| Long time HN lurker here - some of the comments are being blown out of proportion. Statistically speaking, these are called “minorities” for a reason, there simply aren’t enough of them in STEM related fields. Diversifying your team/group with one or two female or foreign born individuals won’t dramatically impact the overall productivity of your team - assuming this person is not already a very hard working and/or bright individual, which many/most are. The fact that this person made it to the interview phase and passed the initial filters (which are typically gender/race blind) indicates that they are potentially qualified for the role. Keep in mind, interviewing is hard - for both parties involved, for different reasons but especially hard for candidates.
There is a significant “luck” component involved. Many interviewers are inexperienced and focus solely on finding ways to disqualify candidates as opposed to figuring out how a given person could “fit in” and contribute/help level up the team. I ask that you have an open mind and show some empathy. We still have a lot of work to do to create a more diverse and inclusive society. |