Comments on: Startups and diversity http://snowedin.net/blog/2009/07/03/startups-and-diversity/ Mon, 18 Jan 2010 01:53:23 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: erik http://snowedin.net/blog/2009/07/03/startups-and-diversity/comment-page-1/#comment-1314 erik Mon, 20 Jul 2009 06:55:48 +0000 http://snowedin.net/blog/?p=1437#comment-1314 Hey Jesse! Well, you choose more diverse venues to post in. This is where you need to get creative. It's easy for you to post on LinkedIn, but your LinkedIn network is 80% men. By choosing LinkedIn as one of your primary venues for recruitment, you are choosing to hire a man, right there. If you want to find a more diverse venue, you need to work harder. Off the top of my head, I can think of: * college graphic design departments * graphic design conferences * facebook * the grocery store * postering near your local MOMA * women in computing groups Those are all venues that are probably more than 50% women. And if you made those your primary recruitment venues and you didn't post on LinkedIn or your site, or the recruiters or any of the other male-dominated arenas, I'm sure you would get a much better ratio of applicants. And maybe none of those venues will work. But if you give up, you're basically saying it's not worth it, and you're just going to hire a man because it's easier. Erik Hey Jesse!

Well, you choose more diverse venues to post in. This is where you need to get creative. It’s easy for you to post on LinkedIn, but your LinkedIn network is 80% men. By choosing LinkedIn as one of your primary venues for recruitment, you are choosing to hire a man, right there. If you want to find a more diverse venue, you need to work harder.

Off the top of my head, I can think of:

* college graphic design departments
* graphic design conferences
* facebook
* the grocery store
* postering near your local MOMA
* women in computing groups

Those are all venues that are probably more than 50% women. And if you made those your primary recruitment venues and you didn’t post on LinkedIn or your site, or the recruiters or any of the other male-dominated arenas, I’m sure you would get a much better ratio of applicants.

And maybe none of those venues will work. But if you give up, you’re basically saying it’s not worth it, and you’re just going to hire a man because it’s easier.

Erik

]]> By: Jesse http://snowedin.net/blog/2009/07/03/startups-and-diversity/comment-page-1/#comment-1313 Jesse Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:20:43 +0000 http://snowedin.net/blog/?p=1437#comment-1313 Hey all! I just wanted to add that we recently hired for a graphic design position and of the 20 resume's we received, 2 were from women. The white guy we hired is hands-down the best of the bunch and probably of many others who didn't apply. His application materials were beautiful and his work in the 10 days since he's started has been crucial to ongoing projects. We just didn't have a diversity of people to choose from. And we posted on Craig's list, our site, LinkedIn and contact recruiters. I would have loved to hired anyone but a white guy because it's becoming apparent in our office that the organizational viewpoint has narrowed due to homogeneity. How do we hire the people who are not applying? Hey all!

I just wanted to add that we recently hired for a graphic design position and of the 20 resume’s we received, 2 were from women.

The white guy we hired is hands-down the best of the bunch and probably of many others who didn’t apply. His application materials were beautiful and his work in the 10 days since he’s started has been crucial to ongoing projects.

We just didn’t have a diversity of people to choose from. And we posted on Craig’s list, our site, LinkedIn and contact recruiters. I would have loved to hired anyone but a white guy because it’s becoming apparent in our office that the organizational viewpoint has narrowed due to homogeneity.

How do we hire the people who are not applying?

]]> By: Kynthia http://snowedin.net/blog/2009/07/03/startups-and-diversity/comment-page-1/#comment-1302 Kynthia Sat, 11 Jul 2009 18:18:06 +0000 http://snowedin.net/blog/?p=1437#comment-1302 your point is well taken, tif - one problem is certainly a dearth of female developers. but i think erik nails something here that a lot of other discussions of diversity miss, which is the idea that another problem is a focus on technical prowess and code as the most important aspects of 'development.' why aren't things like cultural impact and context of use as crucial to understand from day one as data structures? there are plenty of women with things to say about WHY to make things, instead of just HOW, and postponing that discussion until it's too late for them to impact the design process is dangerous. overall, EPP, this is the best argument for diversity that i've seen in a while, and i'm not just saying that because i am currently benefiting from your hiring practices at Sprout Robot. ;) here's to bringing invisible structures to light. your point is well taken, tif – one problem is certainly a dearth of female developers. but i think erik nails something here that a lot of other discussions of diversity miss, which is the idea that another problem is a focus on technical prowess and code as the most important aspects of ‘development.’ why aren’t things like cultural impact and context of use as crucial to understand from day one as data structures? there are plenty of women with things to say about WHY to make things, instead of just HOW, and postponing that discussion until it’s too late for them to impact the design process is dangerous.

overall, EPP, this is the best argument for diversity that i’ve seen in a while, and i’m not just saying that because i am currently benefiting from your hiring practices at Sprout Robot. ;)

here’s to bringing invisible structures to light.

]]> By: erik http://snowedin.net/blog/2009/07/03/startups-and-diversity/comment-page-1/#comment-1301 erik Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:56:00 +0000 http://snowedin.net/blog/?p=1437#comment-1301 Hey Tiffanie! I don't expect a startup to pass up great candidates in hopes that a woman might apply. I actually find that notion kind of offensive. Not just offensive in the "that's terrible business" sense, but offensive in the "obviously all these guys are way greater than all of the women around at everything that might possibly be useful to a startup" sense. I think that notion is offensive... and I'm sure you do too. I am just saying that I want to question my definition of "great". Am I only considering qualities that are extremely important to me? Or am I considering a broader set of qualities of "greatness" that are important to lots of people? Hey Tiffanie!

I don’t expect a startup to pass up great candidates in hopes that a woman might apply. I actually find that notion kind of offensive. Not just offensive in the “that’s terrible business” sense, but offensive in the “obviously all these guys are way greater than all of the women around at everything that might possibly be useful to a startup” sense. I think that notion is offensive… and I’m sure you do too.

I am just saying that I want to question my definition of “great”. Am I only considering qualities that are extremely important to me? Or am I considering a broader set of qualities of “greatness” that are important to lots of people?

]]> By: tif http://snowedin.net/blog/2009/07/03/startups-and-diversity/comment-page-1/#comment-1297 tif Tue, 07 Jul 2009 20:33:09 +0000 http://snowedin.net/blog/?p=1437#comment-1297 I disagree with your footnote. I think people sit down and come up with a list of qualifications for a position without a specific gender in mind (conscious or unconscious). The point where things break down is not who they interview, but who applies. The bigger issue is that there is a lack of women developers available for these startups in the first place. The whole field is heavily male dominated, there aren't enough women around to fill all of these available positions. When you're a startup you only have 5 people in the first place, odds are you aren't going to have a woman on staff. You can't except a startup to pass up great candidates in hopes that a woman might apply. I disagree with your footnote. I think people sit down and come up with a list of qualifications for a position without a specific gender in mind (conscious or unconscious). The point where things break down is not who they interview, but who applies. The bigger issue is that there is a lack of women developers available for these startups in the first place. The whole field is heavily male dominated, there aren’t enough women around to fill all of these available positions. When you’re a startup you only have 5 people in the first place, odds are you aren’t going to have a woman on staff. You can’t except a startup to pass up great candidates in hopes that a woman might apply.

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