Claim OwnershipSnackWalls
Subscribed: 0Played: 1
Subscribe
© 2023 San Diego Code School, LLC
Description
Attract and retain diverse talent in technology the right way.
75 Episodes
Reverse
Hitting a mid week wall? Recharge your batteries with this latest episode of SnackWalls, enjoy!Natasha believes the lack of diversity in tech is a systemic issue. Historically people of color were not necessarily encouraged in their early schooling to pursue STEM careers. If Black and Brown people are unaware of the roles and different opportunities available in tech, then they are less likely to pursue these jobs. Natasha can understand why some companies would want their software engineers ...
On today's show we sat down with a fellow DJ turned tech professional. Be the first of all your friends to hear this fresh new episode of SnackWalls!While the tech industry is still heavily dominated by male staff, Andrew has found that in his current position, finding diverse talent hasn't been much of a hurdle. It helps that he works at a university where there is a diverse selection of students coming through every year. Andrew thinks that the push to remove CS degree requirements for soft...
Today we sit down with Brandon White, a successful tech entrepreneur who shares some wisdom he has learned on his journey.Brandon thinks finding diverse talent in tech is challenging mainly because the industry is predominantly comprised of males. When building teams, he has actively recruited women because they often bring a different perspective to the group. While he believes the best applicant for the job should always be hired, he realizes that in many cases, the best person isn't gettin...
Having a case of the Mondays? Today's guest is sure to help kick start your week. L. Michelle Smith is an executive business coach, accomplished author, and empowering figure who brought a refreshing perspective to the show. Enjoy! Finding diverse talent is not a challenge, but many companies just don't know where to look. From L. Michelle’s experience, the middle of the leadership pipeline is spewing out overqualified and high performing women of all backgrounds that can be easily recru...
Happy December! We are officially in the home stretch of 2020. As these next few weeks start getting busy, don't forget to tune into your favorite podcast for some great guests and positive vibes!Erin believes that finding diverse talent doesn't have to be challenging for companies. There are plenty of people from non traditional backgrounds that are hungry and curious to break into the tech industry. However, many of these candidates are intimidated from applying to positions when the job de...
Episode 7-0!!!! That's 70 episodes worth of amazing guests. Today is no different as we have Pariss Athena, the creator of the the #BlackTechTwitter movement. EnjoyPariss believes it is difficult to find diverse talent when you do not personally have a diverse network. However, recruiters can find this talent if they are willing to branch out, network, and engage with people outside of their communities. She thinks that removing CS degree requirements from software roles is the equitable and ...
Happy Monday, I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving. This new episode of SnackWalls pairs well with a helping of leftovers, enjoy! Michelle has noticed that the diverse talent companies are looking for can be found overseas. Our current school system is not producing enough people to match the demand of the tech jobs here in the US. She doesnt think that a CS degree should be mandatory for software engineering roles because this requirement would exclude talented people that might ...
With Thanksgiving being tomorrow, we would like to say thanks to all our wonderful guests who engage with us in meaningful conversations and our listeners that tune in every show. It’s been an… interesting year (to say the least), but I think the majority of us still have plenty to give thanks for.Brennan believes finding diverse talent is as hard as you make it. In order to be successful, a company must make a priority to build diversity into their organization and create opportunities for t...
Mondays seem to hit extra hard on short weeks. The only remedy for this is a solid helping of SnackWalls! EnjoyDavid has found that finding diverse talent can be difficult depending on an organization's diversity strategy. Companies who succeed at recruiting this talent, are open about looking for diverse candidates and are willing to establish talent pools with individuals from various areas. David has experienced how degree requirements can pose a barrier for growth to individuals entering ...
Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week? It's going to be a bit hectic for all of us, but don't forget to tune in for next episodes of your favorite podcast! Tia would agree that it can be a challenge to find diverse talent in the cybersecurity space. She has noticed that the number of diverse candidates is typically limited. When Tia evaluates job applicants, her focus is on what an individual can do, is capable of learning, and what they are passionate about more so than the letters ...
