[This blog post comes from an email Silvie Hibdon sent to WIM’s Kelly Hoey following their attendance at AT&T’s Women in Technology Mobile App Hackathon at the AT&T Foundry in Palo Alto and has been posted, in its entirety with her permission.]

I was very excited to hear about the “AT&T Mobile App Hackathon - Women in Technology” event in Palo Alto. I signed up without hesitation; our small team needs more tech talent.

Excited to see new faces and meet new souls, I start cruising the AT&T Foundry. I walk from one team to another. My first conversation is with Bonnie and Ambrish. I want to know about their project. Bonnie says something, but I really engage with Ambrish who then gives me his contact information. My next stop is the team Shove. I get to talk to almost every girl on the team, but they seem to be more into working than talking. I engage with Jeremy who just finished a course in UX/UI and for some reason I want to hire him already. (Well, he told me he is looking for more work.) Situation repeats. Then I have a great conversation with Seeta and Sophia and I ask them for their contact information, but none of them have business cards, and none of them offer other form of contact. So we just leave it at that, talking. As if a follow-up was not necessary. As much as I know what the men do for living, I vaguely remember what the women do. I come home and open my wallet just to find out that all the business cards and contacts are from men. Disappointing. Very disappointing.

I think what went wrong. Am I biased toward men? Are they not good at networking and connecting?

Yes, I stirred my focus on men after a few minutes of a group conversation, and once the men took over the conversation with me, the girls went back to coding. If the man is not present, I engage in conversation with the women, but they do talk about their jobs/careers/themselves. They do not care about following up in any form. My conclusion: women talk about the conversation topic; men talk about themselves and make sure I can follow up with them.

Next day, after talking to Kelly Hoey I decide to probe the women more. Remembering my goal I let the men disappear from my view. I have great conversations with women. I get some emails. If I do not get anything I give out my business cards. When I ask the women what they do, it usually boils down to one sentence, “I’m a data scientist” or “I work at Google” not a conversation about their job or career….and it is said with not much importance. My observation: while men almost spelled out for me their resume and work aspirations, women summarized their job in one sentence. I find that with women it is better to have a conversation about their work so they do not feel like they have to “talk about themselves.” (my female reflection). It is very useful to be aware of this fact and know how to look for a talent among the female crowd. I am afraid that women may fall short in their careers because they do not promote themselves in a way that is expected in this society. How can we change this?

About Silvie Hibdon

Silvie Hibdon is the COO and Co-founder of Blueprint Fit, an early stage corporate wellness company that provides onsite instructor-led programs to promote a healthy workforce. She is especially passionate about designing wellness for entrepreneurs. You can follow her blog www.resilient.entrepreneur.wordpress.com. Silvie’s personal mission is to inspire and support women to become founders and leaders. Her goal is to move from 4% female CEOs to 50%. She is a contributor at Local Levo Bay Area, Levo League and an organizer of a LeanIn circle “Founders’ Circle”. @SilvieHibdon