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“I have the best job at IBM,” said aptly-named Joy Dettorre, diversity program manager, IBM Talent, whose joy in her career is palpable. “What could be better than being in a position to bring fresh talent into the company?”
Dettorre serves as project manager of IBM’s Project View, the company’s university recruiting program at the forefront of IBM’s effort to include under-represented minorities, women, and persons with disabilities in its workforce. “IBM recruiters conduct interviews on campuses around the country and refer candidates to Project View,” she said. “We then host a two-day event—attended by managers with hiring opportunities who have let us know the majors, core competencies, and GPAs they’re looking for—and we make a skill match.” According to Dettorre, Project View accounts for the firm’s having hired more than forty percent of IBM's diversity population in the United States over the program’s twenty-year history. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently awarded its prestigious Freedom to Compete Award to the program. Even though she loves her job as a committed adherent to IBM’s culture—which puts a heavy emphasis on learning—she is continuing to refine her skills so she can contribute even more. To do so, she currently is working on her Master of Science in Human Resources Management (MSHRM) in the College of Business Administration. The accelerated program takes just twelve months and with its Saturday-only classes provides a convenient option for hard-working professionals like Dettorre. Still, it’s a long trip from her Fort Lauderdale location. Is it worth the drive? “Yes,” she said. “The people in the program make it worth it, and the fact that it’s on a Saturday eases the commute.” She feels her graduate work started to pay off immediately. “My courses have direct application to what I do and have absolutely improved my performance,” she said. “There are so many things in a job that you don’t think about and my academic experiences are helping me understand those. My talent and career path definitely will be enhanced by what I am studying.”
She already has taken classes in international human resources (HR), HR law, and metrics, which will help her streamline and reduce the costs of her program. She’s taking a course in HR strategy, among others, this semester. Upon completing the program, Dettorre plans to get her Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification, for which her coursework will help prepare her. “Though my job function will stay the same, the certification will further reveal my level of credibility, discipline, and commitment,” she said. “Within the company, it will differentiate me. Externally, it helps me increase the intellectual capital of IBM to business partners, clients, and the marketplace.” Despite the time that her full-time job and her graduate studies require, she gives to the community in the form of another aptly named member of her family: Dulce (sweet), a therapy dog in training. “Dulce can go to schools, elder care, and pediatric wards,” she said. “Once she completes one more training task, she’ll be able to go into hospice settings.” And just as Dettorre has plans to advance upon her graduation, Dulce will, too. “She’ll achieve the level of animal assistant therapy dog, which is one level below a service dog,” Dettorre said. For more information about the opportunities IBM offers to prospective employees and about Project View see http://www-03.ibm.com/employment/us/un_div_pv.shtml. For more information about the MSHRM program at the university, see http://business.fiu.edu/master_of_science_in_hrm.cfm, and for more information about therapy dogs, see http://www.therapydogs.com/.
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