Personal Growth Meets Diversity Advocacy at WomenHack Event

When an Autodesk employee shared their experience speaking at a WomenHack event, they revealed something important about how these events benefit not just candidates but also the company representatives who participate.

As they shared on LinkedIn:

“Despite public speaking being completely out of my comfort zone, I embraced the opportunity to speak in front of the group and share more about the company, values, and culture at Autodesk.”

Beyond Recruiting: Professional Development

This candid admission highlights an underappreciated benefit of WomenHack participation: the professional growth opportunities for company representatives. Speaking at these events develops presentation skills, builds confidence, and provides meaningful experience that can advance careers.

Companies that encourage employees to stretch outside their comfort zones for diversity initiatives often find that those employees become stronger advocates and more well-rounded professionals. The speaker’s willingness to embrace discomfort for a cause they believe in demonstrates exactly the kind of growth mindset that organizations value.

Authentic Representation

The fact that this speaker acknowledged their nervousness makes their presentation more relatable, not less. Candidates at WomenHack events often feel nervous themselves—about networking, about selling themselves, about competing for positions. Seeing company representatives display similar vulnerability humanizes the recruiting process.

Autodesk’s culture clearly supports this kind of authenticity. Rather than sending polished corporate speakers, they enabled an employee to share genuinely about the company’s values and culture—which likely resonated more strongly with candidates than a rehearsed corporate pitch would have.

Autodesk’s Design Technology Leadership

Autodesk makes software for design and engineering—from AutoCAD to Fusion 360 to Maya. These tools shape how buildings are designed, products are manufactured, and movies are animated. The company’s products touch countless aspects of modern life.

Diverse teams are essential for building tools that serve diverse users. Architects, engineers, and designers come from all backgrounds; the software they use should be built by similarly diverse teams who understand varied needs and workflows.

The Ripple Effect of Speaking Up

When someone shares that they stepped outside their comfort zone to advocate for diversity, it gives permission for others to do the same. The speaker’s LinkedIn post likely inspired colleagues to consider participating in similar events, creating a multiplier effect.

This kind of public commitment also signals to potential candidates that Autodesk employees genuinely care about diversity—not just as a corporate initiative but as a personal value worth stretching for.

Thank you to this Autodesk employee for embracing discomfort in service of diversity, and to Autodesk for creating a culture where such growth is supported and celebrated.