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At Veratrak, we believe that diversity is not just a trend, but a fundamental core value that drives innovation and success. From early on, we recognised the importance of nurturing a diverse and inclusive environment. Our rapid expansion to meet growing customer demand necessitated hiring additional staff, so we seized the opportunity to grow our product and engineering team while remaining steadfast in our commitment to diversity and inclusivity. This article showcases our journey towards a diverse team.
Setting Goals and Values:
As mentioned in a previous article, when we embarked on this growth journey, we made a conscious decision to prioritise DEI in our hiring practices. We firmly believed that seniority and diversity should not be mutually exclusive. We understood the value of bringing in experienced professionals from diverse backgrounds who could contribute unique perspectives and foster a vibrant, collaborative culture.
Challenges
We cannot deny that the road to achieving our diversity goals was not without its challenges. One significant hurdle was the limited pool of candidates from diverse backgrounds.
Unfortunately, the representation of diverse professionals in the tech industry is often smaller, making it more difficult to find suitable individuals who aligned with our diversity goals. In addition, we also recognised the importance of finding candidates who possessed the right skills, experience, and personality traits to make a significant impact within our team. Every individual plays a crucial role in our organisation, and it was essential to select candidates who could contribute effectively and align with our unique company culture.
Finding individuals who checked all these boxes within the limited pool of candidates was not an easy task. Despite these challenges, we remained focused in our aim to build a diverse team. We understood that diversity promotes innovation and cultivates a dynamic, collaborative culture, benefiting both our company internally and our customers.
Creating an Inclusive Hiring Process
To ensure that our hiring process reflected our commitment to diversity, we took a comprehensive approach. We carefully crafted job descriptions using inclusive language to attract a wide range of candidates. We implemented blind resume screening and structured interviews to minimise bias. Additionally, we actively sought out diverse talent by partnering with organisations and communities that championed inclusivity in the tech industry.
Celebrating Success
We are proud to share that our efforts have yielded remarkable results. Our current product and engineering team boasts a remarkable 54% representation of female professionals, a testament to our commitment to gender diversity. Furthermore, our development team showcases a balanced 50% gender split, underscoring our dedication to creating an inclusive work environment.
The benefits of our diverse team are already apparent. The infusion of fresh ideas, varied experiences, and diverse perspectives has ignited a vibrant energy within our organisation. Collaboration has flourished, and our team has become more adaptable and open to embracing new challenges and opportunities.
Moving Forward
Our journey toward diversity and inclusivity is an ongoing commitment. We recognise that building a diverse team is just the beginning. We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive culture where every individual feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their unique skills and perspectives. We will continue to promote diversity in leadership, mentorship programmes, and opportunities for professional growth.
At Veratrak, we firmly believe that diversity is not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do. Our journey of growth and inclusivity has reinforced our conviction that diversity drives innovation and propels us toward greater success. We are excited about the future as we continue to build a dynamic, diverse team that reflects the world we live in and the customers we serve.
