Women apply for 20% fewer jobs than men and are 16% less likely than men to apply to a job after viewing it, despite having similar job search behaviors. While companies have been making strides for gender-inclusive culture changes, many leaders are missing a critical part of the experience: the hiring process.
In honor of Women’s Equality Day, Erin Dertouzos, Chief People Officer at StrongDM, discusses the key element organizations are missing when it comes to achieving gender equality.
Erin Dertouzos, Chief People Officer, StrongDM
“Company leaders looking to celebrate and honor Women’s Equality Day should begin by reviewing their hiring processes. Restrictions, like requiring certain degrees, for example, can pose an unnecessary barrier. I’ve encouraged recruiters to speak with hiring managers about whether the jobs they’re advertising for even need a degree in the first place. We’ve seen across various studies that women will refrain from applying to roles if they do not meet every single requirement. For women, seeing a job description and not fulfilling every aspect of the role can be an immediate deterrent.
“Furthermore, company hiring practices can provide quick insights into what diversity and culture are like. When you’re interviewing potential new hires, will the candidates you want to attract see others like them? Will they feel at ease, or might they feel tokenized? Seeing themselves reflected within your company can be an incentive to join your team. If a woman is interviewing with a team comprised of all men, there may be a level of comfort and familiarity that could be missing. You could miss out on great talent because your teams aren’t built with them in mind.
“Finally, what is the interview environment like? I’ve experienced interview processes where women weren’t passing whiteboard engineering exercises at the same rate as their male counterparts, but a quick inspection of the surroundings provided a realization: male interviewers were positioned in front of the doorway throughout the experience, essentially blocking it. It was nothing purposeful but something we were completely in control of. After some shuffling of interviewees and the location, improvements came near instantly. Further, don’t be afraid to engage candidates and ask for feedback because we just don’t know what we don’t know. We ask all candidates for feedback after they’ve met with us, regardless of the outcome, because we want to ensure they have an opportunity to let us know if we fell down. Just like we survey our customers about their satisfaction, we want to ensure we’re listening to our candidates.
“Company leaders must begin inspecting every step of the interview process and creating more spaces for diversity to flourish. This is how organizations will benefit in the long run and ultimately celebrate days like today with real meaning.”