WWF hosts inaugural HBCU Career Fair

To commemorate Black History Month, WWF's Sustaining Active Black Leadership and Empowerment (SABLE) Employee Resource Group and the Office of People & Culture hosted the organization's first Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) CAREER Fair on February 22, 2023. The career fair centered on students and recent graduates of HBCUs in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, and focused on providing resources for navigating their career paths. It is important for WWF to have a visual presence at HBCUs and foster early career development for areas that are typically marginalized and underrepresented. Our goal was to expose students to various employment opportunities within conservation to which they can apply transferable skills and degrees beyond science, and introduce them to our BRIDGE (Building Relationships, Inclusivity, Diversity, Growth, and Excellence) Internship Program. Students and staff received a wealth of information and understanding from each other; engaged in dynamic conversations with WWF leadership, applied tips for crafting polished resumes, and learned tactics for interviewing with confidence. The career fair was instrumental in WWF's journey to diversify the talent, perspectives, and expertise in the conservation space for years to come. Given the immense success of the event, SABLE and WWF's Office of People and Culture are already discussing hosting another HBCU Career Fair next year.