Passion Role

Malachi Horton and I were honored to pitch our tech startup, Passion Role, ?? in front of a panel of judges, including Felecia Hatcher of Black Ambition! This opportunity came after meeting her at Black Tech Week! We received positive feedback for our very first pitch ?? and to know that we were in consideration for one of the final prizes at the end was truly inspiring! We want to express our gratitude to the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs and Jay Bailey for bringing this opportunity to stakeholders. We also want to extend a special thank you to everyone for their support. We took that energy ? to the stage, and it paid off! The exposure and connections we gained from this experience have pushed us in the right direction, the RICE way! ?? #datHRguy #tech #nationalblackbusinessmonth #recruiting #humanresources #RICEway

?? Malachi Horton and I are excited to announce that today we are pitching Passion Role at the Black Ambition 6th “No Pressure” Pitch Competition at the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs! Our journey started with a connection on LinkedIn (thank you, Marlond Fyffe, SPHR ????) and led to a face-to-face meeting at a black-owned coffee shop in the City of Atlanta! ??? From there, we began conceptualizing ?? our revolutionary tech idea in how entry-level talent connect ?? with their passions ?? and employers equally as passionate about them. ?? We have established a presence in the tech community and are now in the MVP (minimum viable product) stage within less than a year. ?? This feels like a blessing and confirms that we are on the right path. ???? As we prepare and present our ??? pitch, we represent not only all the entry-level talents who have been through demoralizing recruitment processes but also those companies whose bandwidth doesn’t allow space to manage their employment brand. ???? We are grateful for the support we have received every step of the way. Today, we put it all to the test as we pitch for the same thing we want to extend to millions using our technology … a shot. ?? #datHRguy #humanresources #recruiting #techstartup #blackambition #nationalblackbusinessmonth

I’m embarrassed to admit … I almost didn’t hire her. She eventually became: ?? The CEO of a leading company ?? Listed in Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women in the World ?? Part of Fortune’s Top People in Business See, once upon a time, I thought I made it big. I was CHRO at a Fortune 500 company in New York City. I was asked to hire a new CEO for one of our networks. So, I came up with a list of candidates. But I had one problem: My No. 1 candidate didn’t have a college degree. To me, you not only needed a degree … but one from a big school. Plus an MBA. Plus 20 years of experience. I was confident my boss would agree. Instead, he said: “You have a very narrow HR perspective. I’m overruling you.” I was offended. But he was right. In the days after announcing her as CEO, the company’s stock SKYROCKETED. It began a rise that would last throughout her tenure. My friends, we MUST prioritize skills over degrees. Don’t make the same mistake I did. Because you could miss out on hiring your next changemaker. #SHRM #Recruitment #TalentAquisition #HRLeadership #HumanResources?

Rejection is hard. But silence is worse. A little communication goes a long way. ????