The war for talent gets tougher every day and women are not
excluded. It is more challenging to find
the right women candidates as ladies are more discerning when it comes to
selecting employers. Ladies look forward to welcoming as individuals with
differentiating styles. It is an agreed fact that women are more deliberate in
changing employers, probably because experience has taught them the importance
of environment and culture in both their performance and job-satisfaction.
While their male counterparts are more likely to weigh compensation as the
leading factor, women consider myriad things such as the culture of the firm,
colleagues, presence of women colleagues and role models before committing to
join. Like any other place, the workplace throws novel challenges as women and
fitting in to the accepted role is often a task. Perceptions change with gender
and what is acceptable for men is often not considered the rule for women. To
take example aggressiveness at the workplace is acceptable for a male boss but
the same portrays the woman as irrational, over-emotional and bossy. Most
workplaces are seeing the blasting of male-bastions, even the fighter pilot
profession of the Indian Armed Forces is a beacon. The corporate too has its
share of more and more women managers and leaders
The HR function of the industry has often been
seen suitable for women although the logic of it as a ‘soft profession’ is highly
debatable. Many tasks such as in-depth behavioural interviewing are seen as
strength of women recruiters. In-Fact many Executive Search Firms like JBK
Associates and the California based WSS Executive search are exclusively led by
women boards. In India too Top Executive Search agencies comprise many women
head-hunters whose searching prowess helps deliver key mandates. Yet despite
their strengths women candidates face exclusion due to stereotypes. However even Top Executive Search firms may be at danger to exclude women
candidates. Women candidates face questions about loyalty, stability, and capability
in ways that men simply don’t. Even today, men are often considered the
“default” candidate type, with women representing a “different” choice. Even
when search consultants do try to include more women on their long and short
lists, client firms will change their search criteria over time, the end result
of which is weeding out women from the candidate list.
Women also face queries about their family life
that men do not. Married women are at times considered risky choices, in that
they wouldn’t necessarily be able to give “the extra-edge” to their job. At the
same time, married men are considered more likely to be stable or loyal.
Divorced or separated women too face a harsh judgement many times. Despite
these troubling factors, women continue to grow and contribute professionally,
slowly acting as harbingers of change in the world at large.
