How a Navy Recruiter Changed My Life and Inspired Me to Write The Diversity Recruiting Blueprint

I still remember the day when I met my Navy recruiter. I was eighteen years old, about to graduate from high school in a small Texas town. I was anxious and nervous about my future career opportunities as a young black man. I was one of the first people in my family to graduate from high school, but I knew my family didn't have the money or the resources to help me get a job or go to college. I felt like I had no options, no direction, no purpose.

?That's when my recruiter changed my life. He told me about a program called the Boost Program, which was designed to recruit more women, people of color and people from marginalized rural communities into the officer ranks of the Navy. He said that I had the potential to be a leader and that the Navy could offer me education, training, and career advancement. He said that I could make a difference in the world, and I should look at diversity as an asset, not a liability.

He was intentional about diversity recruiting and saw something in me that I didn't see in myself. He helped me apply for the program, and I was selected. I earned a commission as a Naval Officer, and ultimately achieved the rank of lieutenant commander. The experience changed my life and motivated me to be intentional about diversity over the past couple of decades.

As a talent leader and a diversity and inclusion champion, I have hired thousands of people into life-changing jobs at amazing companies. I have seen how diversity and inclusion can create a better world, where everyone has a fair chance to pursue their dreams and reach their potential. I have also seen how diversity can give a strategic advantage to any company that wants to thrive in the global market.

?That's why I started my own business, Diverse Recruiting Experts, which was acquired in late 2022. That's why I wrote The Diversity Recruiting Blueprint, Your Guide To Crafting An Impactful Inclusion Hiring Strategy.

This is a comprehensive guidebook that offers proven solutions and insights for anyone who wants to make a difference through effective diversity and inclusion recruiting practices. That's why I share my personal story and my professional wisdom with you in this book.

I wrote this book because I care deeply about empowering people to change their lives and connecting great people to great opportunities. I wrote this book because I have a vision of a more inclusive and equitable society, where everyone has a fair chance to pursue their dreams and reach their potential. I wrote this book to help create systemic change in the talent acquisition world that outlives my life and our company.

I hope you enjoy reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope you find it useful, practical, and inspiring. I hope you join me on this journey of diversity and inclusion recruiting excellence.

Cody L Horton