Project Equinox: How Plum Helped a Health System Rethink Talent From the Ground Up

In this episode we talk about skills, healthcare talent, community hiring, psychometrics, and workforce equity. A major health system needed a new way to hire in a Chicago neighborhood where life expectancy was thirty years below the national average. Instead of waiting for candidates to come to them, they built Project Equinox and took Plum’s assessment tech straight into the community. What started as a college and early career idea turned into a pathway for people who never pictured themselves working in healthcare to find real, durable roles where they actually thrive. Key Takeaways Plum opened the door for people who never saw themselves as healthcare workers Durable skills like communication, innovation, and execution predicted success better than degrees The health system used Plum outside the ATS to engage people before they ever applied Project Equinox targeted a Chicago community with a thirty year life expectancy gap A mobile recruitment van equipped with Plum and VR met people where they already were Candidates could explore roles through VR without entering a hospitalOver 200 community members were assessed in the first year across two major events Many hires came from people who weren’t looking and didn’t think they were qualified Plum gave candidates personal insight and validation about where they naturally thrive Retention improved because hires were matched on behavior and potential, not resumes Psychometric data helped build trust in a community that historically mistrusted healthcare systems Companies underestimate how many people can succeed in non degree roles when matched well Chapters 00:00 Who is Plum?01:50 Advocate Health overview03:10 The life expectancy crisis in Chicago04:45 Project Equinox is born06:00 How Melissa and Caitlin met08:55 Early career idea turns into community hiring strategy10:00 Why durable skills matter12:00 Opening the aperture beyond resumes13:40 Moving Plum outside the ATS15:30 Matching talent before they apply17:00 Lessons from Scotiabank18:40 Opening doors in low income communities20:20 Building trust and confidence in new roles21:15 The recruitment van and VR23:10 Why traditional job fairs fail24:00 Plum’s candidate owned data model26:00 On ramps, potential, and future hiring29:00 Matching behavior to job success31:00 Real stories from Project Equinox33:00 The impact of 200 new candidates Guest Info Melissa Le, VP Talent Acquisition, Advocate HealthLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-le-3495a516/ Caitlin MacGregor, CEO and Co Founder, PlumWebsite: https://www.plum.ioLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlinmacgregor/ Connect with us William Tincup LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tincup/Ryan Leary LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanleary/ Connect with WRKdefined on your favorite social networkSite: http://www.wrkdefined.comTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrkdefinedLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrkdefinedFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/WRKdefined/Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/WRKdefined Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices