Should companies have a policy to interview minority candidates for top level positions? Robert L. Johnson, the famed mogul with investments across a variety of industries and companies, recently stated that he believes companies should have their own Rooney Rule for executive positions. The so-called Rooney Rule, named after the owners of the Pittsburgh Steelers, requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate for head coach and general manager positions.
Since adopting the Rooney Rule in 2003, the number of minority head coaches in the NFL has increased from two to six out of 32 total teams. In the NFL, the Rooney rule provides minority candidates with experience and exposure to landing a high-profile position, making the candidate better prepared for future opportunities, even if they don’t land the current job, says NFL Chief Human Resources Officer Robert Gulliver.
During a discussion at the National Press Club, Johnson called for companies to voluntarily embrace a similar policy in order to set off a ripple effect of hiring at lower level positions. Just as the NFL committed to interviewing more minority candidates and more minorities were hired, the same would happen in corporate America. As a result, minority executives would advocate for minority hiring at lower levels, Johnson said. With unemployment rates almost double than the national average, this strategy could help reduce unemployment in the minority community.
What do you think? Would adopting the Rooney Rule really make a difference in the overall unemployment rate for minorities?
