The Grace Hopper Celebration is meant to unite women in tech. This year droves of men came looking for jobs.

The Grace Hopper Celebration is meant to unite women in tech. This year droves of men came looking for jobs.

  • RentlarEnglish
    36•1 year ago

    If we had proper public supports for people between jobs, students and immigrants looking to find a way to live and/or not get kicked out of the country, this wouldn’t be a problem.

    The whole job hunt feels like a rat race, it’s practically common recruiter advice to apply for stuff that you don’t qualify for on paper, send out as many applications as possible and take every chance you can get. So I can see how people can apply these ideas to participate in spaces where they aren’t encouraged to apply.

    This is compounded by the pressure put on people to even live without income for short periods of time.

    I’d say I’m privileged, yet it took me a year of looking to land something in my field. I had money saved up and enough supports to keep costs at a minimum, I’m aware I’m lucky I was even able to be in this circumstance.

    We need smart and capable women, trans and nb people in the workforce, and we need resources to overcome the barriers they face. I’m just saying that it’s not easy, even without such barriers and also with comforts that are not afforded to many.

    • @[email protected]English
      15•1 year ago

      You’re saying this like the rat race isn’t a feature for employers. They give you that advice because they want you to settle for whatever shit job they can get you to do for as little pay as possible. Employers don’t want happy, productive employees. They want desperate, starving employees just happy for the “opportunity” to make just enough to technically be able to survive.

      • RentlarEnglish
        4•1 year ago

        it’s a feature for employers

        You’re absolutely right about that.

    • Otome-chan
      2•1 year ago

      I’m a trans woman and don’t bother applying because I know that my resume isn’t even looked at, and the interview hurdles are just so high that they’ll just say no anyway. What’s the point if companies refuse to hire me?

        • Otome-chan
          1•1 year ago

          yeah learned my lesson. I might try again though and just lie and say I’m latina when I’m not. maybe I’ll start getting some offers that way lol.

      • RentlarEnglish
        9•1 year ago

        Well, companies can’t hire you if you don’t apply. Do your best and make them all tell you no, rather than expecting it and not trying.

        Just know that it’s often not your fault your application didn’t make it through. It’s half an exhausting lottery. I’ve had pristinely written CV and letter with family and career counselors editing it not get anything, and applications where I found spelling mistakes after were interested in interviewing. Companies tend to have hiring seasons where if you apply at a consistent pace, you’ll get no answers some months and many answers at other times.

        Even recruiting itself is a hellscape, you see corps getting recruiters, laying them off because “they don’t need em anymore”, then all of sudden they need more staff but way more than the recruiters they have can handle.

        • Otome-chan
          2•1 year ago

          yeah sorry I don’t have that sort of mental health to be able to just continually throw myself at a wall for years on end when there ain’t even a person on the other side.