This is absolutely right. While there are unquestionably fewer black, hispanic / latino, and native american individuals with STEM backgrounds (another problem that needs to be solved at an educational level) there is still an uphill battle to be climbed even for individuals who DO possess the necessary skills and experience.
Hiring systems, especially in tech, are largely based on referral models and the "who do you know who can do X?" approach. Despite the many benefits of this approach, one danger is that it often inadvertently leaves underrepresented ethnic groups on the sidelines.
Hey there - we appreciate you expressing your concern. This is absolutely something we're keenly aware of. By restricting our initial target user base, we're putting ourselves in a position to do this one thing REALLY well. We want to one day do much more than that (i.e. we believe as strongly as you do that a college education, or lack thereof, is NOT a signal of one's professional value or ability to contribute). We're humbled by the possibility that we can influence the funnels that companies turn to to hire; this is step one.
To bump my response to this (it's at risk of being lost in the chain below): To clarify, I'm suggesting that we need to walk before we can run. I absolutely agree that many individuals without a degree far surpass companies' hiring needs, but our initial focus is entirely on providing a diverse pipeline of talented candidates who fit the criteria our partners are currently seeking. As we continue to demonstrate this value, I HOPE we find ourselves in a position to influence the traditional pipelines that companies turn to for talent.
Great questions! While there are certainly other underrepresented groups - including women, the LGBTQ community, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and other racial groups - we set out to be "everything for someone" rather than risk being "something for everyone." We hope that Jopwell's success with our initial target demographic allows us to expand the range of individuals whose lives we impact.
As an added note, Jopwell doesn't just serve the tech community. We are focused on connecting individuals with opportunities in a wide range of industries, including tech, healthcare, consulting, finance, and not-for-profits.
Great question - thanks for posing it! Just how someone identified via LinkedIn, indeed, or Monster would not be branded as a "Company-x guy", Jopwell candidates have not been labeled negatively as a result of being on the platform. Jopwell is simply the resource through which these individuals are finding out about opportunities they might have otherwise been unaware of. As a reminder, these individuals are not hired BECAUSE they are on Jopwell - Jopwell is simply a tool that helps companies ensure that they are considering an applicant pool of individuals from varied backgrounds. From a user perspective, Jopwell helps individuals learn about companies and jobs and hopefully (if they are the BEST person for the job) attain employment. Hope that helps to clarify!
To clarify, I'm suggesting that we need to walk before we can run. I absolutely agree that many individuals without a degree far surpass companies' hiring needs, but our initial focus is entirely on providing a diverse pipeline of talented candidates who fit the criteria our partners are seeking. As we continue to demonstrate this value, it would be exciting to find ourselves in a position to influence the traditional pipelines that companies turn to for talent.
I'm Ryan, co-founder of Jopwell. There are many different points along the spectrum where problems relating to diversity can be tackled; we're specifically focused on the collegiate and post-collegiate employment puzzle. This is simply a reflection of our initial target market and the immediate hiring interests/needs of our partner companies.