New HackerRank data keys in recruiters on Gen Z women entering tech

For years, the tech industry has been abuzz with talk about Millennials in the workplace, but that is about to change. 2019 marks the first year that members of Generation Z (those born from 1997 onward) will enter the job market en masse. HackerRank, a technical recruiting platform that helps businesses evaluate software developers based on skill, today released its second annual Women in Tech Report to help technical recruiters understand and empower this new generation of women developers.

The Women in Tech Report, based on a survey of more than 12,000 women developers from over 100 countries, reveals what they value in employers; their recruiting turn-offs; and where they think the next global technology hub will be.

"Gen Z, particularly Gen Z women, will transform the tech industry, bringing in fresh ideas, skills and perspectives. Our future is in good hands," said Maria Chung, VP of People at HackerRank. "These talented developers will build our most important products and services for decades to come. To get there, businesses must understand what motivates them and what they're seeking in jobs, and adjust the recruiting process accordingly."

Key findings from the report include:

• Gen Z women value prestigious company brands twice as much as previous generations. Fourteen percent of Gen Z women think it's important for their future employer to have a prestigious company brand, while only seven percent of women from other generations feel the same way. This is likely because as digital natives — 25 percent had smartphones before the age of 10 — they have spent most of their lives surrounded by, and engaging with, many prestigious tech companies like Apple, Snap and Twitter through their devices. To compete with this, hiring managers must aim to create a strong employer brand and then market it to Gen Z candidates throughout the recruiting process.
• They are prepared for the workforce and have a plan to get ahead. Gen Z women know two of the top three coding languages hiring managers look for in candidates: Java and Python. Like Gen Z men, only about half of them are proficient in JavaScript, but 35 percent of Gen Z women who don't know it, plan to learn the language this year. They are also proactively addressing hiring managers' demand for C# and Go skills, with 42 percent and 34 percent of Gen Z women respectively aiming to learn them in 2019.
• They are less confident in Silicon Valley's ability to remain the global tech hub. As housing prices in Silicon Valley continue to skyrocket, forcing entrepreneurs and company headquarters to relocate, Gen Z women are less sure of the city's ability to remain the leading global tech hub. The decrease in confidence is sharpest in EMEA, where only 27 percent of women surveyed believe Silicon Valley will stay the center of tech innovation, compared to almost 39 percent of women from previous generations. Notably, Shanghai consistently emerged as a strong contender across women surveyed in all regions.

The full report detailing these and other findings is available here. HackerRank will also be presenting these findings at upcoming HackerRank Main events: Mountain View on May 23, and London on May 30.

SOURCE HackerRank

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