Communications of the ACM
At Least 1 Woman Should Be Interviewed For Every It Job Opening, Advocacy Group Says
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Recruiters for high-tech jobs should make sure there is at least one woman candidate for every job opening in information technology (IT), according to "Solutions to Recruit Technical Women," a recent Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology report. The extra effort will increase the chances that the high-tech industry sees growing numbers of female technical specialists and managers, the report says.
There are blind spots in how recruitment largely takes place that can be overcome with specific efforts to bring about greater diversity in terms of women in IT, says report co-author Denise Gammal. The report also suggests building a gender-balanced internship program for technical positions, using social networks to increase the number of female candidates, and revising job descriptions to reduce gender stereotypes.
Additional recommendations include instituting a blind resume-screening process to lower the potential for unconscious bias, deploying dual-career support mechanisms when relocation is involved, holding executives and managers accountable for reaching diversity goals and targets, and quantifying initiatives to increase the representation of women.
The study found that many companies and government agencies want to broaden their IT workforce to include more women.
From Network World
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Abstracts Copyright © 2012 Information Inc., Bethesda, Maryland, USA
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