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> Diversity. We really, really suck at diversity. We’re getting better, but we have a long way to go. Most of the industry chases the same candidates and assess
by goi 6y ago
> Diversity. We really, really suck at diversity. We’re getting better, but we have a long way to go. Most of the industry chases the same candidates and assesses them in the same way.
What about neurodiversity and hiring neuroatypicals? "Culture fit" is often a euphemism for discrimination against them and others with poor social skills.
Also, call me cynical, but I've come to view blogposts like this as little more than marketing for the author and whatever company they started/work for. They're always vague, self-congratulatory, studiously avoid saying anything genuinely controversial, and to the extent that they're critical, it's often just as a way of contrasting themselves with the competition.
- lliamander 6y agoEverything I've seen suggests that neuroatypicals are over-represented in tech relative to the wider population. I'm not saying there isn't anything more to be done for them, but I expect they're still going to have a more welcoming environment in tech than just about anywhere else.
- goi 6y agoThe industry isn't nearly as accepting of them as it was ten or twenty years ago. To those downvoting: if Linus Torvalds was 30 years younger and just as competent, yet completely unknown, do you really think he wouldn't have a lot of trouble getting hired at a FANG company because of his poor social skills?
- rodgerd 6y agoIf you mean that the industry is less likely to allow a self-diagnosis of "it's the autism" as an excuse for sexual harrassment, sure.
- avip 6y agoCultural fit sucks, but working with developers who cannot communicate clearly and effectively also sucks. The "how to interview" discussion must always focus on what sucks less as the whole framework of thinking sucks here.
- ThrowawayP 6y agoThere are plenty of neurotypical developers who can't communicate clearly or effectively either; I've sat through enough presentations and design meetings over the years to attest to that. Therefore, it's not a good disqualifying criterion. While of course there are limits, why turn away a good engineer when all it costs you is a bit of patience and accommodation? It's not like talented people are easy to find.
- golemiprague 6y agoWhy do we need diversity if it is more or less the same job? you need people who can do the job and it is likely they will have some common traits