Happy Wednesday everyone, enjoy this mid week edition of SnackWalls!As someone who has been working in the technology industry for the last eight years, Christine agrees that it's difficult to find diversity in most tech companies. As challenging as it may be, she believes that this issue can be overcome. Christine has observed that ability for people to learn and be tenacious when preparing for a new career. When it comes to hiring people, it’s more important to look for capability and aptit...
Finding your groove on Monday can be difficult. Fortunately we have a multi-talented and very interesting guest on today’s episode to get your mind flowing. When Anthony hears tech leaders say there is not enough diverse talent in the market, his mind begins to scope this as a supply chain problem. If there is truly a shortage of diverse talent, then companies should be willing to pay higher salaries to attract the limited supply. Another possible solution is that the talent exists...
TGIF, lets wrap up this week with another great episode! Katie believes that diversity in a workplace is usually the product of where a company actively recruits. Tech companies rely heavily on referrals for new hires. Since most human beings tend to surround themselves with people that look like them, this method will not be effective at establishing a diverse workforce. One way to open up the field to people of different backgrounds would be to remove the CS degree requirements for eng...
Happy hump day! This show is soooo good, it's sure to hold you off till the next episode on Friday. Enjoy!Kim believes that the tech world as a whole needs to reflect on issues with diversity in the workplace. The industry needs to identify common recruiting practices that contribute to the problem. If they own the problem, then they can begin to address solutions. There likely won't be a quick and easy fix, but as a group an innovative solution can be found. In regards to dropping the CS deg...
We took a couple of days off last week, but have no fear because we're back with another great episode!Stephanie believes that during this COVID season, it is easy for us to get stuck in our own circles. When you only communicate or network with people in your circle you wont be exposing yourself to new experiences or different perspectives. Similarly, companies that have trouble recruiting diverse talent need to connect with different people and groups outside of their typical network. Steph...
Woah...the big 6-0! As always we have another great show lined up for you all. Enjoy!Manuel agrees that finding diverse talent in tech is a challenge, but it is one that companies must take full front and approach using different strategies. He agrees that dropping a CS degree requirement for software roles makes a lot of sense. At the end of the day companies need engineers that can get the job done. How or where they learned the skills necessary to do the job should not be that important. M...
Overwhelmed by election day anxiety? Put your phone down, turn off the TV, and listen to this brand new episode of SnackWalls.Jonaed highlights if employers want to find diverse talent, they need to seek candidates in different ways. Currently, many employers look for talent through referrals. However most young diverse talent do not have an established network to connect with companies. Additionally, companies will often vet out candidates based on degree requirements instead of focusing on ...
Did you finish a whole bag of halloween candy this weekend? Well then you've come to the right place, cause today’s episode is sugar free and I promise it won't make you crash! EnjoyOlin has found that finding top talent is tough and finding diverse top talent is more challenging. From his perspective the best performing teams have intrinsic and extrinsic diversity. Olin agrees that the CS degree requirement for software jobs should be removed. At LeadCrunch there is no CS degree requirement ...
Today we sit down Gary Ware, a corporate facilitator and keynote speaker who uses the power of play to transform lives! He has been recommended by previous guests and for good reason, so sit down, listen up, and enjoy.Gary acknowledges that finding diverse talent requires extra effort. Companies that struggle to find diverse candidates need to peel back the layers on their recruitment efforts to find the problem. Are they looking for talent in schools that promote diversity? Perhaps your comp...
Get ready to sit down with Vinita Ananth, a successful Group PM Manager within the Azure group at Microsoft. She talks about her experience transitioning into the tech space and shares some of the initiatives taking place at Microsoft to recruit and retain diverse talent.Vinita recognizes the pool of strong diverse candidates is smaller than traditional pools, however, the talent does exist if you seek it out. She points out how Microsoft has started making job descriptions more inclusive by ...
