Femgineer Forum: Fostering a Female Friendly Company

Poornima Vijayashanker@femgineer [email protected]

FEMGINEER FORUM: FOSTERING FEMALE FRIENDLY COMPANIES

#femgineerforum

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mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

INTRODUCTION

‣ Duke University - Electrical Engineer & Computer Science

‣ R&D Engineer @ Synopsys

‣ Founding Engineer @ Mint.com

‣ CEO & Founder of BizeeBee

‣ Femgineer.com

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POORNIMA VIJAYASHANKER

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FOSTERING FEMALE FRIENDLY COMPANIES 3

Inspiration for Femgineer Forum.

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Format.

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FOSTERING FEMALE FRIENDLY COMPANIES

‣ Why is diversity important?

‣ What’s broken?

‣ How can we fix it?

‣ Role Playing & Presentations

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AGENDA

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What does female friendly mean?

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Culture of “nice”.

Everyone goes to sensitivity training.

50/50

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Efficient. Open. Respectful. Quality.

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Storytime.

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Minority voice isn’t heard.

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Lack of empathy.

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Why is diversity important?

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Why is important right now?

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By 2020 US Businesses will need 1.4M computer scientists.

She++: The Documentary Trailer14

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vPPmhQNS6I



Only 30% will be filled by current graduation rates.

She++: The Documentary Trailer15




“What can we do to attract more women?”

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PRE-CONDITIONS FOR STRATEGIES

‣ Need a supportive environment

‣ Don’t try to change things overnight‣ Do it consistently


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Understand that there is a difference.

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Success factors.

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Need encouragement.Need mentorship.

Need clear performance feedback.

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Traditional vs. Non-Traditional Path

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Think small.

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STRATEGIES FOR RECRUITERS

‣ Environment

‣ Recruiting

‣ Identify your company’s culture

‣ Advertise your mission


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ADVANCED STRATEGIES‣ Change process of hiring.

‣ e.g. Imperial

‣ Think about retention.

‣ e.g. Duke University


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1/2 way there...

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Stop rejecting yourself.

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IMPOSTER SYNDROME


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STRATEGIES FOR CANDIDATES

‣ Don’t be afraid to apply for positions.

‣ Stop waiting for an invitation.

‣ Don’t be afraid of homogeneous teams.

‣ Express your needs early on!


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If you don’t know... ASK.


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Assessing the Environment.


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Does it value everyone?

- minority of thought

- diversity in roles both employees and leadership

Is it open to change?

- have you witnessed it first hand?

- has someone else experienced it?

Speed of change?

- is there a plan in place that is being executed?

- what are steps already in place and when are the milestones?

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ONCE YOU’VE GOT THE GIG

‣ Cannot be afraid to speak up with ideas.

‣ Be clear about what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

‣ ASK for the promotion, raise, or project.


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Sometimes you have to move on to get what you need.


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Don’t play the victim, value yourself!

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Why we don’t ASK.

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Visualize failure.

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KEY OBJECTIVE(S) AGENDA

DELIVERABLE

EXERCISE

Recruiters: describe your company, it’s mission, and the role you are hiring. Explain how the company plans to retain talent.Candidates: respond to pitch with concerns.

30 minutes 1.Formulate pitch.2.Deliver pitch.3.Ask for feedback.4.Refine.

Short skit.

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Office HoursThursdays & Fridays 2pm PST

Sign up for a 30 minute slot here!

Next Femgineer Forum May TBD


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https://www.google.com/calendar/selfsched?sstoken=UUZQcnhZQlFvWVE5fGRlZmF1bHR8ZWNlYTM2ZDUyOTQ2NTk2NjBjMTFmZmU5MTk5NTRlMTQ

https://www.google.com/calendar/selfsched?sstoken=UUZQcnhZQlFvWVE5fGRlZmF1bHR8ZWNlYTM2ZDUyOTQ2NTk2NjBjMTFmZmU5MTk5NTRlMTQ

Technology

Femgineer Forum: Fostering a Female Friendly Company