Tech’s Other Diversity Problem

I’m not talking about the lack of diversity among engineers.

That is not to say that isn’t a problem, too, because it is. It’s just not where my anecdotal experience lies.

I’m talking rather, about the gross lack of diversity in HR, specifically recruiting. In my time as a recruiter, the culture that surrounded me often felt antiquated — not far off from Mad Men’s portrayal of Sterling Cooper.

Half of my floor was made up of engineering, and the other half was taken up by recruiting. The women’s restroom was on the engineering side and the men’s on the HR side. Almost like a practical joke, it seemed like the floor was inconveniently designed to make the opposite sex walk to the other side of the building every time someone had to use the bathroom.

Yes, the majority of engineers on my floor were men. I don’t think that would come as a surprise to many. The lack of (gender, racial, age, you name it) diversity amongst engineers, while still an epidemic, has gained some awareness through PR and journalistic efforts. The much less talked about the problem of homogeneity in recruiting is something we hear a lot less about, and I feel like making some noise.

A bit of backstory:

When I was new to the workforce, fresh out of college, I interviewed to be a recruiting…