12 Mar Encouraging Women with Recruitment

The workplace has seen a dramatic shift in mindset in regard to gender equality. However, there is still a long way to go. In celebration of International women’s day, Kiwi Recruitment take a moment to reflect on gender equality within the workforce. And how we, as recruiters, can encourage more women into careers within the industry.

Inequality within the workplace is a topic of hot discussion amongst all ages, and there is still a lot that needs to be done to ensure that prejudices don’t ensue. In fact, only 8% of women say they have never experienced gender bias in the workplace!

With more and more women progressively entering into careers of their own, it is important that they are free to work in an environment which is safe, free from scrutiny and presents equal opportunities.

According to research carried out by Sue O’Brien, the CEO of global recruitment firm Norman Broadbent, it can often take 8 phone calls to persuade a woman to apply for a job – compared to just 2 calls to prompt a man into putting his name forward for a position. 

When it comes to hearing about new career opportunities, women are just as interested as men. The recruitment industry is taking steps in the right direction and businesses are seeing the benefits. In fact, businesses which show more equality in their hiring processes find that they are thriving as a result.

Here are just a few examples:

• Employees who work for a female manager are six times more engaged in their work.
• On average, having women in leadership positions aligns with a 15% increase in profitability.
• Unleashing the full potential of women in the workplace could be worth £23 billion to the economy.

So, what can we as recruiters do to ensure workplace diversity becomes truly commonplace? Of course, as a recruiter, you have to ensure the candidate you put forward is suitable for the job. So you can’t reject a qualified man just to prevent gender bias. Balance is Key. There are steps to ensure that you attract more high-quality female candidates through the sourcing and recruiting process. Here are just a few steps to encourage more women when recruiting:

Create a united front within your team

Each member of your team should all be aware that recruiting, hiring, and retaining women within the workplace is an extremely important goal for your company. Make sure that they each share this vision.

Promote your current female employers and particularly women in positions of power

When women are represented in the higher levels of your business, other talented women will notice. Most women appreciate having other female colleagues and having female mentors. Ensuring a balance in female to male mentors in a more senior position at your company, will ensure that your candidates feel less intimidated. This can make recruiting star female candidates easier.

Make your job ads more inclusive

Think carefully about what your job ads say about your company’s culture. Ask yourself what women want from a workplace or listen to your current women employees’ feedback. They have first-hand experience of what’s working and what’s not within your organisation. Your employees can provide suggestions on how to make the workplace more appealing to other women employees.

Advertise where women look

To find many qualified female applicants, focus more of your recruiting efforts on places where women are easily reached and more likely to engage. For example, you could look to post your job ad onto job boards and career fairs at women’s colleges or even on women’s groups on social media. This new way of advertising won’t exclude men from applying or from being selected, but it will encourage more women to apply for positions and will result in a higher number of female applicants alongside your male applicants.

Create a female-friendly benefits program

Have benefits that will appeal to the women within your workforce. What is your company’s maternity leave policy? Do your benefits cover family planning and prenatal care? Is there an option to work from home if needed? When a company offers benefits packages that more fully support women, it’s easier to find qualified applicants during the recruiting process. Women will take more comfort within a career knowing that their families and other personal duties can be taken care of if necessary.

While the industry has largely changed, there will always remain a select few industries and agencies that are stuck in the past. Recruitment used to more of a male dominated workplace, but times are changing, as long as you are fully confident in yourself and your skills/abilities you will succeed.

You are always welcome at Kiwi Recruitment. Our recruiters are always on hand to provide any assistance needed.

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