NCWIT Tips for Startup Members: Issue #2

Make Metrics Work for You.
You wouldn't launch a marketing or sales campaign without measuring the results, so why would you undertake a recruitment effort without putting some metrics in place? A wealth of research shows that companies' diversity efforts are much more successful if they implement accountability for their efforts. If you want to hire more women into your organization, remember that what gets measured, gets done.

Get started:
  • Set clear, measurable goals for diversity that are tied to business goals.
  • Hold your hiring managers or technical leads accountable for meeting these goals, such as making it part of the managers' performance appraisals.
  • Make sure your staff knows that these goals are endorsed from the top-down.


Invest in Your Employees' Careers.
Men and women both benefit from having mentors. Research shows that mentoring relationships can improve job satisfaction, work success, and retention, and can also enhance leadership skills. "Reverse mentoring" programs can even ensure that the benefits of mentoring apply to both more- and less-experienced employees. Sponsorship — where a senior person within an organization takes a vested interest in the success of a less senior employee — has even higher rates of success, and can significantly increase the number of women and minorities who move up in your organization. Setting up a mentoring relationship doesn't have to be complicated and requires just a few simple rules: meet regularly, set some goals, and measure your success.

Get started:
  • Recommend professional development opportunities: conferences, trainings, or meetings with experts in your network.
  • Help your mentee navigate the often "unspoken" technical language and social norms of your particular company culture.
  • Help your mentee prepare for a performance review by reviewing her work and job description with her to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
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