Each quarter we sit down as a team and review how and why our candidates choose to register with Park, as there are so many factors that can effect this the results vary month by month but one thing that has been consistent is that we see more women register each month than men. This got me thinking… how much does the way women and men approach job hunting differ?
If you follow the news, I’m sure you’ve seen how much gender equality in the workplace is talked about. There have been numerous surveys and reports created looking at how someone’s gender impacts the way they play the job search game, as well as how employers tend to respond to male and female applicants.
I have discovered some interesting facts from the research…
Job Applications:
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Men are more likely to apply for any role that takes their interest, even if they only meet 60% of the requirements.
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Women are more selective and will only apply for jobs that they think suit their skills and personality and fit 100% of the requirements.
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Men are not influenced using masculine and feminine traits in the job description, women are commonly deterred by typically masculine terms such as ‘assertive’, ‘independent’ or ‘aggressive’. They are much more likely to respond to terms such as ‘dedicated’ or ‘responsible’.
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Men are more likely to use traditional job boards and social media in their job search than women. Women on the other hand tend to rely on their friends or family more than men do, they are also far more likely than men to use employee review sites.
Interviews:
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Before knowing anything about the candidate’s skills or experience, employers expect male candidates to perform better than women.
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Women who describe themselves in feminine terms such as ‘warm’ or ‘supportive’ are less likely to be considered for a job in a male dominated field than if they were to use masculine terms such as ‘assertive.’
Salary Negotiation:
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Women often still earn less than men in the same role, despite a successful salary negotiation.
LinkedIn has also recently published their own Gender Insights Report, the findings showed that Women tend to be more selective about which jobs they apply for, compared to men they apply to 20% fewer and are 16% less likely to apply for an opening after viewing it than a man would.
So, it really does show how differently men and women take their job-hunting approach! I can personally relate to comparing my full skills and experience against each job description before applying. The one and only time I didn’t was when I applied for my job here at Park, 3 years later and I’m still here enjoying it just as much as I did from Day 1 ?
