Lauren LevineAdding strong female leaders to your team helps your business to grow and better serve your client base. However, it’s important to understand the steps necessary to make your company especially appealing to female candidates. In order to verify that your workplace is welcoming to both male and female talent alike, consider these tips:
Know that bias exists
Whether you’d like to admit it or not, there are some biases that exist in the workplace that prevent female candidates from progressing in the same way that their male counterparts do. Be aware of these biases, and figure out what your company can do to close these gaps and level the playing field.
Get involved
If you realize that your company is lacking when it comes to talented female employees, get proactive about your recruiting efforts. Your community probably has a number of organizations that are aimed specifically at women. By attending events that these groups put on and getting to know members, you’re better able to tap your network when open positions become available. Instead of hoping that qualified female candidates find out about openings on their own, you can publicize the openings to them on your own.
Talk to your current female employees and find out what drew them to your business
When your goal is to recruit new female talent, you’ll want to talk to your current employees in order to get a sense of what attracted them to your company in the first place. This enables you to continue to make your brand marketable to your target candidates. Going right to the source and asking your female employees what makes your business an enjoyable place for them to work is an easy way to ensure that you continue to attract talented female staff members.
Realize that your employees are also your best recruiters
Your employees act as ambassadors for your company, so when you’re trying to land new talent, be aware that your current team contributes directly to ability to hire. Therefore, place a heavy emphasis on ensuring that your current staff members are happy. When your team is truly satisfied, they’re able to speak honestly about their happiness level, and convey this satisfaction to potential new hires.
Being conscious of your hiring efforts and making it a point to market your open job opportunities in a way that would appeal to female candidates is an important step when you’re looking to add talented female employees to your roster. Making it a point to develop strong relationships with local organizations where potential employees are already involved is another crucial step when you’re looking to boost your ability to hire female candidates.
Image: monkeybusinessimages/BigStock.com
Guest Post
Spark Hire
