Dante Myers

Ph.D. Industrial-Organizational Psychology '18
Dante Myers

Where have you worked since you graduated from ODU?

I took an internal role while working on my dissertation at a local company called PRA Group and it eventually turned into a lead organizational development role. It was a great experience where I was able to lead selection systems, performance management, succession planning, training evaluations, and partnered with the human resource information systems team to create products and software for talent processes.

After that, I wanted a broader analytics-based experience. At PRA Group I was pioneering some people analytics work, but the work I wanted to do was still a few years out. I wanted to put my skills to practice and really utilize my PhD. That's when I came across the opportunity at BlackRock. With them, I came in as a lead statistician, helped conduct psychometrics analyses and establish a Survey Center of Excellence. Now, I am leading the evolution of employee listening and feedback and providing strategic direction to our data science and survey team. Additionally, I work across HR establishing consistent measurement frameworks across different areas like learning and development, leadership and management, and other talent management items across the firm.

I've also started partnering and working on client experience and analytics. It's extending my expertise and helps me learn about the broader business and not just the traditional topics of I/O research. I am really interested making the connection between the employee experience and the customer/client experience. Making this connection helps to better understand the business and both are directly related to financial outcomes.

How did your ODU experience shape where you are today?

That's a great question and I could answer in a few ways. I think the rigor of my training allows me to come into different environments and people appreciate and recognize you as an expert. Our training is very intense and I'm thankful for it because I never go into an environment unprepared. Wherever I go, even if it's not direct I-O work, I'm bringing that deep expertise and research-based approach to every problem, every initiative, and every project. Our training sets you apart from the pack. I've gotten many opportunities because of the work ethic and attention to detail I developed through my training at ODU.

The second thing is, for me, I took every opportunity given to me. You have to be conscious of your time and aware of your boundaries and where you are going, but early on, you need to get every experience possible. Take every opportunity, whether research or consulting, so you can figure out what you want to do and you can understand what's the right fit for you.

How do you approach stretch assignments and those tasks where you’ve raised your hand but it’s something new and you’re not yet the expert?

It depends - it's the tried-and-true answer in I-O, but it really does depend. If you're early in your career, you have more flexibility up front to take more risks, try new things, and do everything, honestly. At that early stage you're figuring out what you like, what your good at, what you're successful at. As you get further along in your career, you have to be more strategic about taking on new goals. At this point in time, your responsibilities should be increasing as well, so it really is important to think strategically. One of my mentors gave me great advice to not just think about where you are now, but where you want to be in 5, 10 years and how can you craft and curate experiences that will lead you there.

Our training sets you apart from the pack. I’ve gotten many opportunities because of the work ethic and attention to detail I developed through my training at ODU.

Speaking of goals, what are your 5 and 10 year goals?

I have ambitious goals. And before I get there, I'm going to explain a bit more. So, I do a lot, not just BlackRock, but I do community work, I have a consulting firm on the side, I was an adjunct professor, I do coursework and am constantly improving my skills. My goal is to eventually be in the C Suite - I want to be a chief executive of some kind, maybe a Chief People Office, Chief Marketing Officer, or a Chief Data and Analytics Officer, and ultimately, the goal is to be a CEO. So, I'm crafting my experiences toward a senior executive role right now. I'm very interested in business, in leadership, setting strategy and objectives, helping teams meet their goals. Those skills and training will be critical in helping me get there. I'm learning and curating my experiences now so that I can get to the C Suite. Another thing I will say, is broadening my analytics breadth, you can't just cap your analytics with what you learned in school. You have to keep up with the field as its evolving. I wouldn't want to be just an I-O in the people analytics space, but am continuing to establish myself as a leader that can speak broadly across the field. As you move up, you need to know how to manage these processes so you can be an effective leader.

What is the single most important piece of career advice that you can give someone in your field?

The best thing you can do, if you are thinking of going applied, is to take an internship. Timing is important, but make sure to get in internship and work on practical projects. Get experience consulting and solving problems and really learning how businesses operate. An internship can help you whether you are going applied in external consulting, internal consulting, or government - you really need to know how the organization functions. Knowing employees' experiences and how to hire isn't useful unless you know how the organization functions and how you can apply those concepts within the organization. How do leaders get things done? How do they set strategy? What is the day-to-day business like? That's something you can only learn from true experience.

Another thing is that we as I-Os need to work on translating our work so that business leaders and managers can understand what it is we're studying. Our way of describing conclusion sections and discussions needs to change. It's not written in a way that they can easily skim the ideas and pick it up. If IO wants to stay relevant, we need a refresh. If we want our work to take off, I'm going to be honest, it needs graphics and bullets. We need key points and clear take-aways. It's helpful to know it is backed by research, but the majority of people want to know, "What can I pull from this and what can I apply." We're developing the best practices and identifying ways to do things, but we're not translating it so that it can be used. We want businesses to use sound science, and there's an appreciation for it in business, we just have to do a better job of stepping into their shoes and making it accessible.


Interview conducted by Kristen Eggler