As the title of this article suggests there are two key hurdles facing the STEM sector: the war for talent, and a misunderstanding of what female candidates want. Article from Phaidon International.
We held “The War For #FemaleTechTalent & What Women Want” event in partnership with Girls in Tech London on 2nd September 2015. The aim was for the audience of HR professionals, Hiring Managers and Technologists to share views and most importantly identify initiatives that can be implemented in the workplace. Glassdoor opened the event with data demonstrating that the top considerations women take into account when looking for a job are the same as men, these are:
Priority 1 Salary & compensation
Priority 2 Career growth opportunities
Priority 3 Work-life balance
Priority 4 Location / commute
Priority 5 Company culture / values
“The top considerations women take into account when looking for a job are the same as men. So why are there less female applicants? Our panel opened the discussion with addressing why there are less female applicants. In some cases the percentage of female candidates applying to roles can be as low as 5%. Whilst it was agreed that more needs to be done to increase the pipeline of school leavers and graduates with a desire to work in tech, the conversation turned to how to attract the talent that is available today.
A prominent theme that arose from the discussion was the basic barrier of appealing job descriptions. It was highlighted that there is typically a difference between how men and women review job specifications and apply for jobs; Whilst most men are willing to apply for jobs that they feel they could grow into and adapt, women typically apply for jobs where they meet the experience and skill specification in full. One panellist asked the audience ‘How many of your job specifications were actually written by someone who does or has done the job?’ The panel warned that if you list non-essential skills or experience, you could be putting off potential female applicants who are otherwise qualified for the role.
Action Point for Employers
Action points for improving job specifications to attract more female talent included: Ask existing employees to review job specifications, to ensure they clearly reflect the job in question: Ensure required skills and experience are clearly separated from others that would be advantageous but not essential: Set the scene – explain how the role fits in with other departments in the organisation, build in some more descriptive elements and describe what a day in the role would be like: Seek feedback from applicants – find out which elements of the job description appealed to them the most.
What Women Want
Alongside maximising the candidate pool for technology vacancies, the importance of demonstrating an internal commitment to the development of female talent was highlighted. Internal Women’s Networks that focus on the development of female talent within organisations are highly appealing to potential candidates, and help draw attention to existing female peers that can inspire new employees. Establishing a successful women’s network however requires support from the senior stakeholders within the business. The panel advised that a transparent purpose and strategy needs to be communicated to position the group as a positive movement for the wider business.
Action Point for Female Technologists
Successful Internal Women’s Networks can be achieved by considering the following: Communicate the key motivation for establishing the network: Agree objectives that the group will work towards: Compile a business case for the senior members of your organisation: Consider how you will measure the success of the group: Plan how you will communicate the successes within the organisation: Sponsorship programmes and implementing frameworks were highlighted as less potentially disruptive methods for supporting female talent than quotas, and can help to bring more women through the pipeline. Finally our panel concluded that women and men need to tackle this challenge together. Workforce diversity and inclusion is proven to be a key driver of innovation and business growth; getting more women into tech isn’t.
