Dive Brief:

• Facebook unveiled its latest diversity hiring efforts last week and the response to its explanation for said data was not well-received.

• Facebook's head of diversity told the Wall Street Journal that a lack of skills among minorities was the prime reason the social media giant was having trouble moving the needle on its company-wide diversity data (black and Hispanic workers make up 2% and 4% of its overall workforce respectively).

• Facebook critics among minority women in the technology field quickly made their concerns known, and Fortune mentioned a 2014 USA article that reported universities were graduating black and Hispanic computer science and computer engineering graduates at double the rate that leading technology employers hire them.

Dive Insight:

In this case, it seems Facebook primarily blamed the public education system for a problem that's fairly systemic in the tech fields. 

Fortune cited Dartmouth College undergraduate Kaya Thomas, whose online post drew lots of attention. A computer science student and iOS developer, Thomas blasted Facebook (and Silicon Valley in general) for focusing on the “culture fit” aspect of hiring, which some say is a code phrase for rationalizing discrimination.

"Culture fit" is a common hiring determinant in the modern HR space – and Facebook's struggles with diversity may be an example of its potential pitfalls. A current challenge in the recruiting space is hiring the right people with very specific skills while also opening opportunities to all. Algorithmic hiring has appeared as a potential front-end solution when sorting through resumes, though it has its drawbacks as well.