Talent Acquisition Tips and Takes with Destiny Kasubaski Rosado 

Talking Data, DE&I, and the Future of Recruiting 

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are the cornerstones of any great talent acquisition strategy, but some companies still struggle with how to effectively integrate DEI into their hiring process. Hearing from leaders in the TA space who are paving the way to more equitable and inclusive hiring practices can help break down those barriers. 

Destiny Kasubaski Rosado is the Recruiting Strategy and DEI Manager at Lamar Advertising Company, and she’s also a strong company culture advocate and a lifetime learner. Her approach to employee culture and engagement, as well as talent acquisition, is driven by her background in many different HR branches. 

Destiny shared her thoughts with Cangrade about many areas of HR that are changing right now, including generational shifts in the workplace and the most critical skills for recruiters. Her insights are essential for anyone looking to re-energize and rethink their talent acquisition strategies in 2024. Read on for Destiny’s recruiting tips and takes.

To start, can you tell us about your role and background?

I am a Recruiting Strategy and DEI Manager. Before this role, I worked in several HR disciplines, including Employee Relations, Wellness, Employee Engagement, and Internal Communications. My education is in Marketing, but after years of working in retail management and discovering that my passion was ultimately making work a better place for all, HR felt like a natural fit for me. My focus now is on supporting 200+ hiring managers nationwide by providing effective technology solutions, training, and workflows. 

What skills do you think have been critical to your success in talent acquisition?

My ability to connect and empathize with others is a superpower. Recruiting is all about matchmaking, and while our team does not make final hiring decisions, we must deeply understand business needs and take on the challenges of our hiring managers as our own. Being agile and ambitious has also greatly impacted my career. So much has changed in our industry since 2020, and without flexibility and drive, it would be easy to cave under pressure or accept defeat with so many factors naturally being out of our control.

How do you keep your skillset competitive?

I am a massive advocate for continuous education. Not only is there always more to learn as the HR landscape evolves, but learning opportunities often also present a chance to connect with other professionals in the industry. Attending a conference never fails to re-energize me, and you can frequently find me in both virtual and in-person workshops.

Balancing the strategic and day-to-day tasks in HR can be challenging, how do you do it?

Recruiting is seasonal in nature, so I need to identify trends year over year and adjust our strategic initiatives accordingly. I am fortunate to have a team of all-stars that take on many day-to-day tasks, but making time to include all team members in strategic planning has been highly beneficial as demands and volume fluctuate. 

The last few years have been a whirlwind for HR teams. How do you keep up with the evolving landscape?

• Keeping my eyes on relevant social media content. It’s essential not to be overly reactive to social media trends but to note sentiment and philosophy around work. 
• Remaining attentive to what “Great Places to Work” are doing. 
• Prioritizing continued education. 
• Leaning into vendor partnerships for expertise and utilizing all market data made available.  

When faced with talent decisions, how do you balance data with your instinct as an HR professional?

I have committed to making data-based decisions as frequently as possible. Data isn’t always available, leaving only the option to tap into instinct, but instinct should be secondary to what the data shows. Our department is a significant user of surveys and performance data, allowing us to direct our resources towards efforts that are important to hiring managers and candidates.

What’s the biggest challenge you’re currently tackling in hiring and talent management?

Many challenges come with a new generation entering the workforce, like we’re seeing now with Gen Z. This shift in workforce availability forces companies to approach everything differently, like employer branding, hiring, training, engagement, and more. We’re also looking to harness the power of data better. We know the data is available, but ensuring it’s used effectively and responsibly is the challenge. With the emergence of AI, both of these objectives must be considered more intently. 

What trends do you think we’ll see in the upcoming year for talent acquisition and management? Which are you most excited about?

• Greater interest in a company’s investment and commitment to DEI
• Firmer candidate requirements on work-life balance
• Increased focus on transparency and “walking the walk” 
• Hires juggling multiple streams of revenue. With greater accessibility of financial resources and guidance on social media, we’re seeing more and more individuals who hope to be more intentional about having multiple income streams.

All of these are exciting to me! 

As a Recruiting Strategy and DEI Manager, how do you balance and prioritize DE&I in your talent management processes?

I am fortunate that my role has evolved to include DEI because it makes this balance very natural. Every deliverable coming out of our department is vetted for hiring efficiencies and through the lens of DE&I. This also allows us to enmesh DE&I into our conversations with hiring managers as they’re doing the work to make their next great hire. 

What technology are you most excited about for talent acquisition and why?

All things automation and integration make my heart sing these days. Any chance we have to eliminate manual work that can be ingested by systems revolutionizes our daily work, giving us more time to do the things that require a human touch. More specifically, seeing how many solutions can plug directly into our HRIS has been incredible. Cangrade has been a beautiful example, saving our department and hiring managers significant time on every requisition. 

As technology shifts the way we work, how are you building a future-ready workforce?

My direct team is entirely remote. Our communication is exclusively virtual, except for on-site team building once a year. Because we support hiring needs around the country, this structure allows us to support our customers better as we live and work in some of the same regions and time zones as the people we spend the most time with.

In addition, every project we take on is reviewed for sustainability. Is this something we can scale should volume increase? Does this format serve various audiences? Are customizations feasible, and what kind of turnaround time can we expect when changes need to be made? 2020 was a glowing example of what happens when systems and processes are built to serve immediate needs, so we tackle everything with a growth mindset. 

What’s one piece of advice you’ve received in your career that everyone should know?

Don’t expect everyone to work the same way as you. This was tough for me because I’m all about interconnectedness and shared goals, but it’s so true. Everyone is balancing a different set of priorities, experiences, and personal situations. Diversity of thought is also huge! All of these things contribute to how people show up at work. Remembering this simple truth has changed how I interact with colleagues and eliminated a significant amount of stress.