.”
Can you share about an incident of bias within the community and how it was addressed?
Follow-up: What lessons were learned?
Follow-up: What shifts have been made since then?
What forms of demographic data do you regularly collect?
Follow-up: How has that data informed the school’s decision making? Strategic planning?
Follow-up: What access would this position have to that data?
What forms of data do you regularly collect on your equity initiatives? On student experience? On employee experience?
Follow-up: How has that data informed the school’s decision making? Strategic planning?
Follow-up: What access would this position have to that data?
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
How are employees supported in their professional development?
What equity literacy professional development requirements exist for all employees?
I’d like to get an executive coach to support my growth and development. Would that be supported?
My ongoing professional development is important to me, as is cultivating and maintaining a strong network of other DEI practitioners. Would I be supported in attending one of the summer institutes for DEI professionals? (Diversity Leadership Institute (DLI), National Diversity Practitioners Institute (NDPI), or The Equity Exchange Summer Institute)
I present at regional and national conferences. Will my facilitation experiences be supported by the school?
REQUESTS FOR ADDITIONAL INSIGHT
Request before your scheduled interview:
During my time on campus, I’d like to schedule time with members of the ___ community.
An opportunity for you to request time with people who share an identifier with you. Being Black in predominantly white school environments was new to me. It was helpful for me to meet with Black folks in the community, outside of any interview committee members.
It never hurts to seek people out on your own, beyond who the school coordinates. LinkedIn and my personal network have been instrumental in making these connections (when I thought to make the connections).
Wrapping this up…
You’ll notice that many of my questions are asking for specific examples. This is to disrupt the habit of people talking philosophically off the top of their head, requiring them to share evidence instead. And I’ve found that when people don’t have an example, it leads to authentic conversation about areas for growth (with folks of integrity). I gained this insight from Dr. Cris Cullinan who led a workshop on hiring for cultural competence I once attended. Her article is posted on our Community Resource page, linked below. Moving forward, companies must show us their evidence. And it’s up to us to ask for it.
What are your non-negotiables for the organizations that you’re interested in? What can you ask throughout your recruitment process to discern if the organization can meet your needs? This is not a one-way street. You have the agency to back up and go in another direction if the environment isn’t going to be able to serve you well.
share a resource…
Each month you’re invited to share resources with our Community on our Collective Resource Bank. I’d love for you to share some of your most effective interview questions, especially ones that help you assess a school’s commitment to creating and sustaining an equitable and anti-bias community. OR share interview questions that you use to assess a candidate’s commitment to equity.
Feel free to also share resources in previous month columns. Let’s keep the resource bank growing.
shifting my weight…
THE SHAPE OF MY WORK
That was a lot of text above, so I’ll keep the rest of this short and sweet.
Next year, I’m shifting from primarily leading workshops to serving communities and building capacity through coaching. While I enjoyed the large community engagement, I often felt like a boulder dropping in a pond, resulting in impact that was not always sustainable or measurable.
Through 1:1 coaching, I see myself as a pebble being skipped across a pond. Each person I coach within a community builds their capacity and moves on to create sustainable change from their sphere of influence.
If you’re interested in learning more about 1:1 coaching, or coaching packages for your organization, schedule a consultation call with me. I’m currently booking clients for the 2022-2023 school year. If you’re outside of a school, I’m accepting new clients to begin in August of 2022.
PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS
Additionally, a chunk of my time will be devoted to building sustainable networks with educators and practitioners across the country. Mary and I are at it again! Registration for our professional cohorts is open. Learn more here.
DEI Directors Professional Cohort
monthly meetup starting in September
Independent School BIPOC Teacher Connection
monthly meetup starting in September
Tools for Schools
quarterly workshops beginning in October