In today’s episode we meet Jonathan Swindell, the CEO of HBCU Hub. He began developing this app as an undergrad at Grambling State University and now works full time using his talents to connect high school students with their ideal HBCU. We learn from his perspective as a business owner in the tech industry.Jonathan highlights how diverse hires bring a boost of culture to their organizations because they come from different backgrounds and have different insights. Finding this talent is not ...
In this episode, we sit down with Marchitect, Lisa Bowman. For those who don't know, a Marchitect is one who designs, builds, and supervises the construction of marketing programs. She shares her perspective coming from the marketing world.Lisa doesn't believe there is a shortage of diverse talent, companies just need to get creative in how they attract that talent. She also thinks that sometimes the practical experience can outweigh formal education. When hiring employees, it's a matter of f...
In this episode we sit down with Marie Roker-Jones, Co-CEO of Essteem. Her company routinely hosts equalithons (think hackathon for equality) and you can checkout the links below to find events, sign up, or learn more.Marie believes companies who struggle to find diverse talent have a sourcing and network problem. Recruiters need to expand their network using LinkedIn and connect with HBCUs, bootcamps, or other organizations that promote diversity. Companies should also drop the CS degree req...
I hope you have a long distance calling card ready, because in this episode we speak with Shivangi Vyas in Toronto, Canada. As a native of India, Shivangi shares her perspective as a professional working in a foreign country. Companies who struggle to find diverse talent often tend to follow internal processes that are geared towards finding the right cultural fit as opposed to the right diverse fit. Shivangi thinks that a CS degree should not be necessary for software roles, because she...
On today’s show, we interviewed the wonderful Marie Smith. As the Co-Founder of Data360, she shares the wisdom she has learned while starting up and running a business.The reason companies cannot find diverse talent is due to systemic and infrastructural issues. The potential to build out talent pipelines exist, but HR departments need systems and practices in place to create a diverse workforce. Marie holds a bachelors in Arts, but is a full blown engineer and believes that dropping the CS d...
50 episodes deep and still going strong! In today's show we sit down with Saveree Joshipura, a recent UCSD grad that was part of the first undergraduate Data Science cohort. She provides some insightful perspective as someone new to the workforce.Saveree believes hiring talent right out of college can be difficult because the skills you learn in the classroom are not exactly the same as the skills you use in the workforce. Many colleges have an outdated curriculum, which can make it diff...
Today’s guest is Isha Brown, a former designer and entrepreneur who is currently working towards her CS degree. She brings an interesting perspective as someone who is actively breaking into the tech scene.Isha can tell you first hand how her life experiences as an entrepreneur gave her the skills needed to transition into the world of tech. There are many talented diverse people who have transferable skills but are unaware of the tech roles that exist. Companies who struggle with diversity n...
Today we talk with Siobhán, an Engineering Manager at Landed. She shares her experiences in working for a series A start up and what helped her when getting started in software development.Siobhán advises small companies to be proactive and build intentional community connections during times when they are not hiring. This way once a position is open, they will have a pipeline to tap into with a range of diverse candidates. She believes that there needs to be a conversation to reexamine all t...
In today's episode we chat with John Robert the co-founder of 3rdCoast, a design and development agency. John shares his experiences and views on working with people of different mindsets. The term “neurodiversity” comes up, so if you don't know what it means, please google it or check out this wikipedia article.John believes he reached his current level of success because he is divergent from everyone else around him. He approaches problems from a humanity mindset instead of the traditional ...
In today's episode we sat down with Mia Reyes, the Global Director of Government and Industry Marketing for Microsoft. She comes with a unique perspective as an industry outsider who was recruited into the world of tech.Mia would advise a company that cannot find diverse talent to think about how, what and where they are recruiting. She began working in the tech space when someone identified her talents and realized the benefits she could bring to the company. Many things that employers list ...
