How to Make Gender Equality a Priority During Recruitment

Over the years, women have made powerful strides in breaking barriers in the workplace – from getting a seat at the boardroom table, to building their own businesses. However, there’s still a lot of work to be done, as recent analysis from Pew Research Center reveals that women continue to earn just 85% of what men make. On top of this, another report from Business News Daily states that women are also still less likely to be hired for entry-level jobs, despite having more credentials.

With these facts in mind, it’s important that companies re-evaluate their procedures to close the gender gap. Often, this should begin as early as the recruitment stage. This way, companies start on the right foot and ensure that gender equality isn’t just an afterthought.

Here are some tips on how to make gender equality a priority during recruitment.

Post an Inclusive Job Listing

Women should feel welcome even before they enter your office for an interview. You can do this by simply tailoring your job posting to make women feel encouraged to apply. Make your job descriptions more straightforward and focused on the expectations of the role. According to Harvard Business Review, it’s best to avoid terms like “rock star” or “ninja,” as these tend to alienate women applicants.

Get Feedback

Of course, one of the simplest ways to know how to improve your recruitment strategy is to ask those who have gone through it. Comeet suggests reaching out to candidates and sending them surveys to fill out. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, as even simple questions can give you valuable feedback. On the topic of gender equality, you can ask them questions like, “How fair do you think you were treated?” or “Do you think you were treated differently because of your gender?” or “Were you offered a fair salary?” From there, it can help you point out blind spots in your recruitment process.

Request for Blind Resumes

Unfortunately, some women don’t get the chance to go through a job interview because some recruiters immediately give men the upper hand as soon as they spot their gender. To help combat this problem, you can request for blind resumés, which means that all information that would link to gender — plus race and age — is removed to avoid bias during the screening process. If you’re worried about the lack of information, be sure to ask for other vital details like academic achievements, previous work experience, and extracurricular activities.

Ask the Right Questions

Gender bias can pop up during a job interview too, especially when personal questions come into play. For instance, some recruiters refrain from hiring mothers due to fears of their time being divided. True enough, Science Magazine notes that only 47% of mothers are usually considered for hiring, compared to women who didn’t have kids. It’s important that recruiters ask the same set of questions for both men and women applicants so that any potential gender stereotypes are prevented. This, in turn, helps cultivate a female-friendly culture at work, since recruiters can help overcome any underlying biases they may have.