A Deliberate Approach to Building Diverse Engineering Teams
Productivity app maker GoodNotes shared their proactive approach to gender diversity in a candid blog post about being a female engineer at the company. Their strategy demonstrates what intentional diversity recruiting looks like in practice—and the results it can deliver.
As stated on the GoodNotes blog:
“In order to improve gender diversity, GoodNotes actively seeks out and attends events put on by organizations like WomenHack to meet, connect with, and scout for female talents.”
The Power of Intentional Recruiting
GoodNotes doesn’t wait for diverse candidates to find them—they actively seek out opportunities to connect with talented women in tech. This intentional approach stands in contrast to companies that simply post job listings and hope for diverse applicant pools. The reality is that passive approaches rarely work; building diverse teams requires deliberate effort.
This proactive strategy led to hiring Rammy as their first female engineer in December 2019. Her story, featured in the same blog post, offers inspiration for other women considering careers in tech. By highlighting Rammy’s journey and experience at GoodNotes, the company demonstrated both their commitment to diversity and the opportunities available for women who join their team.
Why Active Recruitment Matters
Companies that succeed in building diverse teams share a common trait: they don’t leave it to chance. They recognize that traditional recruiting channels often perpetuate existing demographics, so they deliberately seek out new channels that connect them with underrepresented talent.
WomenHack provides exactly this kind of channel. By attending events like WomenHack, companies like GoodNotes ensure they’re accessing the full talent pool—not just the candidates who happen to see their job postings or get referred through existing networks (which tend to reflect current demographics).
This approach requires investment of time and resources, but the payoff is significant. Diverse teams have been shown to outperform homogeneous ones on a variety of metrics, from innovation to financial performance. For a company building consumer products like GoodNotes, having team members who represent the diversity of their user base is a particular advantage.
Building Products for Everyone
GoodNotes is a note-taking app used by millions of people worldwide. The app’s success depends on understanding and serving users with diverse needs, preferences, and use cases. A homogeneous team is likely to have blind spots—features that work well for people like the developers but fail for users with different backgrounds or needs.
By building a more diverse engineering team, GoodNotes improves their ability to understand and serve their diverse user base. Female engineers bring perspectives that male-dominated teams often lack, leading to better product decisions and fewer oversights.
Creating a Welcoming Environment
Recruiting diverse talent is only half the equation—retention is equally important. The GoodNotes blog post about Rammy’s experience serves multiple purposes: it attracts other women who might be considering applying, and it demonstrates that the company is a place where women can thrive.
Companies that invest in diversity recruiting but fail to create welcoming environments often find themselves in a cycle of hiring and losing diverse employees. GoodNotes’ willingness to publicly discuss their approach and highlight successful female employees suggests they understand that sustainable diversity requires attention to culture, not just recruiting.
WomenHack as a Talent Pipeline
For companies looking to build more diverse teams, events like WomenHack serve as an effective pipeline. The format offers several advantages:
- Pre-qualified candidates: Attendees have already demonstrated interest and initiative by registering for the event
- Efficient conversations: The speed-interview format allows for many meaningful interactions in a single evening
- Low-pressure environment: The event’s atmosphere encourages authentic conversations rather than high-stakes interview performances
- Demonstration of commitment: A company’s presence at WomenHack signals their values to potential candidates
GoodNotes’ approach—systematically attending events like WomenHack as part of their recruiting strategy—represents best practice for companies serious about building diverse teams.
A Model for Other Companies
GoodNotes’ transparent approach offers a model for other companies looking to improve their gender diversity. The key elements include: explicit recognition that diversity requires intentional effort, active participation in diversity-focused recruiting events, and public celebration of diverse team members once they join.
Thank you, GoodNotes, for your commitment to intentional diversity recruiting and for sharing your approach so other companies can learn from your example.