Black leaders press tech companies for more diversity in the ranks

Sacramento Bee ^ | August 4, 2015 | Christopher Cadelago

[ClearCase_guy]

Some companies insist on hiring smart, hard working people. Its just tooo bad if you feel like you’ll never make the grade.

[Gamecock]

I work at a major university. I run across numerous black Africans here working on advanced degrees in highly technical fields.

Hire them.

[CityCenter]

I worked for a large tech company near Seattle (you know the one) which included the Diversity PR team lead by a black woman. I was in a meeting with her chit chatting about her vacation, she had gone to some island in the Caribbean. She actually said to me and another white woman that she didn't have a good time because there weren't enough black people on that island. I was stunned. Can you imagine if I had stated the reverse to her?

A few years later I caught her in a huge scheme playing shell games with vendors and millions in budget funding. I exposed her and the company "let her go" with 2 years pay and benefits. Not a bad deal for someone who should have been fired and prosecuted. All that to avoid an uncomfortable headline.

[Salgak]

The problem is not enough “people of color”. It’s not enough people of the RIGHT color, to these activist.

Hint: if you’re a solid techie or coder, you’ll get hired.

But show up all “Thug Life” and speaking in Ebonics. . .

[arthurus]

Black leaders press tech companies for more untrained and/or incompetent Negroes to to supplement government welfare.

[AppyPappy]

Ironically, we have very few African students in computer majors. They are usually Engineering or Agriculture. Someone splained me that computer jobs were considered “clerical” and not very prestigious to warrant going to America to get a degree.

[AppyPappy]

“I work at a major university.”

Clemson is a good school.

[knarf]

Who cares ?

The media is all white anyway .... almost ALL we hear or read comes from a white person

The picture of the WH presser shown reveals one and a half negroes, the rest are caucasian

[EQAndyBuzz]

“So, they’re expecting corporate America to take up the slack from poor school performance and poor school methods as applied.”

Bingo! If I run a company I only care about one thing. Are my employees the best and the brightest, regardless of color, religion, ethnic origin?

If you are forcing me to hire a less qualified candidate based on diversity, I would rather shut down the company, move to the Caribbean and go fishing for the rest of my life.

[MarDav]

Probably time for the gov’t to establish appropriate percentages that ALL companies must follow so that each and every business entity properly reflects American society.

White - 62.6%
Hispanic - 17.1%
Black or African American - 13.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native - 1.2%
Asian - 5.3%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander - 0.2%

Wonder how those Pacific Islander-types are at basketball...

[Myrddin]

My group prefers a group interview style. The applicant interacts with the workgroup. Everyone hears the question and answer. Questions don't get duplicated. You get a sense of the candidate's fit with the group.

[Mich Patriot]

I work for a mid-sized automotive supplier - about 1500 employees. Just hired a black male in an administrative position...a great opportunity with decent pay and terrific benefits. Dude can’t even stay awake at his desk. To be fair, we have plenty of white underperformers too, but IMO the manager who hired Mr. sleepy head did so just to promote diversity. Good for you...now pat yourself on the back while you’re picking up the slack.

[SkyDancer]

It’s race not qualifications that determine who gets a job according to those people.

[Gaffer]

That would be fine if everyone in your group did the same thing, but our group was comprised of 4 divisions, each with different specialties and goals for people they might want within their ground and to gauge how this person might interact with them if hired for a different divisions. Questions weren’t tailored in a general fashion.

It is also much more difficult to get Division heads and the corresponding SME’s all together in a room for an extended time. They are of better use off making money frankly.

[grania]

almost all we hear or read comes from a white person

I'll disagree on that. Considering that the US population is appox. 15% black, blacks are way over-represented on TV news and commentary shows. Perhaps the problem lies with the media outlets, putting their minorities where they're most visable?

[G Larry]

Are these “leaders” pressing Public Schools for meaningful education, to prepare them for work in High Tech?

[Dubh_Ghlase]

They will be, and they have been...

Working with a black guy (I call him "The Kid") that is top-notch, and I turn to him often for assistance and reference. OTOH, interviewed a black male whose resume glowed, but under technical questioning he obviously updated said resume with job description buzzwords that he had no idea what they meant. He had the gall to mention the need for "diversity" and "racial makeup" in the company, as if that should give his unqualified backside a pass. The first person to shoot him down was "The Kid", which I appreciated...

If you can do the work, there is a job for you regardless of skin pigmentation and background, particularly in the high-tech arena...

[Dubh_Ghlase]

same diversity percentage rules to apply to government?

[knarf]

Good point ... it’s THOSE talking heads people see / hear

[El Cid]

If Black leaders really cared, they'd press black students to study and work harder when they are in school. But that would be ‘acting white’. Or more appropriately - nowadays - ‘acting asian’ (since many melanin deprived youth have decided to take the slacker route).
And we can't have that - so better to whine for handouts.