Recruiting for Diversity in TechPresented by: Laine CampbellApril 30, 2014

Key Points

● Challenging the Meritocracy● Review the interviewing process● Have, and enforce, a code of conduct● A consistent and vocal message● Reaching out to other communities

Challenging the Meritocracy“governance by those who have skills and ability”

reinforces privilege, by ignoring it and gives power to the majority without encouraging diversity

Challenging the Meritocracy“governance by those who have skills and ability”

The Pro-Meritocracy ArgumentsAnyone can get in, progress and be heard. As long as they are good enough…

Hard work is rewarded, much like the lessons we all learned growing up...

Challenging the Meritocracy“governance by those who have skills and ability”

The Pro-Meritocracy Argument RebuttalsAnyone can get in, progress and be heard. As long as they are good enough…

And the self-confidence to demonstrate their skills publicly and to demand recognition for it.

This is found most often in white, middle and upper class men.

Challenging the Meritocracy“governance by those who have skills and ability”

The Pro-Meritocracy Argument RebuttalsHard work is rewarded, much like the lessons we all learned growing up...

What I learned being working class, cajun and southern is not what you learned. Add race, being lgbtq, disabled etc.. and you cannot expect shared experience.

Don’t speak out to avoid notice.Don’t seem like competition.Ambition is unattractive.They will assume…They will judge…

Challenging the Meritocracy“governance by those who have skills and ability”

What else?

Accept contributions that are less than perfect. Diversity creates collaboration.

Offer roles to those who don’t ask. Dive into their goals and aspirations.

Call out the success of the quiet ones. Encourage peer congratulations.

Create anonymous submission channels. Lead by example.

Further Reading

● FLOSSPOLS, sexism, and why meritocracy really isn't (Nerdchic)

● Questioning the merit of meritocracy (Geek Feminism blog)

● Geeks, meritocracy, and gender (Scientist Carrie)

● Where meritocracy fails (Selena Deckelmann)

The Interview ProcessInterview Questions

The face of the Company - Who do they speak to?

Bring up diversity and culture

What environment do you create?

The Interview ProcessThe questions you ask in interviews matter!

do not reinforce the boys club by asking heavily gendered questions centered on video games, superheroes, scifi.

yes, these are topics women can enjoy, but they are predominantly the realm of the young, the male and the heterosexual.

causes self-selection out by candidates turned off by such environments

minimizes abilities of those not informed of the question’s paradigms (like standardized tests)

●

The Interview ProcessThe face of the company - recruiting

assemble a diverse group to give input on what the ideal candidate is

select for the whole person: analyze past one or two contributing factors to success: what about adversity? collaboration? Open-mindedness?

avoid making a big deal about a person’s diversity, it can lead to tokenizing, hiring people who are not good fits and setting them up to fail

recognize when you are asking a person to “step up” because their background is different enough that you must set the bar higher

The Interview ProcessThe face of the company - recruiting

avoid gut instinct. if uncomfortable, particularly with someone different, question! sleep on it. reevaluate.

do not seek to replicate yourself - common interests become impossible to maintain in medium to large orgs. focus on values, not homogeneity

keep the personal conversations out of it! this is business, and personal dives can distract, shift views from the core needs and cause discomfort

The Interview Process

further reading● Dropbox's hiring practices (Venturebeat)

● 10 hiring and interviewing tips for diversity (Verna Myers Consulting Group)

● Wanted: More Women Coders at Etsy (Forbes)

The Code of Conductdefine acceptable behavior for your organization

who it applies to (staff, contractors, guests, customers)

define unacceptable behaviors (intimidation, harassment, abuse, discrimination, derogatory and demeaning behaviors)

and targeted communities (race, lgbtq, women, disabled, reproductive status, age, citizenship, national origin)

encourage everyone to participate, and discuss expectations, enforcement and impact

How to get it out thereput it on your webpage

reference it in github, on sales collateral, on event promotions

include it in your guidebooks

share it with potential employees

remember - this models behavior for similar organizations, as well as your own staff

Reaching Outyou can’t expect normal channels to bring diversity to you

look for diverse coders and technologists on twitter, github, stackoverflow, linkedin, quora, etc...

participate in targeted events (lgbt meetups, transh4ck, lesbians who tech)

invite diverse individuals to speak at your own meetups and techtalks

encourage via scholarship, internships and sponsorships

Githubhttps://github.com/pyladies/pyladies

LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/groups/Women-In-Technology-sponsored-EMC-1001387

Quorahttp://www.quora.com/Women-in-Technology-1

blackbird.ioblackbird.io/code-of-conducthttp://www.linkedin.com/company/blackbirdiolaine@blackbirdit.com