El impacto del asesinato de George Floyd y otros negros en 2020 ha hecho que los estadounidenses hablen nuevamente sobre las disparidades raciales, y las empresas han vuelto a hablar de mejorar la diversidad y la inclusión. Con el final del Mes de la Historia Afroamericana, hay aún más discusión.
But there have been endless discussions for decades, with little to no avail. By some measures, the proportion of blacks in engineering occupations has actually declined since the 1980s, despite all this awareness. More recently, while there have been improvements in the representation of blacks in IT jobs across all industries, black representation in the US tech sector as a whole is still only half that of the black population in general. Black representation remains even lower in the technology provider community. “Black people are consistently being left behind, especially in the technology realm,” says Elizabeth Cotton, executive director of Black Tech Link, a San Diego-area nonprofit that helps black applicants prepare for jobs. technology through training and skills development. Still, the United States is short of some 700.000 tech jobs, says Mike Jackson, executive director of Black Tech Talent, a leading job site for black techies and consulting services for employers looking to hire them. A common complaint from employers is that there aren't enough blacks to fill the job "pipeline": if only there were more applicants, companies would really walk. “The pipeline problem is a myth,” says Matthew Davis, a communications consultant who works with /dev/color, a black engineering training and advocacy group. To help organizations find and hire black professionals, engineers and developers, Computerworld reached out to several black professional organizations to create a list of resources for recruiters and, just as importantly, to seek advice on finding and attracting black recruits. effectively. . It turns out that many employers get it wrong, if at all. (This somewhat awkward advice, by the way, applies to other underrepresented groups as well.) Like most minority groups, blacks have a long history of engaging in the community to support one another, especially amid years of government and court sanctioned oppression and majority population racism. It is in these communities that you can find black talent. But most black communities and professional organizations are small and local, with limited resources and often no fixed address or office to visit. Computerworld has assembled the following resources from conversations with Black techies and from listings posted by various entities, including news and job sites. Everyone's basic advice is to truly engage with the black community in whatever way you have wherever you are.
Educational organizations
Colleges and universities are places where many people learn engineering and science, including programming and computer skills. Therefore, it is a good place to find black talent, both current students and recent graduates. Many educational institutions offer internship programs, job fairs, black student associations, and job openings for students and alumni. To find black students and graduates, go where they are likely to be. This includes Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), most of which are located in the Northeast, Midwest, and South. Public and community colleges often have larger minority populations than private universities, and public university systems fall in between. If your company leans toward elite schools, a common attitude in Silicon Valley, you're missing out on a significant talent pool, which is also more diverse than what you'll find at Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, UC Berkeley, MIT, and soon. There are several black student associations focused on engineering and science: more general associations include the National Association of Black Graduate Students.
Fraternal and sororal organizations
Fraternities and sororities provide many students with an ongoing network of contacts and support. The black community has very strong fraternities and sororities, the major ones being collectively known as the Divine Nine and formally known as the National Panhellenic Council. These are Alpha Kappa Alpha (ΑΚΑ), Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ), Delta Sigma Theta (ΔΣΘ), Iota Phi Theta (ΙΦΘ), Kappa Alpha Psi (ΚΑΨ), Omega Psi Phi (ΩΨΦ), Phi Beta Sigma (ΦΒΣ) , Sigma Gamma Rho (ΣΓΡ) and Zeta Phi Beta (ΖΦΒ). Black Tech Link's Cotton suggests reaching out to the locals where you're hiring to see if they can help you, involving them in college career fairs you attend, and asking Black employees who are members to contact their fellowship brothers or sisters. Brotherhood. to spread the word.
Professional and service organizations
There are many black professional organizations dedicated to furthering skills and education, building professional networks, and advocating for black interests. These include: (Computerworld's sister publication, CIO, has published a list of professional groups that includes organizations dedicated to other minority populations, as well as CSOs for security professionals.) Beyond the national organizations, there are many local organizations, such as Black Tech Nation in Pittsburgh and Black Women Talk Tech in Atlanta, New York, and San Francisco. Read what's in your area, and of course, search the web using terms like "black engineers" or "black developers" and the name of your city.
Meetups
Often, professionals organize meetings to share their skills and knowledge. This is especially true for technology professionals. Therefore, meetings can be a good place to network in recruiting blacks. Black-centric encounters are worth zooming in on, but also non-black-specific encounters; Blacks also participate in general events. The National Meetup site can help you find local Meetups, as well as search the web for "Meetup" terms and the skills you're looking for, as well as attributes like "Black" or "Minority" to find. Meetups that are set up in private, like on Zoomez or at someone's home or office.
Bootcamp encoding
Jackson of Black Tech Talent points out that many Black people don't go to college because of expense or the need to work or stay home to care for their families. Therefore, employers must look for talent beyond universities. Coding bootcamps are one potential source; employers can contact them and help them meet black people studying there.
People you know
Beyond networking with different black groups, don't forget to network with people you know: people from your church or other religious center; your neighbors and friends; Members of your family; and members of civic organizations, sports teams, and fan groups to which you belong. If you have openings or want to find a local black group, ask people you know, not just black people, who can help you.
Work sites
In addition to human referrals, there are black-focused job sites. Those that specifically cater to black technologists include Blacks in Technology and Black Tech Talent. HBCUconnect, Black Jobs, and the Black Career Network have multi-occupational publications geared toward black applicants. Knowing where to look for Black Tech talent is a key part of diversifying your workforce. But you also need to convince candidates that your organization is the right place for them and create a work environment where they want to stay for the long term. Check back tomorrow for Part 2 of our series, with lots more tips from the experts we consulted.
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