I hate application processes and employee interviews! Do you find that radical? Then I cordially invite you to the following discourse regarding Human Resources (HR) invitation.
Let’s face it: in application processes, an appreciative, friendly interview that takes place at eye level is something of a rarity.
For aspiring female employees, it’s often a balancing act between authentic appearance and acting school. This has mainly to do with the curious and traditional realities of our working world.
You can’t think of a spontaneous story to go with it. Well here you can find some examples:
- The classic with us women: The question about family planning, the workload of the partner or possible childcare.
- The completely excessive and unrealistic expectations placed on female applicants: They should have ten years of professional experience with the appropriate specialization and experience abroad. At best, there is still a successfully completed course of study with a final grade of 1.0. The only downside: the salary on the other hand barely exceeds that of a trainee
- Unreasonable demands: Uncompensated overtime, long commutes, constant flexibility and, of course, absolute willingness to be on fire and volunteer for every project immediately.
- Conclusion: Many job interviews are already about dependencies, excessive expectations and openly displayed power structures at the very beginning.
One possibility: “Turn the Table
Have you ever wished you were sitting on the other side of the table in the application process?
I have felt this desire very often and have also fulfilled it by starting my own business.
And I can tell you after working with inspiring professionals and executives as well as innovative companies: My hunch was correct, because human resources (HR) can also be done differently.
It is possible to make both employer and applicant feel comfortable during the application process. However, the clear prerequisite for this is that the focus is not only on individual “hard facts”, but on the value creation process itself.
Thus, as an employer, ask yourself the following questions in particular:
- How did this person become aware of us and our company? What part of my story piqued this applicant’s interest?
- What is my responsibility as an employer to fulfill my role? What tools (support programs, work schedules, perks, etc.) and leadership do I have at my disposal to become even more attractive and inspiring?
- How can I make this process of applying exciting and varied so that my future colleague feels welcome?
- What traditional habits are preventing me from changing this system and how can I counteract them?
About Human Resource and Active Sourcing
Since we are already talking openly about this issue, I want to continue to be honest with you:
If that’s too much trouble for you, then you shouldn’t bother with value-added human resource management or active sourcing, but instead settle for applicants who can’t even justify working for you in the end.
I don’t want to point the finger at headhunters or employers with this article, because I understand from my own experience the reservations, fears and (probably one of the most important factors) the lack of time.
Nevertheless, I would like to make the case that in a working world in which everyone is trying to win the favor of the best high potentials, time is an essential factor in convincing them.
How would you like to be perceived as an employer?
Imagine for a few moments that they were sitting on the other side of the table: Would they complain about standard questions (“What are your strengths and weaknesses?”), strict and often outdated work policies (“We expect” / “It’s been that way at our company for years….”) and lack of appreciation (“The starting salary in your position is…” / “Home office is not provided”)?
I assume the answer here is clear. Everyone wants to be an inspiring personality who encourages others, gives them creative space and cultivates an appreciative culture of error, even if the implementation of this is sometimes somewhat difficult and often time-consuming and costly.
But remember: no one wants to be hired by a machine. Women workers crave communication, attention, appreciation and encouragement, and you have every opportunity to meet that expectation.
Bye Bye Uncertain Application Process – Welcome Cooperative Partnership Relationship
Below, I’d like to share my four tips for an exciting and appreciative application process:
1. make your pre-selection both by own intuition and data based
Automation is the big buzzword of our time. However, if you place such an important decision as the selection of your female employees exclusively in the virtual hands of a computer, you are missing out on the chance to get to know exciting personalities. People want to work with people. Therefore, have faith in your own intuition and use data-based software as a supplement.
2. design an exciting selection process
Ditch common standard questions, go more hands-on. For example, offer job shadowing. This means that the candidate is allowed to observe, ask questions and cooperate for one day. Unlike a trial job, it’s not about the employer “testing” someone, but allowing the candidate to look behind the scenes. Also, taking potential female candidates to a conference or workshop can give you a lot of impressions that you don’t get to see in the day-to-day process. Job interviews, trial work, etc. are not natural and everyday situations, which is why extraordinary behavior is exhibited.
3. show yourself as an appreciative leader
Friendliness is not appreciation. The latter presupposes that one has looked beyond the end of one’s nose and that one views the person systemically (i.e. holistically). Employee appraisals are often the nightmare of all female employees. They are predominantly one-sided (top-down), contain an evaluation according to school grades and have a demotivating effect. It would be better to hold development discussions. Instead of looking at where the employee has deficits and where there is a need for action, one rather asks: What potential do I see? How can I provide targeted support? (You can get some ideas here) What does the person sitting in front of me want? Here, you can actually physically swap chairs, too, for a change of perspective.
4. use your social capital and get into action
My last tip is also my most important one. As a coach, I regularly experience that promises made to female employees are not fulfilled either at the beginning or in the course of employment. You can probably guess what this behavior leads to: Right. Most female workers leave. Commitment is an important factor within the working world, this applies to both employees and employers. If female employees feel a sense of belonging to your company and give you their trust, time and labor, you must not squander your social capital by failing to keep promises made. No delaying tactics or excuses – get into action, because this is the only way to create an understanding of the joint business relationship on the other side as well, and this leads to a strengthened self-esteem on both sides.
Conclusion
I promise you one thing: your investment will increase in value. Happy female employees are like a figurehead or brand ambassador for your company and will ensure that you rise in reputation with exciting as well as motivated female employees in the future and are seen as an attractive place to go for creativity, good leadership and innovation.
Inquired:
In what way do they specifically promote your female employees? What exciting opportunities might you have already taken advantage of to make the application process, or perhaps the subsequent work process, more interesting?
Share your experiences with the community and let’s create a value-added working world together.
