Meet the Maker: Dustin Berthiaume, Lead, Technical Recruiting
Dustin is a technical recruiting lead at Wealthsimple and a member of our 2SLGBTQ2IA+ employee resource group (ERG), Rainbow. As a member, he’s focused on building conversation and community, both things he sees as crucial to creating safe and inclusive spaces in the workplace not just during Pride Month, but all year round.
Our team of Wealthsimplers work collaboratively to build the best possible experience for our clients. Everyone is a maker and an owner. What does that mean? We take ownership of our own work. Each one of us contributes to hands-on work, no matter their title. We question the status quo and when we want to update, change or fix something — we take initiative, involve others and #shipit, then improve it. Get to know the team with our Meet the Maker series.
What led you to Wealthsimple?
The product. I was working for another Canadian tech startup before joining, and felt like I was hearing about and seeing Wealthsimple everywhere — whether it was through friends who worked there or via ads. Naturally I became curious about the product and once I started using it, I knew it was the next place I wanted to work. Bringing financial freedom to Canadians through smart and simple products was something I could easily rally behind.
What has your career journey been like?
I have always been in a “helping” role. I started in retail, moved to customer service, worked with at-risk teenagers at a group home, and also was a nanny. Finally, I moved into a customer support rep role and transitioned to hiring those reps. Having officially moved into recruitment I was then exposed to hiring for other teams like data science and engineering — the latter which I now lead hiring for at Wealthsimple. Central to all these experiences was cultivating an environment where people could thrive and do the best work of their lives. I love that I’m able to now do this for Wealthsimple employees every day.
Why is Rainbow important to you?
Everyone has the right to exist in the world as themselves and feel safe doing so. The programming and community Rainbow creates does exactly that. Take Pride Month for example, it isn’t about taking anything away from anyone else, it’s about celebrating the milestones and strides the 2SLGBTQ2IA+ community has made when it comes to equal rights, which is something we really celebrated internally this Pride Month at Wealthsimple.
Rainbow is a group dedicated to celebrating community, conversing, and lifting each other up. Knowing that it exists, is celebrated and supported by the entire Wealthsimple community is something I’m really grateful for.
One of our core values is to demand diversity, and create inclusion. As a recruiter, how do you look for this value in potential candidates?
In order to amplify this value internally, we need to ensure we’re cultivating it from the start and building the right foundation for it. That begins with how we interview candidates. We build out competency-based assessments, structured interview questions focused on personality and connection, and try our best to ensure our interview panels are as diverse as our workforce and clients. Then, we encourage candidates to share their unique perspectives and experiences, how they embrace DE&I in their own lives and how they support and look for inclusivity. Everyone at Wealthsimple has a responsibility to live our values, so hiring with that lens in mind is incredibly important.
Do you have any advice for how allies can create safe and inclusive spaces in the workplace?
Be open to conversations, and listen to perspectives and opinions. Ensure folks have the opportunity to speak their truth. Partner with folks from underrepresented groups and always be committed to continuous learning.
This is something Rainbow does really well. As a member I always look forward to its events. They give me an opportunity to engage in important dialogue, learn and share my own lived experience whether it’s during Pride Month or at any point throughout the year.
To learn more about how Wealthsimple creates an inclusive culture, read our Culture Manual.
Are you looking to find a sense of community within your workplace? Visit our “Work With Us” page to learn more and view open roles.
Wealthsimple is a new kind of financial company. Invest, trade, save, spend, and even do your taxes in a better, simpler way. “Maker Stories” is an inside look at how we get things done.
