Blog Post

Inside Veritas
4 MIN READ

Women reboot their careers at Veritas

RuchiSinha's avatar
RuchiSinha
Moderator
3 years ago

As part of the Veritas Employee Value Proposition (EVP), we are committed to enriching the lives of our employees through inclusion and diversity. We acknowledge that the more diverse our people are, the better placed we will be to innovate, solve problems, and succeed. Along with 550 other leaders, our CEO has committed himself and Veritas to advance diversity and inclusion in the workplace. We welcome and respect diverse perspectives and experiences while encouraging open employee discussions. The Veritas Talent Acquisition team in Pune, in collaboration with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Team (DEI), created a pilot program called RAVe (Reboot at Veritas). This program encourages women who have taken a career break to re-enter the industry.

For 25 years, Veritas has attracted the market’s top talent with lucrative products and technologies. Throughout my journey with the Veritas Talent Acquisition (TA) team, I have seen how candidates look forward to the innovation they will get to be a part of, regardless of age, gender, and location. However, being a woman in the professional world comes with challenges, one of the biggest being juggling between a career and family. Many women are a perfect fit for the roles we offer; however, they hesitate to apply because of a break or gap in their careers. RAVe was born to give these talented women an opportunity to restart their careers.

The business looks for initiatives that provide a quick return on investment to identify a diverse slate of candidates. As part of the Veritas Pune Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) team and working on a similar project in my previous organization, I picked up the idea that eventually morphed into RAVe.

Being a TA initiative, RAVe gained the support of the Pune DEI track leader Director, Global Customer Service Bhanu Mahanti. We began by defining the outcomes, looking at open job requisitions across all business units in India, and eventually defining the skills we wanted to hire. The next step was spreading the word; we used social media as a tool and leveraged our networks. The Pune Leadership Team (PLT) supported the initiative and went all out on social media talking about the program. We also spread the word internally to invite employee referrals via mailers and flyers.

After all the campaigning and planning, we got a whopping 110 applications. Interviewing was the next step, but we needed to sensitize technical panels and interviewing managers beforehand. We collaborated with the business and helped to create a learn-teach-learn model. We learn by teaching each other; this is essential to convey to candidates that they are welcome back into the industry and that their break is not a hindrance in their selection. The final hiring drive kickstarted with a session by one of our women technical leaders followed by a human resources session familiarizing the candidates with our people initiatives, then technical and management rounds.

The key factor was sensitizing and persuading panellists to avoid subconscious bias consciously. It was crucial to encourage the technical panels and hiring managers that women on break are not under-equipped or unskilled. Yes, the women may need re-entry training, but their personal choices do not define their capability. The benefits of bringing in these talented women outweigh the effort taken in upskilling them. A more balanced workforce brings in fresh ideas and different perspectives. A diverse slate of candidates is one of the most significant benefits of the RAVe program. The program focuses on an untapped talent market that people often overlook. Numerous capable women do not get an opportunity in the corporate world because they have a break on their profile. RAVe is about getting these exceptional and experienced women to join us.

“I feel great coming back to work after the break” says Alpana Sharma in her interview, “I have always been an active contributor to my family’s daily life. Today I am also investing time in myself. The Veritas team has been very approachable and has made that transition smooth.” Applicants were excited to return to work in the industry and appreciated the initiative. Rajashree Kharbade, one of the candidates shared that she had to pause her career three years ago to help raise her child and now is delighted to be back on track.

 

Babita Nema described the program as “a wonderful experience, and it re-ignited my zeal to utilize my skills. The support I received was invaluable and ample. The Veritas recruitment team was great at managing the program and showed warmth and interest. Being included in this program was an opportunity to remind myself of my capabilities and certainly kindled my desire for my career.”

 

Veritas offers these women a work environment in which they can thrive and exercise independence of thought. If you or a woman you know is in India and is looking to reboot their career after a break, contact us at RAVe@veritas.com. To learn more about our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, check out our webpage: https://www.veritas.com/company/careers/why-join-us/diversity-and-inclusion

Updated 3 years ago
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