Hire for grittiness, Yvonne Matzk urged vendor, distributor and VAR bosses during a podcast marking the launch of her ‘Smashing the Glass Ceiling’ book.
The new book features indepth interviews with 19 individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds that have gone on to build successful careers in the UK channel.
Despite this, just 9% of people working in tech come from low socioeconomic backgrounds, it points out.
Asked during the podcast why this matters, Matzk said organisations are “probably wasting a huge amount of money paying for people with less talent, less work ethic and less grit” if they only hire those from privileged backgrounds.
Matzk, who co-founded The Channel Community and now runs coaching business Coachere, urged hiring managers across the channel to consider candidates without degrees.
“What you want to hire for is grittiness, resilience and work ethic. Those are the things that are going to make someone successful, not the university they were very privileged to go to,” she said.
Grit or miss
But how do firms go about hiring for these attributes?
“I think you have to look at what they’ve achieved outside of education,” Matzk responded.
“…Somebody that might have had multiple jobs, as they might have started working when they were really young – that’s going to show they’ve got a work ethic.
“Maybe they’re part of a community or they’re giving back because they care about something else – they might volunteer for an organisation.
“Also, don’t just hire off a piece of paper. Go out and do some outreach, go look at the schools in your area.”
Matzk praised Natilik and Titan Data Solutions for the work they are doing around schools outreach and work experience.
“Go and speak to the CEOs of these organisations and ask them what they are doing to try and help, because the people that make an effort and do challenge the status quo are reaping the rewards,” she said.
In the podcast, IT Channel Oxygen Editor Doug Woodburn turned the tables on Matzk by asking her the same questions she asked the 19 subjects of her book.
All the profits of the book will be given to Turn2us, a charity that provides practical information and support to those facing financial shocks.
You can view the full podcast here. Find out more about Smashing the Class Ceiling book here.
