Following on from our last blog on unconscious bias, many women (not just engineers) have emailed us asking for advice. If we can’t control the unconscious bias that we face in the recruitment process or even in the daily workplace, what do we do? Do we just work harder, change our attitudes and behaviours to ensure that we get noticed, or just accept what we can’t change?
A lot of popular self help books focus on the mantra “change what you can, accept what you can’t”. When your career is at stake, I would suggest that is pretty bad advice! Instead: Pre-empt the bias that you face, anticipate it, address it openly without aggression! There are many instances in the recruitment process and beyond in the workplace where people will be making assumptions about you based on your gender.You can anticipate these assumptions and address them.
Here are some examples:
Applying for a role
If you apply for a role that you believe you are suitable for, but the role is likely to be very popular, there will be a recruiter sifting through a big pile of applications to generate a longlist of candidates. That initial sifting is not as scientific and objective as we like to think. Ultimately, a person with limited time has to find the candidates that are most likely to get the job. Bias will almost certainly be a factor.
If you want to stand out in the process and ensure that you get through to the next phase, follow up your application with a phone call, or an excellent cover letter that gets their attention (and doesn’t reveal your name, and therefore gender until the end of the letter!). Remember, unconscious bias is not a malicious act of discrimination, it is the bucket of stereotypical thoughts that we have been fed throughout our lives and that linger in our brains. The recruiter will have a picture in their head of the ideal candidate, and in most cases (unless you apply for a role as secretary, teacher or nurse), that image will not be female.
Interviewing for a role
Every interviewer knows that they are not allowed to ask the “child related” questions, yet every hiring manager (male or female), really wants to know the answer to these questions.
This is the internal conversation happening in their head whilst they are talking to you: “Do you have children? ...Will you want to have children? ...When? ...Will you return to work once you have children? ... Can I really afford to hire you if you might have children one day and not come back? ... I probably shouldn’t, too risky! “
Address them yourself. Why not? Even if you are not entirely sure, there is nothing wrong with answering what you feel at that very moment. If at that moment in time you genuinely have no plans to start a family any time soon, say so! If at that moment in time you are pregnant, but feel that your career is very important to you and know that you will return to work after 3 or 4 months, say so!
I can almost visibly hear our readers sigh.
Yet consider this: Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, was pregnant when she got the job at Yahoo. I am fairly certain she shared that news and her plans on how she would combine her job as CEO with being a mother. In her case, that meant installing a nursery (at her own expense) next to her office, which off course I realise is not a realistic options for most of us.
However, many women do return to work and continue to have successful careers. We do have options, and can combine work with a family as long as we don’t rule ourselves out too quickly.
This leads me to my last example:
How to share the news of your pregnancy
Here is where the bias really hits you. Your boss will be thinking:
“Great, I guess I have to congratulate her! When is it due? Is she feeling healthy, will she start missing work, coming late... How long will she be off?... Oh yes, I can’t ask that... better start thinking about replacement... Who else can do her job?”
You might be thinking:
“I hope I am not going to miss that promotion now. I am feeling really good and still have lots of energy. Besides, once the commute gets too much I could take the train an hour later and stay longer. The baby is due in June, and I will take 4 months off. I will be back in October when things are really busy.”
SAY IT! You will not even be considered for a promotion, pay increase or anything anymore if you don’t proactively share your thoughts on the impact of your pregnancy on your work. And that doesn’t have to mean pretending the pregnancy doesn’t impact you and you go on as usual, just to share realistically how you will handle the likely impact on your work.
A very big thank you to Greet Brosens of Sagent Recruitment, who kindly shared this with us.