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When at Uber, I remember this change to make sure a female interviewer is present on every hiring loop.
The strangest thing happened.
We started rejecting candidates just because they were unwilling to make eye contact with the female interviewer or acknowledge their presence.
The strangest thing happened.
We started rejecting candidates just because they were unwilling to make eye contact with the female interviewer or acknowledge their presence.
As context, we always interviewed in pairs: a primary leading the interview, and a shadow observing mostly.
There were candidates who would ignore the primary female interviewer, only wanting/willing to speak to the man in the room.
There were candidates who would ignore the primary female interviewer, only wanting/willing to speak to the man in the room.
The shocking outcome of this change for me was this question:
How many people did we hire in the past with all-male loops who were in the group of “unwilling to acknowledge females or assume they are technical?”
How many people did we hire in the past with all-male loops who were in the group of “unwilling to acknowledge females or assume they are technical?”
This served as a valuable lesson for me on:
Diverse loops matter not just for diverse candidates: but to see how candidates respond to people not like them
Some more advice on hiring diverse teams: https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/hiring-a-diverse-engineering-team
Diverse loops matter not just for diverse candidates: but to see how candidates respond to people not like them
Some more advice on hiring diverse teams: https://blog.pragmaticengineer.com/hiring-a-diverse-engineering-team
And this happens everywhere across tech: except many places don’t have diverse loops & many hiring managers make the mistake of dismissing this kind of feedback from non-male interviewers: https://twitter.com/triketora/status/1521985813877301249
Spelling it out for the few people in replies wanting to misunderstand what I am saying:
We rejected candidates who refused to communicate w female interviewers when they asked questions or tried to communicate. They’d only respond to the guy, who did not initiate the comms!
We rejected candidates who refused to communicate w female interviewers when they asked questions or tried to communicate. They’d only respond to the guy, who did not initiate the comms!
Explanation for "We started rejecting candidates just because they were unwilling to make eye contact with the female interviewer.":
This was my way of describing when someone *only* makes eye contact and talks to the man in the room, never the woman. https://twitter.com/GergelyOrosz/status/1522043850482724865?s=20&t=2_qdxvvpOKaG-nsh4FSmhw
This was my way of describing when someone *only* makes eye contact and talks to the man in the room, never the woman. https://twitter.com/GergelyOrosz/status/1522043850482724865?s=20&t=2_qdxvvpOKaG-nsh4FSmhw
The more this thread snowballs, the more some replies get very weird.
Here's one on the excuse of "you must understand, in my culture, women are not treated equal."
Then don't apply to companies that operate in cultures that treat women as equals, duh. https://twitter.com/TrscanSoze/status/1521996848273104901?s=20&t=0ty_hRTrnbyk_E0FS1KyVA
Here's one on the excuse of "you must understand, in my culture, women are not treated equal."
Then don't apply to companies that operate in cultures that treat women as equals, duh. https://twitter.com/TrscanSoze/status/1521996848273104901?s=20&t=0ty_hRTrnbyk_E0FS1KyVA
Addressing another obvious thing: the men who ignored women I know were rejected b/c of this inexplainable behavior were not from a culture where women are treated differently.
They were from the EU or the US. The same culture as me or the interviewers. https://twitter.com/GergelyOrosz/status/1522073018113134594?s=20&t=HaTAmunnlj0gIfP1EQcsvg
They were from the EU or the US. The same culture as me or the interviewers. https://twitter.com/GergelyOrosz/status/1522073018113134594?s=20&t=HaTAmunnlj0gIfP1EQcsvg
Closing with the obvious: so many people more qualified to give D&I advice than me.
I suggest following @_francied, @sarahjwells, @samueldotme, @umachingunde, @thegigabits & @colinhowe who all have a track record of hiring diverse teams & are generous in sharing their knowledge.
I suggest following @_francied, @sarahjwells, @samueldotme, @umachingunde, @thegigabits & @colinhowe who all have a track record of hiring diverse teams & are generous in sharing their knowledge.