Today we talk with Sergio Marrero, a venture capitalist and managing partner at Rebel One. In our interview he discusses research he conducted while at Harvard and brings up some interesting thoughts about the future of education and work.Sergio advises companies struggling to find diverse talent, to staff diverse team members to recruiting roles. These recruiters will bring networks and pipelines to the company that could expose new talent. Companies should also consider dropping degree requ...
In today’s show we interview the incredible Sarah Cooper, Executive Director for the League of Amazing Programmers. Sarah speaks with a combination of passion, experience and knowledge that makes this one of our best episodes yet. These show notes really don't do this convo any justice, so hit the play button and enjoy!Companies that struggle to find diverse talent need to look at their set up to identify what challenges and barriers they have to attract the right people. Be explicit of what ...
In this episode we get to talk with Dani Nordin, a UX design expert and all around fascinating person. Dani has found that finding diverse talent is possible if you put in sufficient effort. Recently she created a role canvas to define the ideal candidate for an open position. Then she worked on finding people with the skills, experience, and mindset that matched this role. If a hiring manager expects recruiters to provide resumes based on a generic job description, you will not find div...
In this episode, Jackson shares a wealth of knowledge in a 15 minute convo. He notices that black and brown professional numbers are low in fortune 500 and start-up companies but this is not due to a lack of talent. Recruiters and hiring managers need to get out and create opportunities to get in front of the right people who might not otherwise have company visibility. Removing degree requirements for certain tech roles will open up the pool of candidates with hard skills and experience...
I don’t know how we keep finding so many amazing people! In this episode we have the pleasure of sitting down and learning from Johanna Lyman, a Principal Consultant at Kadabra.When tech leaders say they cannot find diverse talent, it's because they are not looking hard enough or not tapping into the right pipelines. In regards to degree requirements for certain jobs, Johanna believes that practice trumps education. People are kinesthetic creatures that learn through practice. Perhaps that is...
Today we present you with SnackWalls Episode #40 and we are just getting started!In today’s episode, we interviewed Nacho Andrade, Sr. Principal Product Manager at ADP. Nacho advises those companies that cannot find diverse talent to check their hiring gates. Consider how many qualified candidates are getting rejected because their resumes didn't pass a word filter? He believes that CS degree requirements should be eliminated for certain tech roles because of the large gap between what is lea...
The weekend might be over, but a whole new week of SnackWalls episodes is just getting started. Happy Monday everyone!In this episode we speak with Derric Haynie and his experiences working in E-commerce. He noticed that many industry leaders have not acknowledged inherent biases and pushed for a cultural change within their organizations. Businesses need to focus on finding candidates with the right skills and not someone who has hit a set of random milestones. In the near future people will...
Happy Friday! As a reward for your hard work all week, enjoy this episode of SnackWalls.In this episode, we have the pleasure of interviewing Andrew Hill, Performance Management Supervisor from L.A. Homeless Services Authority. From his experience, companies that are looking for diverse employees need to be intentional by bridging the gap and recruiting in places where people are doing the work they need. Organizations should not limit their talent pool based solely on degree requirements whi...
Not only is it the 1st of October, it's also the start of SD Startup Month! To celebrate this occasion we are dropping a bonus episode featuring Alexa-Rae Navarro, the Executive Director of Startup San Diego.Alexa-Rae has had the opportunity to work with various companies of all backgrounds. She doesn't believe that there is a lack of diverse talented people to fill tech roles and there is a misconception that top talent only comes from ivy leagues. There are many tech roles that should only ...
Welcome to Ep. 36, this is a different angle.A while back we interviewed Lexi Rhorer to hear her experiences working in the legal department of some well known tech companies. She has observed that tech companies are filling head general counsel positions with women. While they may be doing better than other industries, there is still room for improvement. Lexi believes that apprenticeship programs do work in the tech industry and these opportunities can increase employee diversity. Studies s...
We have been working hard to get your Wednesday off right. Here is the latest and greatest episode of SnackWalls!In this episode Kevin Withane was able to give us an insight to his experience working in the legal world. He has observed that there is no lack of diverse talent, just companies that don't recruit in the right places. When it comes to diversity, companies don't need to think outside the box, they should assume the box doesn’t exist and use the whole space to find talent. As more c...
