In honor of Women's History Month in March, the Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association (RPOA) is proud to announce the fourth annual Women in Talent Acquisition Celebration. Nominations for the Influential and Rising Women in TA are now open through February 21, 2024.
The Women in Talent Acquisition Celebration is a peer-recognition program that allows the talent acquisition community to spotlight remarkable women for their contributions to their organization, their team, and their clients. “This is one of my favorites each year!,” said Sarah Peiker, CEO at Orion Talent. “There’s an inherent beauty in uniting to celebrate the achievements of talented women throughout all stages of their careers. It’s a powerful reminder of the collective strength and support within our industry.”
The 2023 WBC benchmark survey showed “that women comprised a median of 66 percent of staffing firm internal staff, on par with 2022. However, they represented only half of executive positions and just 33 percent of board seats, the latter representing a drop of 3 percent year-over-year.” Additionally, the 2020 State of the Staffing Professional report found that “women are 1.7x more likely than men to say that increasing the recognition they receive in their positions would improve their career growth. Overall, they are less likely than men to agree that they receive recognition for a well-done job.”
"Every action we take is another step toward equality–lists and recognitions included. The key is taking action to be the change we want to see in the world," said Leslie Vickrey, CEO and Founder of ClearEdge. "There’s a pledge I love: I commit to one deliberate act a day to help another woman rise. I appreciate how the RPOA has taken this deliberate and vocal step to champion talented women across the talent acquisition space, and I look forward to celebrating their achievements and hearing their stories this March."
Women’s History Month had its origins as a national celebration in 1982 when the U.S. Congress authorized and requested the President to proclaim the week beginning March 7, 1982, as “Women’s History Week.” It wasn’t until 1995 that presidents issued a series of annual proclamations designating the month of March as “Women’s History Month.” These proclamations celebrate the contributions women have made and recognize the specific achievements women have made in a variety of fields over the course of American history.
As the leading association for the RPO industry, the RPOA launched the Influential and Rising Woman in TA awards in 2021, celebrating women’s achievements in talent acquisition. In 2023, the RPOA helped 89 women in talent acquisition be recognized by their peers. In 2023, RPOA's social media announcements generated over 40,000 impressions, which were amplified by shares from others on LinkedIn. “The community response to this campaign every year is overwhelmingly positive,” said Lamees Abourahma, CEO at RPOA. “As a trade association, the campaign allows us to reach the larger talent acquisition community and achieve a higher level of engagement.”
“As a woman-owned business, Broadleaf is grateful for RPOA’s continued recognition of women who are leading the talent acquisition industry,” said Lynne Marie Finn, President and CEO of Broadleaf Results. “Women play a crucial role in making our workplaces more diverse, inclusive, innovative, and effective, and I look forward to celebrating their accomplishments.”
Nominations are open as of January 24 and will close on February 21, or when we reach 100 nominations, whichever comes first. A complete list of nominees will be posted on the RPOA website on March 1, 2024. During March, all nominees will be recognized individually with custom graphics and copy on RPOA’s LinkedIn page.
To make a nomination, visit https://www.rpoassociation.org/2024-Women-in-TA-Awards/. Don’t wait to submit your nomination and miss out on this great opportunity to celebrate women in talent acquisition.
