OT somewhat: How can companies make themselves more
attractive to

I've been involved in a lot of discussions with IT women that address
this question, but usually from the periphery. That is, someone will
post a message about behavior (in, say, a job interview) that's a turn-
off, making the woman decide that this company is probably not a good
choice for a woman who wants to get ahead, or for one who just wants
to enjoy her job.

But I've been thinking about this, particularly as I continue in the
series of articles I've been writing about Women in IT for CIO.com,
such as "The Executive Woman's Guide to Mentoring" (
http://www.cio.com/article/187300
). I'm planning to write another article, this time with more input
from both IT women and men (not just CIOs, though I expect I'll get
some input from them), looking for the attributes/behaviors that a
smart company can adopt to make itself more attractive to women.

I want to make this largely about POSITIVE things that companies can
do -- not just the painful anecdotes. Certainly, there will be value
in mentioning the turn-offs. But it'd be ideal if I could enumerate "7
ways to make your company more attractive to IT women" -- the "DO
THIS" not just "DO NOTs."

For instance, one obvious attraction is flexible work options (which
obviously appeals to both genders, but certainly is a Plus for women
with small children).

Anyway -- I'm hereby collecting input. Ideally you can share your
name, company, and position with me. Private messages are fine, though
I dare say there's value to be had by making this a public discussion.

I have a fair amount of input already, but I hope to collect a little
bit more by Monday, so I hope you can contribute.  Starting Monday,
I'll compile and turn into an article that, I hope, may make life just
a little bit easier for techie women and the men who work with them.
I'll also let y'all know when the article is posted.

Esther Schindler

On Mar 14, 11:20 am, estherschindler <est...@bitranch.com> wrote:
> I've been involved in a lot of discussions with IT women that address
> this question, but usually from the periphery. That is, someone will
> post a message about behavior (in, say, a job interview) that's a turn-
> off, making the woman decide that this company is probably not a good
> choice for a woman who wants to get ahead, or for one who just wants
> to enjoy her job.
>
> But I've been thinking about this, particularly as I continue in the
> series of articles I've been writing about Women in IT for CIO.com,
> such as "The Executive Woman's Guide to Mentoring"
(http://www.cio.com/article/187300
> ). I'm planning to write another article, this time with more input
> from both IT women and men (not just CIOs, though I expect I'll get
> some input from them), looking for the attributes/behaviors that a
> smart company can adopt to make itself more attractive to women.
...

And the article is now live:

Making Your IT Department More Attractive to Women
Want more women on your staff? You need to do more than offer family-
friendly employee benefits. Women at every level of the career ladder
describe the corporate behavior that can attract them to a
company&mdash;or chase them away.
http://www.cio.com/article/325513