Emerging Talent Recruiter Riccardo Benini: What eBay are Looking For When Hiring Graduates

Riccardo Benini, Emerging Talent Recruiter EMEA at eBay, shares their story of university life and why it's important for eBay to recruit diverse talent into their organisation, as well as what they are looking for when hiring graduates and the process for securing a job with the eBay team.

Hi Riccardo! Can you tell us a little about yourself yourself?

Hello! My name is Riccardo, 25 years old, living in Germany but originally from Italy. 

I work for eBay as a recruiter, and I attended four universities in total in my educational journey: University of Verona (Bachelor), Universität von Salzburg (Erasmus bachelor), ESCP Business School (Master) and Aalto Business School (Erasmus Master) 

When in university, how open were you about your identity?

I was actually out to my friends and talked about it freely. University was certainly a big step forward for my sexuality since I moved to a bigger city where I could meet more people in my community. Per se, the act of being out was not that important to me. I was just living my university life to the fullest by being myself. I never mentioned to my professors that I was gay, but I also don’t think it is relevant for them to know. 

Do you feel your university supported LGBTQ+ students? 

Overall, I didn’t have any discrimination during university. But I don’t think everyone was as lucky as me.

I don’t recall my universities doing specific events in support of LGBTQ2+ students. However, during ESCP, we had some LGBTQ2+ topics, such as LGBTQ2+ employees at work, but nothing fully directed to LGBTQ2+ students. 

Do you feel that your university prepares you for what is to come as a future professional and a member of the LGBTQ+ community? 

I would say ESCP had a bigger impact on me than the other universities since this is where I also did my Master's and where I was able to get more in touch with LGBTQ2+ topics in employment. Also, part of my thesis was dedicated to homosexuality. My thesis was about intersectionality, and some members I interviewed for my Master’s thesis were LGBTQ2+, so I was able to get to know more about their experiences. 

How hopeful are you about LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace? 

I am actually. But unfortunately, progress is made just in a few countries and in a few companies. I wish more companies would do more in building a diversity, equity and inclusion policy that makes everybody feel welcome. 

"The culture at eBay is incredibly inclusive, and you sense this even before you start, from looking at the website to the recruitment journey."

Are you able to show up wholly as yourself in your new role?

Yes, I am out, and I started talking freely about my identity from the very beginning. I felt it was a safe space. The culture at eBay is incredibly inclusive, and you sense this even before you start, from looking at the website to the recruitment journey. We celebrate diversity, and my team were so excited for me when I got married.

In your opinion, how connected is coming out while in university to being out in the workplace? 

I think university, at least for me, was the very first place where I could live my sexuality to the fullest. I always wanted a workplace where I could be free to share, like I was during my university years. So, I feel there is certainly a connection. 

Before applying for a job, do you check their diversity and inclusion policies? 

Yes, I do. I always check what exactly they do, and if I don’t see anything about diversity and inclusion policies, it is not great for me and I would probably not apply. 

"Our main goal is to ensure an inclusive process for all our candidates. Diversity and inclusion are extremely important for us because we want to ensure that every candidate feels comfortable during the recruiting process in being who they are and how they are."

Are there any LGBTQ+ networks within your organisation?

We have the Unite in Pride organization! The network is very active here in Germany and globally. We organize the pride parade and many other events regarding LGBTQ2+ topics to drive education and allyship. I am also a member, and I participated in a round table about gay marriage for our European markets. That was very interesting - it was a great space to share our journeys.

Each of our worldwide locations has a pride group that meets weekly and organise various events, such as the pride parade during June. I think it is very important. Just the existence of it makes LGBTQ2+ employees feel proud about their company, and they have a chance to connect with fellow LGBTQ2+ members. There is also a large number of allies in the group which is fantastic and ensures that there isn’t a focus just on Pride month but activity all year round. 

Thanks for sharing more about United In Pride. You are also part of the eBay Emerging Talent Team. When recruiting graduates, what do you look for?

