Confessions of a Black Hiring Manager: Am I A Doorway or Doormat?
By Donald Hicks
Being a Black executive in tech — well, being a Black executive at all — comes with its rewards, responsibilities, and challenges. And while I can seize every opportunity, and frankly, the obligation, to be part of the solution for equity in my industry, I can often find myself wrestling with its problems. From microaggressions to being paraded as the token BIPOC leader, there’s plenty of curveballs I’ve learned to dodge or even catch swiftly over my professional career.
Lately, I’ve been preoccupied with a single question that permeates my mind and commands the forefront of my consciousness during interviews: as a hiring manager who happens to be Black, am I being used as a doorway or a doormat?
I humbly share that this topic is difficult to write about, and I may be wrong or short-sided given its nuance. Race is not always the thing to fall back on. As always, I welcome a dialogue with readers. I committed to writing about the most important, and unspoken topics even when they are uncomfortable.
The Truth About Being a Black Hiring Manager
As a Black hiring manager, I am given the opportunity to build my teams with A-players and those on a similar mission to change the tech industry’s landscape. Being a hiring manager helps me contribute to driving diversity within the ranks. I take the responsibility seriously and opportunity is not lost on me. Largely, I’m incredibly grateful for the experiences and proud of my personal growth through people management. I’ve seen team members achieve incredible success at other companies. Similarly, I’ve evolved as a shepherd, leader, and friend because of what I’ve learned as a hiring manager.
One might assume that obstacles would be few and far between when you’re approved to build your dream team. The only question you would ask yourself is, “When can they start?” And while I doubt any hiring manager would tell you that constructing a team that you can coach toward success is 100% easy, I’ve learned the hard way just how difficult it can really be.
During an interview, I’m not only evaluating the person’s background, strengths, and whether or not they are going to be a culture add. My experience goes a bit further; I am forced to enter a state of self-preservation. I question their motives with wanting to work for a Black executive or how they’ll “play” the relationship once the velvet rope is removed and they’ve gained entry into the rooms they want, the people they want, and the seat at the table they want. I have to wonder, Is this person going to change the script and act brand-new once they’ve exhausted my connections and proximity to management? Essentially, I ask myself, Is this person going to use me as a doorway or a doormat?
As a Black hiring manager, countless will see me as a “back-door entry point” into the exclusive world they couldn’t otherwise tap into. They’ll pander and smile during the interview process, and they’ll play the role of the dutiful team member until they see an opportunity they hope to seize. And that opportunity always involves using someone as a doormat and wiping their shoes clean so that they can move forward.
My Experience as a Doormat
A few experiences in my professional career have seared prolific memories in my mind, but two separate incidents stand-out among them all.
When I worked at one of the major networking sites, I was building out my team and was tasked with hiring new talent. A referred candidate named James* made their way into my network, and an interview was quickly set-up and conducted. I learned James was in what amounted to a flatlined role. An opportunity with me, with this company, was a significant upgrade. One they could not get into otherwise. James blew me away with their experience, determination, and passion for growth and holistic change. During the interview process, we bonded over shared experiences, including our family priorities and the internal struggle to balance it all as working parents. Without a doubt, I knew James to be the hire our team needed. Fast forward, and they were part of the team, and all was well…for a couple of months.
At first, the working relationship between James and I was better than expected. We built a foundation of mutual respect, goals were being matched, and it felt like both the team and James were experiencing growth due to the addition. The honeymoon phase quickly turned a corner, and the respect and openness soured into cold responses and thrash-filled interactions. The collaborative working style we had cultivated became very transactional. And the root of it all became clearer as time went on. James had army-crawled his way into the executive inner circle that once had its back to him. He was finally “at the table” but had forgotten who had helped them get there. It was akin to your friend in high school ditching you for the popular kids. But unlike with your everyday coming of age story, this was James’ opportunistic plan from the start. James followed the formula perfectly, get in where you fit in and drop the act once you find yourself exactly where you want to be.
The second encounter that stands out is my time working at another tech company. My network connection introduced me to their former classmate, Alex*. As with James, Alex was someone I quickly brought on my team with hopes that we could achieve professional success alongside each other. Alex, someone who had been trained to assimilate and was more masterful at using others like chess pieces, had no sense of loyalty or alliance. Soon after joining my team, Alex determined that my leadership style didn’t match their preferred style; rather than confront me about it or find mature coping strategies, he set-up a skip-level with my manager, Ryan*. Because they shared the same complexion, Alex believed that he and Ryan would share a wink and find an alliance in one another.
What didn’t Alex know? Ryan, my manager, called me to update me of the meeting and express his disdain for the move Alex had made. I encouraged my manager to meet with Alex; I was curious to see how everything would unfold. The very movement that had once propelled Alex to new heights was the very move that dug the grave toward a decline at the company. Ryan explained how loyalty meant something to him and that if he can’t trust Alex to not double-cross the person who had helped prop him up toward new success, how could Alex be trusted at all?
The Aftermath of Being Used
Corporate betrayal demands a high level of self-awareness; otherwise, it can be impossible to decipher if what you’re cradling in your hands is a life lesson learned through hard experience or a bruised ego pierced by a hardened person.
I’m not sure anyone goes through life completely unaffected by their corporate setting, but I’ve found being used as a doormat has a unique sting. It brings together all that I loathe about the tech industry: entitlement, disrespect, and competition over collaboration. You’re used as a game piece, and all of your humanity is disregarded. Your trust is compromised in the spirit of superficial success, and you replay the interactions you had with someone, again and again, trying to spy the red flag you missed and extract a poignant lesson for future encounters.
And then there is the layer of race relations that serves as icing on the cake. Part of what James and Alex saw in me as a Black executive was something you don’t always get with non-BIPOC hiring managers: a nod acknowledging the fight and sacrifice it takes to get as far as you have. Behind the nod is solidarity, a mutual understanding and respect for one another, and trust that you have each other’s back. You don’t have to be Black to know that we look out for those we trust, no matter their color or background.
Today, when an interview is put on my calendar or I sign-on for a Zoom interview, I wonder, Is this person going to use me as a doorway toward success or a doormat for their own gain? Either way, I will keep trying to focus on opening the doors for everyone! Diversity for all is the end game. I stay committed to this!
