Day in the Life: Women in Tech at McMaster-Carr
While more women continue to join the workforce, tech remains a male-dominated industry. In fact, female college first years are more likely than men to say they plan to major in a STEM field yet far more men end up with those degrees by senior year. And for those who do graduate with a STEM degree, the chances that they will find work in their field of study is much higher for men. Only 26% of female STEM majors end up working in a STEM role compared to 40% of their male classmates.
Women looking to break into tech and grow their skill sets with collegial support should look no further than McMaster-Carr — an e-commerce company where diversity is a key driver of success and growth. To support women in STEM, McMaster-Carr offers an inclusive work environment that encourages career exploration, mentorship, and continued learning.
To learn more about what it’s like to work as a woman in tech at McMaster-Carr, we spoke to Claire Markey, a Lead Systems Engineer, and Julia Snodgrass, a UX Designer. Here’s what they shared:
McMaster-Carr’s dedication to diversity and inclusion (D&I) starts during the recruiting process.
McMaster-Carr’s student recruiting for tech roles expands beyond graduates of computer engineering programs — where students are predominantly male. McMaster-Carr attracts students from diverse backgrounds like Francophone Studies, Anthropology, and Economics, and offers technical training that prepares people to code and pursue careers in technical and project management.
In fact, neither Claire nor Julia had backgrounds in tech before landing full-time roles at McMaster-Carr.
Claire was first introduced to McMaster-Carr while studying Statistics. A recruiter messaged her through RippleMatch requesting a Zoom call. Following that conversation, Claire talked with an engineer to learn more about the role, interviewed with a few area leaders, and received an offer to work as a Systems Engineer.
“I was extremely impressed with the caliber of engineers I met during my interview and did not hesitate to accept the offer and face the learning curve of being a Systems Engineer as a Statistics major with little background in software development and computer engineering,” Claire said.
Julia was studying Environmental Studies when three alumni visited her school to host a panel about McMaster-Carr and its opportunities. During the panel, she learned about the Systems engineering track as well — and that you can be considered for the role no matter your academic background.
“Being brand new to tech, and [landing a role as a] Software Engineer as my first job was really mind-boggling. I didn’t have a strong technical skill set,” Julia said. “McMaster-Carr hires for capability rather than skill, and that builds a much richer work culture.”
McMaster-Carr helps women gain confidence in their field & define their own career paths.
Experts say that one reason why women remain underrepresented in tech is due to a “confidence gap.” In other words, throughout their formal and informal education, women are often not encouraged to try new things and use failures as learning experiences to the same degree that men are. McMaster-Carr is looking to change that.
For Claire, that meant being given high-impact projects from the get-go.
“McMaster-Carr emphasizes teaching young engineers, and management is not afraid to give new hires big challenges and responsibilities,” Claire said. “New engineers who are eager to learn complex systems and solve complicated problems are given the chance to succeed regardless of their background.”
Claire added that McMaster-Carr is helping her reach her goal "to be viewed as a great engineer - regardless of the fact that I am a female in a male-dominated field.”
In addition to supporting skill development through intentional tech training, McMaster-Carr wants its employees to pursue their passions — even if that means switching departments.
Julia, for example, switched from a Systems Engineer to a UX Designer not too long after she joined the company, a move she said was fully supported by her supervisors.
“McMaster-Carr puts a lot of faith in people from day one, and leadership allows you to pivot in the direction that most excites you,” Julia said. “There's an established culture here around continuous learning and development throughout your career.”
In addition to helping employees grow and realize their strengths internally, McMaster-Carr offers fully paid tuition which empowers women in tech. McMaster-Carr covers 100% of tuition, fees and books without annual limits, which Julia and Claire have taken advantage of to earn a degree in Information Design & Strategy and in Data Science respectively.
In fact, it was a female mentor of Julia’s who encouraged her to pursue an advanced degree, helped her with the application and, once she was accepted, guided her as she built her schedule of classes.
“The resources are all there for you,” Julia said. “At McMaster-Carr, you will be supported every step of the way.”
The formal and informal mentorship at McMaster-Carr is unparalleled.
Mentorship is an extremely valuable tool for early career professionals — especially for women in male-dominated industries. From day one, both Claire and Julia said that the formal and informal mentorship they received from female engineers at McMaster-Carr contributed to their success and growth at the company.
“I received great mentorship from a lot of people across the systems department at McMaster-Carr,” Claire said. “Throughout my time at McMaster-Carr, management and co-workers have not only shown that they care about my progress as an engineer, but also as an individual. Moving to a new city after college can be difficult, but everyone at McMaster-Carr made me feel very welcomed in the community.”
In addition to its mentorship programs, McMaster-Carr also has many groups that employees can join to help the company continue to build a more inclusive workplace, such as its employee resource group (ERG), “Women in Technology.”
“Women in Technology” is made up of women and men from nearly every level of the company, and the group comes together frequently for programming aimed at breaking down gender disparity. For example, members recently discussed “The Great Resignation” and how it has affected men and women differently.
“The fact that we have a platform to have these conversations, and that men here want to be allies, I think that is a key part of the culture,” Julia said.
McMaster-Carr has created a culture of inclusivity.
For Claire and Julia, McMaster-Carr was a great way to kick start their careers in a field dominated by men. The company supported them from the start and offered resources to help them grow into leadership roles.
“Often as women, we don’t want to be wrong or come across as foolish, and don’t ask the questions that need to be asked. But at McMaster-Carr, you can grow that confidence and not be afraid to speak up if you need clarification,” Julia said. “Managers are supportive and encouraging. And we’ll be better as a team for it.”
Claire shared a similar sentiment.
“My confidence has grown immensely as a woman in tech during my time at McMaster-Carr,” Claire said. “I feel supported in my role and encouraged to pursue challenges. At the end of the day, I feel as though I am evaluated based on my performance as an engineer, not a female engineer.”
As a woman in tech, it’s important to join a company that has the infrastructure in place to support and help you meet challenges that come your way — all while giving you room to grow. McMaster-Carr’s investments in mentorship, support for continued learning, and commitment to bringing together employees from all different backgrounds makes it a great place to start your career.
Learn more about how you can join the team at McMaster-Carr here.
