When it comes to applying for jobs, women and men exhibit different behaviors. That’s according to LinkedIn’s Gender Insights Report, which found women apply to 20 percent fewer jobs than men—yet are 16 percent more likely to get hired for ones they do apply for.
Which prompts the question, what are female candidates noticing that their male counterparts are missing (or ignoring)?
The candidate experience.
So if your company wants to attract more qualified female candidates, it needs to take the following actions to improve its candidate experience.
Company culture is such an important aspect of job recruiting and employee retention. For starters, Fortune reveals that early-career candidates will forego a higher salary for a favorable company culture. And having employees feel engaged at their job and within an organization is the key to keeping them.
A great way to showcase your company culture is to highlight the personal and professional development that female—as well as all—employees are offered. Mentorship programs are a great way to show that you value a person’s potential.
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A clear job description is so important because it sets up an applicant’s expectations for what the job would be like. Unfortunately, your hiring team’s job description may inadvertently be turning female applicants off. Mediabistro claims that words like “ninja,” “rockstar,” or “guru” make women believe your company is male-dominated.
Apart from being more likely than men to get hired once they apply to a job, women are 18 percent more likely than men to get hired after applying for more senior roles as well. The point is, your early-career female applicants are statistically more likely to become not only full-time employees, but also your company’s future leaders.
Also, women self-screen more than men. Research suggests that women are 16 percent less likely than men to apply for a job after viewing it. Why? Because they read a job description that essentially asks for those pesky purple squirrel candidates. Once they start to see they don’t fit some of these requirements, they take themselves out of consideration before even applying. So your hiring team should rethink job requirements compared to what’s essential in job descriptions.
Two aspects of employee benefits stand out most to female candidates. First, the most important aspect is salary range, though it’s not for the reason you might think. Because if a company shares the salary range in the job description, females may interpret this as a sign of transparency and equal pay. Obviously, this is a very important issue for females, who are still fighting to reconcile the pay gap.
The second is benefits themselves, which include work arrangements. Not only is it a priority for female candidates, but it’s the key to getting a more diverse talent pool, claims Forbes. People have different circumstances in their lives that may prevent the traditional 9-5, in-the-office experience.
Sixty-eight percent of women want to work for companies that provide strong employee benefits. So if you want to ensure your hiring team gets more qualified female candidates, your company needs to have good employee benefits. And be upfront about these perks, so you’re not wasting candidates’ time.
Candidates are researching your company’s online presence. Women are more likely to use their findings to inform their decision before even applying to a job. Again, this is why it’s so important to showcase your company culture. But their research doesn’t stop there.
Glassdoor claims candidates are more likely to apply for jobs at companies with positive online reviews. Once they apply, they’re also more likely to accept a position and recommend it to friends if it has positive online reviews. So if your company has a negative online reputation, you need to work to address it.
One way you can start fixing a corporate reputation is by responding to your online reviews. According to Inc., companies that address negative reviews can see the perception of their business improve by 62 percent.
But don’t just respond to the review and think that fixes the problem. You need to take action about what your company discovers are its issues. Address the issues so your company can get more positive online reviews in the future.
If your company is looking to turn female job hunters into applicants, you need to address your candidate experience. You’ll be rewarded with applicants more likely to get the job, creating a more diverse staff.
