People who feel addressed and are looking for a job send an application. Until then, it's a simple calculation. However, it usually doesn't even get that far: because many people don't feel addressed by job advertisements. This can have various reasons. For example, that you only use photos of white men when you are looking for developers. Or in other words: Recruiting tech women with stock photos of older white men doesn't work.
Als ich letztens in einem Supermarkt an der Kasse stand, fiel mein Blick auf ein großes Plakat in der Fensterscheibe. Gesucht: Filialleiter (m/w/d) und stellvertretende Filialleiter (m/w/d). Dazu ein Foto, der Mann im Vordergrund in dominanter Pose, die Frau im Hintergrund. Sie hatte die Arme vor dem Bauch verschränkt. Können nur Männer Filialleiter sein? Nein, absolut nicht. Unbewusst strahlt dieses Plakat aber genau das aus: Wir suchen hier den Mann, der anpackt.
Especially in industries with few potential applicants, it is all the more important to appeal to a diverse group of people.
Okay. What to do?
Because many companies would like to appeal to a more diverse talent pool and actually exclude or disadvantage no one. If you mainly publish job advertisements in German, then do this little reflection exercise.
How does it read to you?
UX-Designer (m/f)
Let that sink in for a moment.
What do you think about this version?
UX Designer (m/f)
Now, read this job title very carefully:
UX Designer/ UX Designer
Then there's this version, which includes all genders:
UX Designer* or UX Designer_
And now be honest – especially dear reader: Which version really spoke to you deeply?
If you are recruiting in German, you should also include all genders in the title. And by that I mean spelling out the job title completely. And address all genders instead of “including them” with the letters „w / d ” after the male term.
For example, like this:
UX Designer_ (f/m/d)
Not without the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG)
Of course, it can't be done without the AGG, which supports positive measures in this regard. The aim of the law is to "prevent or eliminate discrimination based on race or ethnic origin, gender, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual identity." Which is why, for some time now, an 'd' for intersex people has been added to the m/f next to the male form of the job title. As a Diversity Consultant, I don't think this is a good solution.
The AGG does not preclude, for example, choosing the UX-Designer_in (w/m/d) version. Some companies have already switched to this form and consistently use this form of address in the job advertisement. For this article, I searched through many career pages of large companies and was not surprised, but shocked, at how many photos or images of men can be found there – especially for IT and tech professions. And how many job advertisements I saw following the pattern "Job position m/f"!
Therefore:
- If you don't appeal to people through language or images, they don't exist. Being 'included' doesn't count – a potential top candidate may not even apply to or be interested in your company. So, ideally, ask the people you want to reach. Show them your career page or your job offer and ask for feedback with the question: Would you apply here?
- Do you want more women* to work in tech/IT or finance professions? Then address them directly in the job description with the form: Software Developer_in (f/m/d). Do you also use photos next to or in your job advertisements? Then do it better than the supermarket chain with the dominant branch manager in the foreground. Here's a tip for stock photos.
- It is also good to state again at the end of the job advertisement that you are really addressing a diverse talent pool. For example, like this: “Diversity in our team and discrimination-free working are important to us. We actively support diversity in terms of personal backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. We would therefore like to encourage people of different genders, different origins, different ages, different physical or mental abilities, religions and world views to apply.”
- Be aware that character traits in the job description have a major influence on whether a man* or a woman* applies. A study by the TU Munich has shown this: If the advertisement mentioned many characteristics associated with men, such as "assertive", "independent", "offensive" and "analytical", women felt less addressed. On the other hand, they felt more addressed by words such as "dedicated", "responsible", "conscientious" and "sociable". There was no difference for men. Use a Gender Decoder here before you publish your offers.
- As a recruiter, remain authentic and realistic in the application process. After all, you are hiring people who will ideally stay. You should also ideally deal with your own unconscious biases. Diversity and a company culture in which everyone* is welcome to contribute ideas are continuous processes. But even small steps make a difference.