We are in search of highly motivated and diverse candidates who demonstrate a strong commitment to learning and expanding their horizons, along with a willingness to develop valuable skills as eBay graduates.

Are there any specific recruitment processes you follow, or is it different every time depending on the graduate? 

1st Stage: Assessment Test 

The initial phase of the selection process involves an Assessment test. Candidates will receive an invitation to take this test and will have enough time to complete it.

2nd Stage: Screening Interviews 

Upon successful completion of the first stage, candidates will proceed to a screening call with our Recruiters. This call allows candidates to gain a deeper understanding of eBay and the Graduate Scheme itself.

3rd Stage: Homework Assignment 

After successfully navigating the third stage, candidates will be assigned a homework task to be completed before the Assessment Centre Day, which will be conducted onsite.

4th Stage: Onsite Assessment Centre Day 

In the final stage, we extend invitations to all remaining candidates to visit our eBay Office. During this event, there will be a presentation about the Graduate Program by the Program Leaders and current Grads. Additionally, candidates will participate in a group task and undergo an additional one-on-one interview.

How important is diversity and inclusion when you're recruiting a new professional?

Our main goal is to ensure an inclusive process for all our candidates, regardless of their identity. Diversity and inclusion are extremely important for us because we want to ensure that every candidate feels comfortable during the recruiting process in being who they are and how they are. What we love to say is: Be yourself!

Our aim is to always reflect the eBay spirit throughout every step of the process, with a special focus on two eBay key principles: "Be for Everyone" and "Act with Integrity." We're excited about empowering our candidates, giving them the chance to be themselves not just during the recruitment process but also beyond it. We deeply value our candidates, no matter their background or differences, and we want to give them the feeling that they can be themselves within the process.

Our aim is to always reflect the eBay spirit throughout every step of the process, with a special focus on two eBay key principles: "Be for Everyone" and "Act with Integrity." We're excited about empowering our candidates, giving them the chance to be themselves not just during the recruitment process but also beyond it. We deeply value our candidates, no matter their background or differences, and we want to give them the feeling that they can be themselves within the process.

We ensure that from the initial stages, DE&I is at the forefront of the process. From writing inclusive job descriptions via Textio to partnering with great organizations like myGwork, it means that we can have a broad reach to a range of communities. Career fairs are also a great opportunity to do this too, for example, Sticks & Stones in Germany, which is aimed at, LGBTQ2+ employees or myGwork WorkPride which lots of eBayers attended!

How confident are you in explaining the activities of your LGBTQ+ network to your graduate candidates? Do you talk about all your employee resource groups to your candidates during the interview process?

I am very confident about it during the interview process, and many candidates ask about our diversity and inclusion policies. I always mention our United in Pride Community of Inclusion since I have direct experience with it and all the other communities of inclusion we have at eBay, locally and globally, from Caregivers to our Black Employees Networks. My goal is to describe to candidates a workplace where everyone can be themselves, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, culture, etc. 

Do you believe that joining the network will help professionals at a new organisation?

It can certainly lead to more network opportunities and more connections with departments that we usually don’t work with. By knowing other departments, you also get to know other realities of the company that you usually don’t have connections with. You can also help to drive change where your organization can be better - for example parental leave for same sex parents.  I would recommend this!

For new LGBTQ+ professionals, is their involvement in their university networks important to you? 

It certainly could be. Having an LGBTQ2+ professional involved in their previous university could represent a role model for LGBTQ2+ students. It could inspire them and encourage them! 

For LGBTQ+ professionals, what do you think your organisation's advantages are?

We have a very engaged eBay United in Pride community, which is here to provide support for individuals at different stages of their journey to parenthood, whether it involves egg/sperm/embryo freezing, IVF/IUI, surrogacy, adoption, or fostering. This group gathers monthly and maintains a private channel for open discussions on navigating this journey, eBay's related benefits, and advocating for comprehensive family planning support for all members of the eBay family.