21 Career Resources You Need to Bookmark if You’re a Woman in Tech in 2021

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AnnaMarie Houlis4.87k

Journalist & travel blogger

April 20, 2024 at 2:23AM UTC

Unfortunately, women are still largely underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In fact, according to Adeva IT, as of 2018, women held only 25 percent of all the jobs in the tech industry. And, according to a Women in Tech report by PWC, more boys than girls study STEM, which is partly because only 27 percent would consider a tech career. For those who do enter STEM, the turnover rate is more than twice that of men in tech industry jobs. More specifically, 56% of women in tech leave their employers mid-career and, of them, 24% switch industries altogether.

But just because the tech sector has always been very much a "boy's club" doesn't mean that women don't have a place in the industry. In fact, a burgeoning body of research supports that, when women are at the helm of these companies, they perform better. If you're a woman in tech or looking for a career in tech, here's a list of resources to leverage in order to find jobs, grow your network and learn more skills.

Find a job

Need help finding a job in tech? Use these resources to land your dream job.

1. Fairygodboss Job Board

Search for jobs anywhere on Fairygodboss' very own job board. You can even filter by tech companies to help narrow down your search. All you have to do is type in a keyword that's related to a job or company that you might be interested in, and get scrolling through the various adverts that align. You never know what you might find if you keep an open mind!

You can also attend our virtual career fairs to connect with companies that are hiring. Check out our events calendar to keep aware of the next fair.

2. ACT-W Conference (Advancing the Careers of Technical Women)

Presented by ChickTech, a leading nonprofit in growing and retaining the number of womxn and girls in technology, Advancing the Careers of Technical Women brings together women in tech and their allies. This way, you can network and connect with companies that are seeking talented professionals. One surefire way to find a job is by networking where companies are actively looking for talent.

"What makes ACT-W unique is our focus on community and supporting womxn throughout the cycles of their tech careers," the organization explains. "With an emphasis on inclusion, we welcome people of all genders, ages, and backgrounds. Regardless of your technical prowess, you’ll come away from ACT-W feeling inspired and ready to take on the next step in your career."

3. PowerToFly

PowerToFly was launched in 2014 to connect Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing startups with women who wanted to work for companies that valued gender diversity and inclusion. Today, the organization has grown immensely and hosts daily virtual events, webinars, and more, connecting women with such companies. Plus, it boasts a number of tools for companies, too. So, if you're looking for a job with a company that'll respect you, attending one of these events is a great first step.

4. Ladies Get Paid

If you're interviewing for jobs but navigating the various challenges for women in this stage, pay a visit to Ladies Get Paid, "where women learn to level up." The platform will equip you with the tools and confidence you need to land a job that pays you what you deserve. For example, you can simply subscribe to the video library for an all-access pass to over 100 hours of expert courses. Ladies Get Paid also partners with companies on employee training, culture consulting, and marketing efforts to elevate women.

5. Thinkful Tech Career Quiz

Not every tech job is going to be the right tech job for you. Have the skills to land a STEM career but not sure where or how exactly you want to put what you've learned into practice? This career quiz can help you determine what kind of tech career is best-suited for you.

Or maybe you're currently working in STEM but looking to make a career change. If you're not sure where else your technical skills may be of use, another career quiz may be able to help point you in the right direction. Check out our list of top career quizzes for insights (we also have all free ones here!).

6. Zety Technical Resume Templates

Want your resume to speak for itself? Try out one of Zety's many tech resume templates to plug in your experiences and skills. You can choose a template for tons of different types of positions. You can also, of course, check out Fairygodboss for our tips on writing a standout technical resume, as well as for our top resume tips that are sure to get you hired.

7. Forbes' Cover Letter Advice

Forbes is a go-to resource for anyone working in tech to keep tabs on trends, find advice, and more. One particular article, "How to Write a Showstopping Cover Letter as a Techie," is a must-read for anyone writing up a cover-letter for a job in the tech sector. This article offers advice from top tech professionals, including words of wisdom like this: "In tech jobs, your portfolio often speaks volumes more than your words, so make sure you have one that shows off your skills."

Build your network

Build your network by engaging in any one of the following active communities for women in tech. You'd be surprised by the thousands of women who are already involved.

8. The FGB Community

In the FGB Community, you can reply to other FGBers' questions or post your own questions. You can also simply share experiences as a woman in tech. Regardless of how you choose to use the forum, you're certain to connect with other like-minded professional women in the community.

9. ARA (Attracting, Retaining, and Advancing Women in Tech)

ARA is a mentorship program where women in STEM can turn to navigate IT careers and challenges. ARA hosts events to bring the industry together to talk trends and issues for women in tech — and discuss solutions. It also provides organizations and their tech employees with networking and development opportunities and resources, so women in tech can meet even more women in tech.

10. Women Who Code

Women Who Code is an international nonprofit organization that exists to inspire women in the tech industry — both experienced STEM professionals and prospective techies alike. "We envision a world where women are proportionally represented as technical leaders, executives, founders, VCs, board members, and software engineers," according to the organization.

11. Global Tech Women

Global Tech Women provides women in STEM with a network of support structures to help them advance in their careers. It was founded in 2012 with the belief that the solution to the gender gap in tech is to "focus on the needs of individual technical women on a personal and professional level – providing them with consistent support from their freshman year to their entry in the workforce, their first and subsequent promotions, and their successful retirement." Global Tech Women also holds its Voice Global Conference every year, where you can meet and mingle with other women in the industry.

