Welcome to WeSolv’s monthly newsletter for our employer and university partners! Here, we’ll break down trending hiring news and equip you with the insights you need to support, attract, and hire talented advanced degree candidates. Click here to receive these newsletters directly to your inbox each month.
If we weren’t convinced of this before, we should all be now: Traditional hiring methods can no longer hack it.
AI-driven recruitment is reshaping hiring, candidate pools are swelling, and job seekers’ expectations for employers are changing. Meanwhile, the skills gap is widening, and both employers and candidates are feeling the strain. A staggering 87% of companies worldwide say they either have a skills gap now or expect to within a few years (McKinsey).
In an environment like this, the companies that win are the ones that adapt the fastest. But with so much in flux, are you certain which direction to adapt in?
If you hope to adapt in a way that wins you highly skilled talent — and who doesn’t? — I want to share with this community that WeSolv is soon releasing our annual report on MBA hiring preferences. It’s the largest and most comprehensive survey of its kind, and we’re giving business and university leaders exclusive first access in an upcoming webinar.
Grab Your Spot: 2025 Hiring Research Revealed
Thursday, March 27th at 1-2 pm ET
I hope you’ll join us to learn how hiring trends have shifted since 2024, see what the best candidates want in a job offer, and benchmark your hiring strategy against today’s top companies.
Looking forward to the conversation. In the meantime, read on for news and resources in the equitable, effective hiring space.
Evolving with you,
Stella Ashaolu
CEO and Founder, WeSolv
➡️ A boycott at Target. The 40-day consumer boycott against Target, led by an Atlanta-based bishop, is in full swing over the retailer’s DEI rollback. In January, Target ended its DEI hiring goals and cut its racial justice executive committee. It’s hardly the only retailer to reverse DEI initiatives, but Target was seen as a top advocate, and customers say the betrayal is deeper. Meanwhile, Black-owned brands carried by Target are concerned. (More.)
➡️ Lights, camera, action — just not for DEI. Disney, Amazon, Paramount, and other major studios are quietly scrapping DEI after the FCC began investigating Comcast for “invidious forms of discrimination” (meaning, having DEI programs). And at the Oscars, reference to DEI-tied topics was often glaringly absent. It’s leading some to question: Can DEI go missing from Hollywood if it wasn’t really there in the first place? (More.)
➡️ Some clarity from the DOE. In a follow-up to its vague Dear Colleague letter, the Department of Education released an FAQ clarifying how institutions should comply with anti-DEI guidance. While it eases some concerns — explicitly stating that the DOE cannot “exercise control over the content of school curricula” — critics remain skeptical. A Boston University law professor called it the administration’s “least unhinged” DEI guidance yet but said that’s a “low bar.” (More.)
➡️ Trump’s hiring freeze isn’t just hitting the public sector. March data shows that private sector hiring fell sharply last month. While economists expected a net gain of 142,500 jobs in February, employment increased by just 77,000 — barely half the expected gain. The chief economist at ADP is predicting “a hiring hesitancy among employers as they assess the economic climate ahead.” (More.)
➡️ Accelerated MBAs are a slam dunk. Fast-tracked MBAs are growing in popularity, including for student-athletes. Bryant University says its one-year MBA program has been “a win-win-win for students, the university, and Bryant Athletics,” with student-athletes seeing it as a path to utilize their remaining NCAA eligibility while building skills in areas like business analytics and fintech. (More.)
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📕 60% of candidates abandon the hiring process midway through — here’s how to Reduce Candidate Drop Off In Your Hiring Pipeline.
📕 Share it with students: Personal Branding Tips for MBA Students in 2025
📕 Black History Month may be over, but these Career Programs That Empower Black Professionals are doing the work year-round.
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