The FQ at SXSW: How to Deepen the Diversity Pool of Tech Candidates

Resources focused on training and achieving more workplace equality can help with the process of attracting retaining and advancing female workers said Erica Dinardo Director Global Talent Acquisition at DeepIntent the healthcarefocused advertising platformOne example Dinardo noted is The Mom Project which includes a community of hundreds of thousands of new mothers and professionals seeking new opportunities Other advocacy networks offering events and educational opportunities like sponsorships and mentorships also provide paths to more workplace diversityDinardo emphasized the importance of reaching out to nearby universities and colleges big and small which provide training and workshop options to those planning their careersThe panel39s moderator Jill Wesley an Advisor Partnerships at The Female Quotient noted that there needs to be a change in recruiting infrastructure to create more inclusivity especially for women and minorities in STEM science technology engineering and mathThere are lots of barriers to entry on the STEM front said Mohamed Ali Vice President Human Resources Global Ad Sales at NBCUniversal However two reasons stand out One is that there is not enough awareness or attention given to the importance of STEM at the very beginning of children39s education He also mentioned that mentorships are important even before the collegiate levelAli observed that more organizations need to realize that Blacks and Hispanics especially in STEMrelated fields can be effective as top tier executivesIn the quotcultural mindsetquot there needs to be a better understanding of what women can be added Raquel Oliveira Learning Experiences Partner at SAP whose products include enterprise resource planning software Parents she continued need to be better role models from a gender perspective showing the fluidity of how genders can share household responsibilities such as fathers also doing some cooking and cleaningEngineerinventor Renato Checarek agreed that the change in mentality is critical adding that building such awareness isn39t just moral but also a business need so that women can attain more leadership rolesOn the corporate side IBM39s Carolyn Carter Vice President Global Head Payroll said that her company has benefited from recruiting and hiring professionals early in their careers IBM has a digital outreach program that opens the recruiting funnel to hundreds of schools and diverse educational partnerships It especially impacts women of colorCarter noted that another path to enhance hiring results is to require managers to have a diverse pool of candidates for jobs so that the right hiring decisions are madeThis kind of variety in candidate pools means that women and minorities really have a shot said Wesley quotThere39s so much talent all over now in every zip code and this is where people really need the opportunityquot she notedSAP39s Oliveira remembered that at her early entry into tech there were few women And there was the sentiment that maybe she didn39t have a chance to be a manager But she knew that she wanted to manage people It was her mother very busy and independent who set the example and influenced Oliveira39s professional climbWhen it comes to worklife issues everyone on the panel agreed that attention must be given to a healthy balance between quality time with family and friends and attention to careerBecause women are making much progress in management now there39s been a backlash from men fearful that they may be left out But Oliveira called that quotnot truequot noting that there are still only about 25 of women in managementWesley seconded that Gender discrimination against men is only a quotperceptionquot she said noting that it will take decades to reach the holy grail of malefemale parity in the workplace Hope may spring eternal but the panel made clear that women minorities and many businesses of all sizes are determined to progress on a faster trackThis report was written by Doris ToumarkineClick the social buttons to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writersamp160amp160

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The FQ at SXSW: How to Deepen the Diversity Pool of Tech Candidates

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The FQ at SXSW: How to Deepen the Diversity Pool of Tech Candidates

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