12. Grace Hopper Celebration

The Grace Hopper Celebration is the world’s largest gathering of women technologists. Rear Admiral Grace Hopper was one of the first women to ever receive a doctorate degree in mathematics. This lead to her joining the U.S. Naval Reserve during World Was II, when she worked on the Mark I computer. She went on to continue working on more and more advanced iterations, including the Mark II and Mark III computers. She also helped create the first compiler for computer languages. And she was the first female recipient of the National Medal of Technology in 1991. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contributions to the field of computing in 2016.

Today, the conference in her name is produced by AnitaB.org in partnership with ACM. It's the perfect place to go if you want to meet other women in technology and build your community. Even if you don't actually talk to anyone (though you certainly should!), you're sure to be inspired by the women in attendance.

13. Women in Tech Summit

The Women in Tech Summit hosts events in the MidAtlantic, Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, and West. The summit brings women of all levels of their careers together to learn about tech trends and to participate in hands-on workshops and discussions. Better yet? All profits generated from Women in Tech Virtual Summit in 2021 will benefit the non-profit TechGirlz and its ongoing mission to inspire middle school girls to explore their interests in technology.

14. Women in Tech Festival

At the Women in Tech Festival, women in tech come together to participate in workshops, listen to talks from inspiring keynote speakers, engage in discussions, and even develop startup pitches. The festival aims to "connect people and organizations to the knowledge, networks, and companies in Silicon Valley." It does so by leveraging nearly four decades of experience and vast network to provide resources for both U.S.-based and global entrepreneurs, technology innovators, and business leaders.

Grow your skills

Sharpen your soft and technical skills with the following advice columns, programs, and mentorship relationships. The opportunities are endless.

15. Fairygodboss articles

Fairygodboss is chock full of thousands upon thousands of career advice articles. Just do a quick search, and you're bound to find the information that you need. Whether you're searching for women the best companies for women in tech, helpful blogs or anything in between, we've got you covered.

16. Girls in Tech

Girls in Tech is a great mentorship program for women and girls in the tech industry. It got its start in 2007 as a nonprofit organization that's dedicated to getting rid of the gender gap in tech. Girls in Tech has more than 60,000 members in more than 50 chapters around the world. You can attend workshops, go to trainings, and even work with mentors.

So far, more than 4,000 entrepreneurs have been funded, mentored and supported through AMPLIFY, the startup pitch competition. There have been more than 49,000 participants in Girls in Tech's Hackathon series, solving local and global problems. And there have been more than 65,000 participants in the coding, design and startup bootcamps.

17. MotherCoders

MotherCoders is exactly what it sounds like. It's a place for moms who code. MotherCoders is working to grow the tech talent pool by helping women who have children to gain and grow the skills, knowledge, and connections they need to be successful in an evermore digital world. The mission is pretty basic. "It's simple: The digital economy needs tech talent, and we've got moms with tech skills."

MotherCoders envisions a bright future for women in tech. "In building a new economy with greater gender equality, we envision a future where moms are strengthening communities by creating businesses and thriving in jobs with livable wages and career advancement opportunities," the organization writes. "Where moms are diversifying the marketplace by contributing to the design and development of new products and services for a digital age. Where moms are inspiring our children to engage with technology in a way that leads to intergenerational economic mobility and future innovations."

18. Girl Develop It

Girl Develop It is a nonprofit organization that provides opportunities like courses and support forums to women from diverse backgrounds who want to learn about web and software development — in a judge-free safe space, of course. The mission is simple: "Girl Develop It is a nonprofit organization that creates welcoming, supportive opportunities for women and non-binary adults to learn software development skills." Take online classes, attend events, and grow your skillset.

19. Harvard WECode

Women Engineers Code is the largest student-run women in computer science conference in the country. It's held at Harvard University. There, you can participate in workshops, chat with industry leaders, and listen to empowering speakers to practice and learn new skills. And, in 2021, WECode is hosting its inaugural Harvard WECode High School Conference, too.

The mission is a powerful one. "Our mission is to cultivate the next generation of technical leaders, foster a network and community among collegiate engineers, and promote more female representation in the technical industry."

20. Tech Ladies

Tech Ladies is a community for women in tech that highlights opportunities and companies seeking tech professionals. Moreover, it hosts tons of educational webinars for women looking to gain new insights in the tech industry. The founder's story itself is inspiring. Founded by Allison Esposito Medina, Tech Ladies was once just a "small coffee meetup in New York City." That was back in 2015, just before Medina left her job at Google to start running Tech Ladies full-time. Today, she's grown the community to about 100,000 members already.

21. Ada's List

Ada's List launched in 2013, "born out of the systemic inequities the founders were seeing develop and being perpetuated in the tech industry." While Ada's List started as an email list to help connect women who worked in technology, it's since grown to include over 7,500 women across the globe. Through the community, you can find and share events, get access to courses, receive informal mentoring, and learn from the other amazing community members.

AnnaMarie Houlis is a multimedia journalist and an adventure aficionado with a keen cultural curiosity and an affinity for solo travel. She's an editor by day and a travel blogger at HerReport.org by night.

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