More Unfounded Observations about Hiring and Diversity

We're hiring interns. I have received several resumes from unqualified white guys. Colleagues of mine also report that they have encouraged applications from students who they know personally and who are from demographics under-represented in computing. These students -- who have been personally encouraged to apply by people who they know -- have declined to apply, citing a belief of being unqualified.

Suddenly it becomes clear to me why I was hired for some of the jobs that I have had in the past. Odds are that I was the only female applicant, and they were under pressure to hire very diversely. In one office I worked in as an undergraduate, the Indian guy was named full professor at Princeton when he was 24, and the Latino guy is pretty famous and gave a TED talk a few years ago.

Moral of the story: Apply.