Did you know that at Tesco BST, all positions are by default 6-hour ones?
Did you know that at Allianz Technology, they strive to have women in every tech team?
I didn’t - until we took part in the Women in IT Meetup on the topic of diversity hiring.
Meetup link: https://www.meetup.com/women-in-it-budapest/
Although there were only about 10–15 of us, this smaller group turned out to be just ideal. Sitting in a physical circle, a real dialogue and exchange of experiences could take place between employers and job-seeking IT professionals.
Diversity goes beyond gender
We didn’t look at diversity only through the lens of women — we also talked about age differences, intergenerational collaboration, minorities, and the opportunities of foreigners living in Hungary. And yes, we said it out loud: discrimination and sexism exist in IT too.
In the second half of the discussion, we touched on other topics that concern job seekers: what makes a good CV, how many people apply for one position, what’s the basis of decision-making when there are many applicants, what to do when an AI screens the resumes, and how to address the subjectivity of selection — and really, is the CV the best format for introducing yourself at all?
Making it 'natural'
What made the conversation especially interesting was that, even if we had tried to do it intentionally, we probably couldn’t have put together such a diverse group: there were university students just starting out, leaders with decades of experience, female tech leaders, people working at multinationals and SMEs, entrepreneurs, foreigners living here, employers, job seekers, headhunters…
Why could this come together so naturally?
- There was a meetup group that deals with a topic that — sooner or later — concerns almost everyone (and often carries a lot of emotion, too).
- There was an easy-to-access, comfortable venue with excellent hosts.
- There was a timeslot right after working hours.
- There was a shared language: English.
In other words, an environment was created that made the event interesting and accessible for different kinds of people.
Key Takeaway for Inclusive Hiring
That was, in fact, the takeaway of the evening: If we want to hire people from certain groups, the solution is to understand the needs of our target audience and shape the work environment and company culture accordingly — with the right education and organizational development. For example, many people would benefit from part-time options being a standard.
I feel that everyone gained something from last night, and I really hope there will be more evenings with the same open and down-to-earth tone. I’m grateful I could share my thoughts and experiences as an IT career consultant and “third-party” headhunter.
Written by Orsolya Lőrincz