Do You Have Any Tips for Finding a More Diverse Source of Candidates, Especially in a Way That Doesn’t Feel Tokenizing?
Hi Nikki!
I’m a big fan of the blog. I’m a white guy working at a small startup and the founders (also men) are trying to hire another employee or two. I’m trying to push to hire outside our limited demographic, and there’s no resistance in theory, but it’s hard with our limited resources and networks to find people at all who are both searching and interested in such a small startup (plus being first/only/different even at such a small company obviously is not always an attractive option).
Do you have any tips for finding a more diverse source of candidates, especially in a way that doesn’t feel tokenizing (e.g. don’t want to cold email every woman of color engineer I find on LinkedIn)?
I really appreciate any thoughts!
-Mid-Level in San Francisco
Dear Seeking in San Fran,
I'm so excited that you've taken this approach to finding the right diversified talent for your firm!
To start your search, I would suggest researching first any local professional chapters for your industry. Minority professionals are typically associated with other professionals within the same demographic by profession. For example, there are organizations for Black Journalists, The National Association of Black Journalists or if you're looking for Black Engineers, there's the National Society of Black Engineers. Your focus is finding the local chapters of these organizations and inquiring for talent. Maybe you can speak at their next meeting and let them know you're seeking talent.
LinkedIn is a useful tool as well.
Are there local universities that you can contact and share what you're looking for? Universities, as I'm sure you know, keep in touch with their alumni and are another resource for them as well. I'm sure there are groups within engineering departments at local schools that have access to new alumni/alumnae that can also be helpful.
In general, I believe what you're looking for is easy to find. You just need to open up your search and be prepared to make relationships with organizations possibly that specialize in this niche. The good thing is, we're accustomed to being the token. I think the important thing for you and others in your firm will be to be aware of potential things like the language used and the stereotypes you have in your environment. Being aware of biases that may exist and making attempts to address them effectively will be impactful, to make sure anyone you bring into your organization will be welcomed for their talents and treated fairly. Sometimes, you may not know that biases even exist, even though you may have already recognized it with the lack of diversity that currently exists.
Good luck on your search! There's plenty of talented women of color in engineering that I'm sure will be a great addition to your team.
You've got this!
Nikki Davis
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NIKKI
Your curly girl manager, just trying to live her happiest life!
Wife, new mom, member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. with 11 years industry experience, 6 years of management experience. Manager a team of men in a male dominant industry, while being the only woman on the team. DIY fashion blogger, a self taught seamstress. Owner/Creator of a monthly subscription service, SewConscious.com.
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