Ahead of the forthcoming Diversity Career Show - a recruitment fair for minorities organised in partnership with the gay, lesbian and bisexual charity, Stonewall - we're going to be exploring how diversity can be a selling point when job seeking and why your unique voice and perspective is valuable to employers.
Mark Palmer Edgecumbe, who heads up diversity and inclusion at Google for Europe, Middle East and Africa regions, told us: "Diverse teams are more creative, make better decisions and ultimately deliver better profits to their organisation. That is why the world's leading companies are passionate about recruiting from the the broadest and most diverse talent pools available. Diverse candidates should acknowledge what they bring to the table when they are applying for jobs as this makes them stand out from the crowd and makes them more marketable in today's tight jobs market."
So, if you're keen to meet employers championing diversity - such as Barclays, Credit Suisse, BSkyB and the Environment Agency - the event itself kicks off in London on 22 October, followed by dates in Edinburgh and Manchester on 16 and 30 November respectively.
As well as exhibitors, the event is also hosting a series of seminars including Coming Out at Work, a session run by Stonewall offering practical advice on coming out in the workplace, and The Sector Debate which will help candidates identify which sector is best for them, as well as CV and interview advice too.
To discuss these issues and more, a panel of industry experts and diversity employers will be joining us on the forum on 15 Oct.
Our panel includes:
Uwern Jong, MD of Boutique Marketing - a marketing business specialising in awareness and engagement among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) audiences
Sean Greenham - a University of Warwick graduate
Linda Riley, commercial director of Square Peg Media - the company behind the Diversity Career Show
Mark Palmer Edgecumbe, heads up diversity and inclusion at Google for Europe, Middle East and Africa regions
Jo Taylor is currently head of learning and 4Talent at Channel 4
Wa, global programme lead for technology graduates for Barclays Global Retail bank
The discussion is now open for your advance questions and comments - so get posting!
