June 21, 2007
Model workers: University employment ads feature real employees
Sandra McGowan was waiting to get her hair done when the woman who runs a beauty supply business nearby came running over. “Aren’t you the woman from ColorsNW?” she asked.
McGowan laughed and admitted that she was. The encounter was a pleasant surprise for McGowan, who isn’t a celebrity; she’s a technology manager for the UW’s Computing & Communications. But in February her face appeared in a magazine advertisement designed to attract people to employment at the University.
The ad was one of a series in ColorsNW magazine that features members of the UW staff. Typically, professional models are used for employment ads, but this year Human Resources decided on a different approach. “Instead of doing the standard ‘come work at the UW’ campaign, we wanted to feature our people — the staff who make it a great place,” said Chesca Ward, HR’s diversity specialist.
And because the University is particularly interested in recruiting minorities, the models for the ads are all members of these groups. ColorsNW, according to its mission statement, is a magazine that aims to “illuminate issues relevant to communities of color through high-quality, enlightening and thought provoking content.”
McGowan said she was glad to pose for the ad because she believes there aren’t enough African Amer-icans at the UW. “There are a variety of reasons for that,” she said, “but I think one of them is that the University hasn’t done enough outreach to my community.”
If her encounter at the hairdresser’s is any indication, the ColorsNW campaign is making an impact. And two other ads have appeared since then. The May issue featured four Asian American staffers, while the June issue featured three staffers — two of whom are gay or lesbian. Ads in October and November will feature Hispanic Americans and Native Americans respectively.
The months were not chosen randomly. February is Black History Month, May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, June is Pride Month, October is Hispanic Heritage Month and November is American Indian Heritage Month.
In addition to featuring photos of the staffers, the ads include quotes from them about their work, and a listing of related events on campus.
“That gives us a chance to reach out to the community to invite them to these events,” Ward said. “So instead of the ad project being just an HR staff focus, it became a bigger, more collaborative piece. I’m excited about that.”
Other participating staffers are enthusiastic about their roles in the campaign. Jerry Pangilinan, assistant to the vice provost and dean of The Graduate School, said he was happy to appear in the June ad. “There are very few people of color on campus and also few gay, bisexual, lesbian and transgendered who are ‘out.’ It follows that there are even fewer who are both, so I thought it was important to do this for the sake of visibility.”
Peg Cheng, an academic counselor lead in the Gateway Center, liked meeting the other staffers in the May ad, none of whom she knew before. “There aren’t that many of us on campus,” she said. “I belong to an informal Asian Pacific American women’s group, and it’s pretty small.” She added that anyone interested in the group can go to http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/apawomen.
Ward noted that two groups — women and those with disabilities — are not included in the ad campaign. Other magazines would need to be chosen for those groups, she said. ColorsNW gave the University a discounted rate for the multiple insertions.
Other than anecdotal information like McGowan’s experience at the hairdresser’s, Ward doesn’t know how the ads have been received or whether they will make a difference. The aim, she says is to “get people in the Seattle area to view us as an employer and ultimately, an employer of choice. The unemployment rate is pretty low right now, and with all the options out there, we want to make sure the University is in the forefront of people’s minds.”
Ward is also looking for events to include in the Hispanic and Native American focused ads this fall. Send information to her at qsw@u.washington.edu.
