Data from a 2018 report on demographics in Silicon Valley show that only 20% of Google software engineers were women—and the numbers were worse at Facebook (19%), Uber (18%) and Twitter (17%). According to the McKinsey Women in the Workplace 2021 report, women reported more stress and burnout than men due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with 1 in 3 saying they were considering a career downshift or leaving the workforce entirely.
However, there are signs that after the Great Resignation, we’re seeing a Great Reentry: In March 2022, the labor-force participation rate for women between 25 and 54 rose to 76.5%, the highest it’s been since February 2020. If you’re at a company that’s looking to hire software engineers, it’s a good time to take advantage of this opportunity to improve your gender diversity.
One way you can start is to look at how you hire and identify areas for improvement. Here are several ideas you can implement to help you level the playing field in your hiring process.
1. Scrutinize your job descriptions.
In 2019, LinkedIn researchers published an interesting stat: When a woman clicks on a job description, they’re 16% less likely to apply to that job than a man who reads the same description. Studies have shown there’s a confidence gap when it comes to how women and men interpret job descriptions: Women are more likely to believe they need to meet 100% of the qualifications, whereas men will apply if they only meet 60%.
With this in mind, your job descriptions should include only the true requirements, not the nice-to-haves. It can be difficult for a hiring manager to pare down their list or know how to benchmark a role against industry standards. It’s becoming increasingly common for companies to enlist industrial-organizational (IO) psychologists to conduct a job analysis and write neutral job descriptions.
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/06/23/how-to-hire-more-women-engineers-in-tech-and-why-you-should/?sh=638de01742b7
However, there are signs that after the Great Resignation, we’re seeing a Great Reentry: In March 2022, the labor-force participation rate for women between 25 and 54 rose to 76.5%, the highest it’s been since February 2020. If you’re at a company that’s looking to hire software engineers, it’s a good time to take advantage of this opportunity to improve your gender diversity.
One way you can start is to look at how you hire and identify areas for improvement. Here are several ideas you can implement to help you level the playing field in your hiring process.
1. Scrutinize your job descriptions.
In 2019, LinkedIn researchers published an interesting stat: When a woman clicks on a job description, they’re 16% less likely to apply to that job than a man who reads the same description. Studies have shown there’s a confidence gap when it comes to how women and men interpret job descriptions: Women are more likely to believe they need to meet 100% of the qualifications, whereas men will apply if they only meet 60%.
With this in mind, your job descriptions should include only the true requirements, not the nice-to-haves. It can be difficult for a hiring manager to pare down their list or know how to benchmark a role against industry standards. It’s becoming increasingly common for companies to enlist industrial-organizational (IO) psychologists to conduct a job analysis and write neutral job descriptions.
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/06/23/how-to-hire-more-women-engineers-in-tech-and-why-you-should/?sh=638de01742b7
