Read on Twitter
A lot of leaders wanting to hire “winen professionals” end up with no results not because there is no intent but because they fail to understand the psychology of women professionals as applicants. There are enough and more reports out there that provides insights into this https://twitter.com/ungendertalks/status/1277494671262887937
One is language- the words that you use while drafting your job description plays a very important role in whether women will apply for it or not. Second is the work culture- work timings, flexibility, capability of the hiring company to understand and accommodate work...
-life balance of the women candidate is very inportant. Traditionally this comes out automatically whenever there is a women leading the interview and gets missed out very obviously when a man is leading the interview.
Then comes the policies of the company. Despite several laws and best practices existing, a lot of companies dominant with male members do not focus on building the provisions that will make a woman candidates life conducive and allow for growth in the team.
As an employer, putting these policies in place and introducing them proactively not just in your job descriptions but also sharing them with the candidate during the interview allows for a confidence in the company.
In addition to this,expressing the intent to be diverse about gender as a company plays an important role too.While the company is looking at just a talent to add to the team, a woman candidate is looking for a company that truly understands what it means to have gender diversity
Speak openly about the work life boundaries you as a company understand and respect. Invite suggestions for allowing the room and freedom to grow. Don’t introduce yourself self as a company to be workaholics with no sense of personal life.
While there are several cases where this may not be applicable to some, majority of the women do need to devote a substantial portion of their day towards family and other care work.
As a future employer, opening this conversation and allowing a balanced view of what it means to join your team will go a long way. Women generally do not speak about such things on their own for fear of being labeled not non-competitive or not having enough fire in the belly.
Happy to discuss further and more with anyone who is struggling with attracting women candidates. It’s not magic, it’s all about strategy.
