Anyone who feels addressed and is looking for a job sends in an application. Up to that point, it's a simple calculation. However, it usually doesn't even get that far: because many people don't feel addressed by job advertisements. There can be many reasons for this. For example, you only use photos of white men when you're looking for developers. Or in other words: recruiting tech women with stock photos of older white men doesn't work.
The other day, when I was standing at the checkout in a supermarket, my eyes fell on a large poster in the window pane. Wanted: Branch managers (m/f) and deputy branch managers (m/f). There was a photo of the man in the foreground in a dominant pose, the woman in the background. She had her arms folded in front of her stomach. Can only men be branch managers? No, absolutely not. But unconsciously this poster radiates exactly that: We're looking for a man who gets down to business.
Especially in sectors with few potential applicants, it is even more important to address a diverse group of people.
Okay. Do what?
Many companies want to attract a more diverse talent pool and not exclude or disadvantage anyone. If you mainly publish job offers in German, then do this little reflection exercise.
How does that read for you?
UX Designer (m/f)
Let that sink in for a minute.
What do you think about this version?
UX Designer (m/f)
Now read this job position very intensively:
UX Designer
Then there is also this variant that includes all genders:
UX Designer or UX Designer
And now let's be honest - especially dear reader: Which version did you really feel deeply addressed by?
If you are recruiting in German, you should also include all genders in the title. And by that I mean, write out the job title completely. And address all genders instead of "meaning" them with the letter "w / d " after the male designation.
So for example like this:
UX Designer (f/m/d)
Not without the General Equal Treatment Act (AGG)
Of course, this is not possible without the AGG, which supports positive action in this regard. The aim of the law is "to prevent or eliminate discrimination on the grounds of race or ethnic origin, gender, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual identity". Which is why, for some time now, the m/f has also been written with a d for inter persons, in addition to the masculine form of the job title. Which is not a solution, but I welcome it as a diversity consultant.
The AGG, for example, does not exclude the choice of the variant UX-Designer_in (f/m/d). Some companies have already switched to this form and consistently use this form of address in job offers. For this article, I went through many career pages of big companies and was not surprised, but shocked, how many photos or images of men can be found there - especially for IT and tech professions. And how many job offers along the lines of "job position m/f" I saw first!
Therefore:
- Anyone who is not addressed through language or images does not exist. Included doesn't count - a potential top candidate might not even apply or be interested in your company in the first place. So the best thing to do is to 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 jobs? So why not address them directly in the job description - with the form: Software Developer (f/m/d). Do you also use photos next to or in your job offers? Then do it better than the supermarket chain with the dominant branch manager in the foreground. Here's a tip for stock photos.
- It's also good to reiterate at the end of the job ad that you're really addressing a diverse talent pool. For example: "Diversity in our team and working without discrimination is important to us. We actively support diversity in terms of personal backgrounds, perspectives and experiences. We therefore encourage people of different genders, backgrounds, ages, physical or mental abilities, and religions and worldviews to apply."
- Be aware that character traits in the job description have a big influence on whether a man* or a woman* applies. This was shown in a study by the TU Munich: If the job advertisement mentioned many characteristics associated with men, such as "assertive", "independent", "offensive" and "analytical", women felt less addressed. On the other hand, words such as "committed", "responsible", "conscientious" and "sociable" appealed more to them. There was no difference for men. Use the 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, in the best case scenario, should also stay. Ideally, you should also deal with your own unconscious bias. Diversity and a corporate culture in which everyone is welcome to contribute ideas are continuous processes. But even small steps make a difference.
What do you think about it, how do you handle it?
Note: I do not give legal advice. If you have individual questions about the AGG, please contact the relevant lawyers. I use the asterisk* or gender gap_ to include all genders.
Image: wocintechchat.com