Why women fail technical interviews: it's not bias, it's quitting

I love this insight on why women fail tech interviews. Why do I love it? Because it's a fruit that hangs much lower than many others. If the interviewer - or the AI - is biased against you being a woman, change requires a massive societal lift. And while I hope that will happen over time and while I think it is worth speaking about bias, that discourse doesn't help the women that are looking for a job today. It's good for future generations, but it leaves current people in tech with no answers and more burden. But this? This is coachable, this is actionable. You need to coach only one woman to have an impact and affect that balance. You can coach a woman who is 30 and just trying to enter the world of cybersecurity. Or a woman who is over 40 and looking for a career change. In the circles of control, influence and concern, this falls squarely in a woman's circle of control. She needs to change only her perception of failure to give herself more chances. I'm not saying it's easy, but it's possible. If you struggle with this, find someone who'll coach you. If you can coach, find someone you can help.

Interviews aren't the same from team to team, or company by company. Important to remember that a bad interview isn't necessarily a reflection of your value as a candidate... and that interview skills are a really important part of work prep. Good news is that the same skills that increase interview performance can also increase career growth, so the practice is never a waste.

7 confidence boosting strategies for women in the workplace. If you Google – How do I improve my confidence at work? There are 621,000,000 results made available to you in 0.69 secs – in a year, that averages out to 1.75 million searches per day. If you made one of those searches – were you looking for help with a specific event or situation at work or help with a more general lack of confidence in your abilities at work? Whether you are facing a job interview, delivering a presentation, speaking at a public event, pitching for work, or negotiating a pay rise, there are strategies you can apply to boost your confidence. Want to read more? Our full blog post provides a deeper dive into these strategies, with actionable tips and real-world examples to help you build unshakeable confidence in your professional life. https://lnkd.in/eTp6EEgt #BuildingConfidence #WomenInTheWorkplace #LeadershipDevelopment

🚩 Some red flags in tech interviews are subtle, but they matter. ⚠️ You're interrupted or spoken over ⚠️ No women or underrepresented people in the interview loop ⚠️ You're told "everyone works late" as a badge of honour These aren't quirks - they're signals. You deserve a team that values what you bring *and* how you work. #womenintech #startupjobs #careerclarity #inclusiveworkplaces

This may not be new, but it still matters deeply. 𝑯𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒄𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒎𝒆𝒏. And after 8 years working in recruitment, I still see very little change in the structures that shape how women feel in interviews, how they show up, and how final decisions are made. Lately, I’ve been digging into research and articles just to give names to what I’ve sensed for years in hiring rooms. Because sometimes it’s not that we don’t see the problem: it’s that we don’t have the right words (or data) to call it out. So I put together some of my reflections in a Medium: part personal notes, part research, part small actions that I believe we can take. 𝑭𝒖𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒄𝒍𝒆 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆: https://bit.ly/45OwLHv And for those who prefer it short and practical, I also created a PDF with all the articles and references I used. Just download it to access the links. And now I’d LOVE to hear from you: 👉 Recruiters, what 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒄𝒓𝒆𝒕𝒆 things have you tried that made interviews more inclusive? 👉 Candidates, what made you feel seen (or not) in a hiring process? Let’s share real situations so we can learn and grow together :)

Is your hiring process really as fair as you think? Gender bias doesn't begin at promotion. It begins at the very start - in job ads, shortlisting, interviews, and decision-making criteria. If we're not actively designing out bias, we're likely cementing it in. We can do better by: - Using gender-neutral language in job ads - Tracking who applies vs. who’s interviewed - Sticking to pre-weighted, role-specific criteria - Letting go of “gut feelings” and “cultural fit” shortcuts We’ve put together practical, evidence-based steps to help you do exactly that. Explore our guide to reducing bias in recruitment and promotion. https://lnkd.in/gBeWFQ8 Because bias hides in plain sight and fairness starts long before day one. #GenderEquality #BiasInHiring #InclusiveRecruitment #EquityInAction #CGEPS #LeadingPractice #FairWorkplaces #PublicSectorLeadership

