Please provide a brief overview of your understanding of diversity and inclusion, and explain why you believe they are important in the workplace.
Goldman Sachs places a great deal of emphasis on their commitment to promote diversity in the workplace. It is one of their business principles, and they also describe it as an essential mission of their firm. "At the crux of our efforts is a focus on cultivating and sustaining a diverse work environment and workforce. For us to be successful, our men and women must reflect the diversity of the communities and cultures in which we operate. That means we must attract, retain and motivate people from many backgrounds and perspectives. Being diverse is not optional; it is what we must be. It lets us remain at the edge of innovation, respond to the needs of our clients, and ensure that our people can work at their maximum potential.
HireVue also emphasizes that they "actively work to prevent the introduction or propagation of bias against any group or individual" and claim their assessments focus on skills and competencies, not age, race, or gender. "We also continue to advance our abilities to monitor, detect, and mitigate bias. We strive to build teams from diverse backgrounds with diverse knowledge, experiences, and perspectives to best represent the people our systems serve."
On their website, Goldman Sachs states, "We are committed to making progress toward racial equity, advancing gender equality, and increasing representation at every level of our firm." Therefore, their recruiters need to ensure whomever they consider hiring will be able to work well with the rest of their teams while contributing to and aligning with their culture and priorities. So, before your interview, do your research and reflect your understanding of how important these initiatives are while showcasing your cultural competence.
Goldman Sachs wants evidence that you are keen on supporting societal change, justice, and equality. The goal of your response is to show the hiring managers that you are active in your DE&I efforts and that you understand how important these initiatives are to Goldman Sachs.
"Diversity, equity, and inclusion are important topics to me, so I actively seek opportunities to build relationships with people of many different cultures, beliefs, and socioeconomic backgrounds. This year I started volunteering at a non-profit organization helping our underserved communities and senior veterans. The people I interact with while volunteering have helped me become more aware of any unconscious bias that I have held toward the underserved. This exposure has helped me become more aware of the needs of others and has guided me to develop a greater sense of empathy that translates into my personal life and my professional interactions. Goldman Sachs has many DE&I efforts, such as Inclusion Networks and Diversity Awards. These efforts excite me. Should I be chosen to join the Goldman Sachs team, I would love to become as involved as possible in supporting and growing these efforts."
It is important to be self-aware of how others might perceive you, or misinterpret your body language in a recorded interview. Conveying cultural competence requires interest, openness, and curiosity. Nonverbal indicators for these emotions are smiling and making eye contact (with the camera), relaxing, keeping your body language open, leaning in, and tilting your head as you speak. Signs of discomfort and avoidance could be interpreted as indicators of negative bias and antipathy. Such nonverbal cues include decreased positivity, less eye contact and more gaze aversion, fewer smiles, greater interpersonal distance, and increased blinking. Consider these points when formulating your answer.
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