How do you improve gender diversity in recruiting?

Question

My startup is struggling to source engineering candidates that aren't men. How have you gone about improving the representation of women and non-binary folks in your candidate sourcing?

benwerd · Accepted Answer

It's all about (1) culture; (2) proactive outreach.
Reach out to communities like Women Who Code, Lesbians in Tech, and Code2040. Work with them. Pay them.
Then go out and find people whose work impresses you on the web. Email them directly.
Make sure you're not hiring for "culture fit". Instead, ask: how will this candidate provide a new perspective?
And make sure your culture isn't accidentally a dude's club. What are you doing to promote inclusivity and empathy? How are you avoiding baking common biases into your culture? Who gets to set process? How is success measured?