In May, Automattic’s engineering hiring team launched a user research study to better understand how our approach to tech hiring resonates with women and non-binary folks who may experience similar gender discrimination in the workplace and are experienced developers. We asked participants questions about how they saw their careers and next opportunities, as well as specifically asking about their reactions to our job postings. It’s easy to find advice on this topic, but the volume is overwhelming and the information is often conflicting. We wanted to cut through the vast quantity of Think Pieces On The Internet to make some changes based on actual data. Our goal, unsurprisingly, is to identify ways to increase gender representation on Automattic’s engineering teams.
This was a fascinating process, and we are truly grateful to the 71 people who responded to our request for feedback. Given that we had this level of interest within just five days speaks to the relevance of the topic, as attracting contributors to a research project can often be far more of a challenge. While much of what we learned (discussed below) lines up with research you can find online, listening to people share their individual stories was profoundly impactful on our interviewers. It also revealed further insights that we are eager to apply. Automattic’s hiring team has been able to make some immediate changes, but have much more to think about, and expect this to influence our ongoing efforts.