Mondays are hard.During our convo, Marc spoke about his experience trying to find diverse applicants to fill tech roles. He found that underrepresented groups and people from low incomes, in general, aren't aware that certain jobs (ex. Agilist) exist. If no one in your family/friends can model a tech role, then you are unlikely to pursue a career in tech. Marc doesn't believe that a CS degree is necessary for tech roles, since a few of the best developers he has worked with didn't have degree...
Got the Monday Blues? Take a SnackWalls break for a quick pick me up!In this episode we interviewed Brock Weatherup, a serial entrepreneur who has found it difficult to find diverse talent. He feels the problem lies in our current system that makes it hard for people of color to find good tech jobs. On the other end of the spectrum, people looking for diverse talent don't always know where to look. Brock believes apprenticeship and internship programs give young folks the opportunity to trial...
Here is your much awaited SnackWalls Episode #32A while back we spoke with Paul Lopushinsky about the importance of maintaining a playful culture to retain diverse talent. It turns out there are 8 types of playful personalities. Some companies will set up ping pong tables or happy hours to keep employees engaged, but he has found that these methods do not work on all personalities. Organizations should seize the opportunity to customize their onboarding experience and show new employees that ...
Welcome to SnackWalls Episode #31Here is the latest episode of SnackWalls...get it while it's hot! Terrence and I are both fast talkers so this episode is definitely snack-sized.Dr. Underwood believes that finding diverse tech talent is possible if you look in the right places (ex. HBCU’s or professional associations). A challenge for many recruiters and talent management teams is that they only look within their sphere of influence for candidates. To retain diverse talent, change needs ...
Welcome to SnackWalls Episode #30, the big threeeeee zeeeeero.Changing things up a bit with this convo, we talked about changes that need to happen in education.Many students of color live in communities where they may not have the same level of access to technology and resources as their white counterparts. Students don’t often recognize how much STEM is involved in things that they are passionate about. Young women of color may not know how much chemistry or math is involved with things tha...
Welcome to episode #29, we are back!I had to hire someone to help me. Podcasting is hard. Diego is going to make sure we are crushing it with new episodes released daily.A while back I spoke with Terry Jones. She has a big goal to increase the population of diversity in terms of the tech industry. At a STEM conference, she realized that talking about gaming made her a rock star. While at UCLA they had a thing called the dinner for 12. It was an opportunity for people in the industry to networ...
Welcome to the 29th episode of SnackWalls.I took a siesta yesterday, but we are back with a great one!Katy Scott shared that especially in technical roles there tends to be a bias that's built into recruiting processes and some job descriptions. Over-reliance on things like years of experience or educational background and under reliance on transferable skills and other evidence of talent can constrain the interview pools and the candidate pools in ways that also reduce diversity.Katy acknowl...
Welcome to the 27th Episode of the SnackWalls podcast. I am so excited to share this episode with you. iAsia and I had a great conversation around DEI and she shares important aspects of her lived experience.iAsia shared that when talking with candidates they may be the best-qualified person for the job, but you could miss the hire. If you feel that you would have difficulty working with them because of your own biases then you might not hire the best person for the job based on a flawed...
Welcome to #26.It was great to talk with someone about DEI that often shapes the conversations and public discourse.According to Scott sourcing diverse talent falls more on the priorities of each company. Is it just lip service or do they really understand the value of hiring a diverse staff and hiring diverse cultures? It's less about the difficulty of finding diverse applicants and more about how important the employers are really making it. There's an intrinsic value because you're connect...
Comments
Top Podcasts
The Best New Comedy Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best News Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New Business Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New Sports Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New True Crime Podcast Right Now – June 2024The Best New Joe Rogan Experience Podcast Right Now – June 20The Best New Dan Bongino Show Podcast Right Now – June 20The Best New Mark Levin Podcast – June 2024
Download from Google Play
Download from App Store
United States