Forget old interview prep. 🤯 IT hiring for 2025 demands a smarter strategy, not just coding skills. Want to stand out? As a recruiter, I consistently see brilliant candidates struggle to articulate their thought process or collaboration skills. Many fall short here. 📉 For 2025, employers seek more than just code. They want problem-solvers who can communicate, adapt to evolving tech like AI 🤖, and fit into a team. Practice discussing your impact. Research the company's tech stack and values. Be ready to share examples of how you’ve overcome challenges and contributed beyond code. 💪 What’s your top strategy for showcasing more than just technical prowess in an interview? 👇 #ITCareers #InterviewTips #JobSearch #TechJobs #RecruitingTips

If you’re a woman who finds it tough to advocate for yourself in interviews, this one’s for you. (And yes, this applies to anyone who deals with the same challenge. It’s just a particularly common experience for women, so I want to normalize it!) #interviewprep #interviewskills #jobinterviewprep #interviewconfidence #jobsearch #careeradvice

What if bias weren’t hidden but visible in real time? Unconscious bias shows up in interviews more often than we think: One interviewer scores higher because a candidate “reminds them of someone.” Another undervalues soft skills that don’t match their own style. Two candidates give the same answer, but only one gets credit. The problem? These patterns go unnoticed and they compound over multiple rounds. That’s why bias detection matters. ✅ Flagging scoring anomalies across interviewers. ✅ Surfacing inconsistent ratings. ✅ Highlighting when “gut feeling” drifts away from structured criteria. When teams can see the bias signals, they can course-correct before decisions are made. At Clarivue, we’ve built bias detection into the interview process itself, not as an afterthought. The result? More consistent, fairer, and defensible hiring decisions. Because fair interviews don’t just feel better , they build stronger, more diverse teams. #FairHiring #AIRecruitment #BiasDetection #InterviewIntelligence #Clarivue

2025 will end in around 107 days, and that’s enough time to land your next-level $200K–$500K role. (So, start today and follow this roadmap.) Around 300+ mid-career women have followed it to land interviews at Meta, TikTok, Google, and more in weeks, not months. Weeks 1–3: Reposition for the role you want Most women don’t get interviews because their resume reads like they’re supporting leadership, not driving it. Fix that first - Rewrite your resume to show ownership and business impact - Update your LinkedIn to reflect your next role (not your current one) - Use leadership-level language, not task-level descriptions - Align your titles and keywords with what recruiters are searching for Weeks 4–6: Build visibility and confidence Hiring teams can’t call you if they can’t find you. At this level, referrals aren't scalable, but positioning is. - Optimize your LinkedIn for recruiter searches - Share 1–2 posts showing how you think, it builds credibility fast - Start practicing how you talk about your work with clarity and impact - Run a mock interview to test your narrative: are you showing ownership? Weeks 7–9: Interview like a senior leader This is where most mid-career women default to explaining tasks. But what they’re really being assessed on is decision-making and strategic thinking. - Use my SOARR framework to structure every answer - Focus on ambiguity, cross-functional influence, and results - Prepare for trade-off stories, not just success stories - Ask: What would a Principal PM or Sr. TPM say here? Weeks 10–12: Negotiate With Leverage If you're showing up like a $300K candidate, you can ask like one. - Know what others in the same role are getting paid - Don't default to “what’s fair”, position your ask with confidence - Prepare two versions of your counter: higher base / higher equity - Always align your ask with scope, not just salary (Meta bumped my client's offer with $40K, because she negotiated and asked what she deserves) Most high-achieving women think the market is the problem. But feeling ready is the biggest one. 107 days are enough to land your next-level role, only if you decide to lead it. Share this with someone who's in the job market. P.S. If you’re a high-achieving woman ready to land your next-level $200K–$500K role before 2025 ends, DM me “CAREER” to apply for The Fearless Hire - my career accelerator for high-achieving women. Let’s make the next 107 days count.