Diversity is a crucial component in today’s world of work. It enables companies to develop products and services that appeal to all people. That’s why our clients increasingly ask for one thing: CV’s from women!
This is easier said than done. As a recruitment company that specialises in IT roles, Experis is part of a work environment that is predominantly male. Only roughly 15% of IT specialists in Switzerland are women. That’s why we’re proud that we have gained a reputation in the Swiss IT finance market for finding and placing an above- average number of female specialists.
This is not a coincidence, though. We know that diversity starts at the very beginning: the job ad. If you want to hire more female IT professionals, here are 5 tips on how Recruiters at Experis in Switzerland specifically target women:
Shorten your list of requirements
Setting high standards for your staff is a good thing; but be aware of the "confidence gap": Men put their CV’s forward when they cover about 60% of your requirements. Women tend to shy away when they don’t cover almost 100% of your requirements. The solution? Shorten your wish list and make a clear distinction between "mandatory" and "optional" job requirements.
Advertise a workload of 80 – 100%
Childcare, household chores or the care of family members, it often falls to women to find a balance between their professional and private lives. If you are looking for female professionals, you should advertise 80 - 100% jobs. A lot of 100% jobs can be done with an 80% workload and if you offer home office or flexible work hours, you might convince candidates to sign up for a 100% position.
Replace "masculine" words
Manager, leader, expert. Stress-resistant, ambitious, goal-oriented. Competitive and analytical. Strong words that appeal to one candidate group in particular: Men! If done right, job ads play with emotions. At their best, they make people curious. At their worst, disinterested. To appeal to female professionals, it is important to choose gender-neutral words. A fantastic way to reword your ads is by using text analysis software. Here’s a free version. Give it a try!
What women want
In recent years, employee expectations have risen for both men and women. There are certain differences, though: women are particularly interested in flexible work hours, home office and healthy perks. If your company wants to go the extra-mile, use your job ad to promote company benefits in terms of pregnancy, maternity leave and childcare.
Take a stand on equal pay
The gender pay gap is an emotional topic in Switzerland. A great way for companies to take a public stand against it is to mention salary expectations on job ads. This makes it easier for women to start negotiations on an equal footing.
At Experis, we are looking forward to a time when these tips won’t be necessary anymore. When society puts so much trust in women that they’re confident enough to apply for any opportunity, at any level. Until then, there’s lots to do still – and gender neutral job ads are an important first step into the right direction.
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