Nidhi Gupta on Why Now is The Time For Women Engineers

I sat down recently with Nidhi Gupta, Senior Vice President of Technology at Hired to discuss engineering, leadership and making your way in a field dominated by men. It is estimated that women make up only 11 percent of practicing engineers. Yet, despite that startling figure, Nidhi believes now, more than ever, is a great time for women to enter the world of engineering. 

Before we dig in, here is a bit more about Nidhi’s background. Hired is a marketplace that matches tech talent with the world’s most innovative companies. Nidhi leads the company’s global engineering, developer operations and product teams. Nidhi is a skilled engineer and product executive who is passionate about building and growing thriving product and engineering organizations that deliver world-class products at scale. Nidhi was Senior Vice President of Product and Engineering at Tophatter and Upwork. Previously, she was instrumental in leading mobiTV and Ning through hyper-growth and expansion. 

On role models and forging her own path

Nidhi grew up in India at a time when students who excelled in school were expected to become either doctors or engineers. At an early age she had a passion for engineering, and was drawn to both the creative and the analytical side of building things. This passion led her to pursue a career in electrical engineering. She landed her first job at Bell as a software engineer.

When she started her career, Nidhi had trouble finding role models due to the lack of women engineers in the industry. She found inspiration in her mother and a female manager that championed her work and pushed her to further her career. 

According to Nidhi, “My mom was my first role model. She was extremely hard working, and fought biases in her own career as an educator. I got a lot of my grit and drive from her.” 

Nidhi says the support of these two female role models in her life, and experiences with a lot of good (and bad) managers led her to her current role and informed the way she leads today.

“Seeing my mom become successful through hard work and leadership, and having women as managers helped me understand the importance of role models. It inspired me to work toward a leadership role in tech. It helped me to understand the impact and influence I could have on other people’s careers and lives,” she said. 

On Hired and creating an equitable workforce

Nidhi joined Hired in 2016. She was drawn to the company for its mission to help everyone find a job they love and its values behind building a more equitable workplace. At its core, Hired believes it has a responsibility to its  clients, its  employees, and the job candidates in its marketplace, and the world, to serve as a catalyst for a more inclusive and equitable workforce. 

In an industry where tech executives are overwhelmingly male, Hired stands out for having more women in executive roles than men. According to Nidhi, “Hired’s mission is to help everyone get the job that they love, and we really take that mission to heart and give equal voice to varied groups.”

She continued “I’m most excited about the work we’re doing at Hired to shine a light on and help close the gender wage gap. This world, and the tech industry in particular, has a long way to go. However, platforms such as Hired that try to solve for wage disparities and surface great job opportunities to all candidates, regardless of their ethnicity and gender; partnerships with organizations like Women Who Code, and promoting human resource policies that promote making better and more equitable workplaces, will help us to truly affect change.”

Nidhi went on to speak about the importance of transparency in overcoming the wage gap, “We as a society don’t openly talk about compensation, but doing so will help close the gap. Wage transparency matters, and Hired helps with that as it can tell you what different positions pay and guide you towards a better salary.”

Hired also publishes an annual report on the wage gap and wage inequality. Hired’s data is based on real people considering real job offers made by real companies around the world, so they are uniquely qualified to speak to salary trends and discrepancies. 

On why the time is right for women to enter engineering

Over the years, Nidhi’s priorities have shifted to a greater concern for her overall effect on the world and industry. She said, “Early on I was focused on climbing the corporate ladder. Along the way, it became more about impact and my legacy to people and the industry, than just pursuing a trajectory. Personal mission combined with ambition is what fulfills me personally and professionally”

When asked what she thought women engineers should be prioritizing to ensure success, she said, “Be who you are and don’t be afraid to speak your mind. Your value is actually being recognized as a woman today, and speaking with the point of view of women. This wasn’t the case before. It’s not going to be easy; there are significant biases out there. But you have to have the resolve to continue to show up, lean on others, and not back down. Be authentic, be strong, and stay the course.”

According to Nidhi, “This is a great time to be an engineer. Look at the conversations we are having in the industry and the world. Don’t be overwhelmed by the fact that there are not enough of you in the room. You must  be in the room to make a change. Think of the Susan Fowlers of the world. Every single one of us can affect change and now is the time to do it!”

She also had some advice for how women in leadership positions could encourage more women to pursue careers in tech. “Be available as a role model to those that are seeking mentors. The more women in leadership speak out about our experiences, the more younger women will be inspired by us. This is what we owe this generation so they can grow and thrive, hopefully at a much faster pace than we did. I hope that more of us make time, because it can have a multiplier effect and bring more women into tech and engineering, and keep them here.”