What do employers actually look for when they hire anthropologists? In their recent American Anthropologist article, Lauren Hayes and Tyler Bowers analyzed more than 300 nonacademic job advertisements aimed at anthropology graduates. Employers do seek technical, qualitative, and quantitative skills, but anthropology’s distinctive approaches matter most. These include ethnographic research design, problem-solving, and translating findings for others. They’re joined by Gigi Taylor, a cultural anthropologist and UX researcher formerly at Indeed, where she worked on digital hiring tools. Together they’ll discuss how hiring decisions get made, how programs can better prepare students, and what this means for the discipline’s future. Open to students, educators, and practitioners alike.
Panelists
Lauren Hayes
- Assistant Professor of Cultural Anthropology at the University of Wyoming
- Co-author of “Customer Support Analysts, UX Researchers, and Directors of Storytelling: A Systematic Analysis of Job Advertisements for Anthropologists,” published in American Anthropologist
Tyler Bowers
- Department of Anthropology, Wayne State University
- Co-author of “Customer Support Analysts, UX Researchers, and Directors of Storytelling: A Systematic Analysis of Job Advertisements for Anthropologists,” published in American Anthropologist
Gigi Taylor
- Cultural anthropologist and qualitative UX researcher who most recently worked at Indeed, applying human-centered design to the development of digital hiring tools for enterprise clients
The webinar will consist of:
5-minute introduction
15-minute presentation of article findings by Lauren Hayes and Tyler Bowers
15-minute presentation/discussion of Indeed research and experience by Gigi Taylor
25-minute moderated Q&A with members