What No One Tells You About Gender in the Job Search

BATTLE OF THE SEXES: FACTS ABOUT GENDER IN THE JOB SEARCH John and Jane have the same level of experience, education, and skills. Both are looking for new opportunities. However, gender impacts how each will play the job search game: JOB APPLICATIONS John applies to any job that interests him. Jane carefully reads job descriptions, and only applies to those that seem to fit her personality. The use of masculine and feminine words in a job post doesn't impact men's decision to apply. Women are often turned off to job descriptions that list traits typically associated with men such as: X Assertive Men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, X Independent X Aggressive X Analytical 60% 100% but women apply only if they meet 100% of them. Women prefer to see words like: Dedicated Responsible Conscientious Sociable Women are less interested in jobs that require moral compromises. HIT YOUR TARGET: Pay close attention to the wording of your job post. Try to include a balance of words that appeal to all candidates. Employers: SOCIAL JOB SEARCH John uses a variety of social media to reach out to employers and find opportunities. Jane doesn't feel as comfortable using social media in her job search, and only targets employers on Facebook. USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN JOB SEARCH 77% 55% 51% 41% 36% 29% in in f Twice as many men fabricate references on 0.0 Facebook than women. HIT YOUR TARGET: Post opportunities and communicate with candidates on a variety of platforms. Employers: INTERVIEWING In the interview, Jane tries her best to shake off nerves and show her positive personality, but: John enters his interview with confidence and tries his best to make a good first impression. Without knowing any information about candidates' work experience, employers expected male candidates to perform better than female candidates. Women who describe themselves with "feminine" terms are seen as less qualified for traditionally male-dominated fields than those who use “masculine" descriptors. Less qualified: More qualified: X Warm X Supportive X Nurturing Assertive Independent Achievement orientated When employers only had appearance to go by, both male and female recruiters were 2x as likely to hire a man than a woman. HIT YOUR TARGET: Evaluate candidates with a standard template of Employers: hard and soft skills. Check the boxes as a candidate demonstrates such for a clear, fact-based approach to selecting a candidate. SALARY NEGOTIATIONS Both John and Jane know they need to negotiate their salary, but how much they ask for and the tactics they use to negotiate will impact their outcomes. 52% of men and 47% of women In 2010 reported asking for a higher salary during the hiring process. Men in medical sales earn Women who are successful in their 19% MORE negotiations often still earn less than men in the same position. than women. And that's just one of many fields where men earn more. HIT YOUR TARGET: Establish an objective system that places employees on the pay scale depending on job level, part-time or full-time status, experience, education, and skills. Employers: WINNING THE GAME Gender impacts the job search in complex ways, and stereotypes and bias unintentionally affect everyone. Understanding the differences can help bring peace to the job search battle and, ultimately, the workforce. Celebrating 15 years MedReps.com Your Trusted Authority Since 2000 Sources: https://hbr.org/2014/08/why-women-dont-apply-for-jobs-unless-theyre-100-qualified/ http://www.tum.de/en/about-tum/news/press-releases/short/article/31438/ http://spp.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/03/28/1948550613482987.abstract http://www.jobvite.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/jobvite_jobseeker_nation_2015.pdf http://www.pnas.org/content/111/12/4403.full http://pwq.sagepub.com/content/early/2014/07/25/0361684314543265.abstract https://www.medreps.com/medical-sales-careers/medical-sales-salary-report/ http://www.catalyst.org/system/files/The_Myth_of_the_Ideal_Worker_Does_Doing_All_the_Right_Things_Really_Get_Women_ Ahead.pdf http://pwq.sagepub.com/content/37/1/80 http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2014/demo/p60-249.pdf