In an interview with Forbes, she shares how super-fast-growing firms can keep diversity a top priority.
Airbnb consisted of "40 people in a converted garage" when Dayton arrived at the firm, she says. While the firm's fast growth quickly became daunting--5,000 customer service tickets and an eight-week backlog--her previous experience handling HR for a large retailer prepped her well.
"I created an organizational structure to manage the team and workload while I interviewed 10 to 15 people a day," Dayton says. "I learned very quickly how to work with autonomy while building systems that were flexible enough to respond to the needs of a global team in hyper-growth."
Dayton looked at potential hires that competitors were ignoring, including "college students who wanted to travel, moms who were re-entering the workforce, [and] people of color who may not have worked in tech," she says.
"I looked at people's heart and intelligence, not just their prior experience," Dayton notes.
Now that she runs her own HR consultancy focused on startups, Dayton takes the approach that high-level CEOs will seriously seek out diverse candidates, but often don't know how to connect with that talent pool.
"In a dynamic where founders and C-level executives hold all the cards, it's unlikely they will ever hear from people without power, access or experience," Dayton says. "So, I speak for them."
Dayton adds that CEOs that hire her "want to build an equitable culture where their people can ask for what they are worth."