After 50 Years Are Women Professionals Feeling a Positive Impact From Title IX?
Last evening, during the ESPY Award Show, Title IX was highlighted both because of the strides our society has made and for the distance our culture needs to go to reach compensation equity.
Why am I able to comment on where we were and where we need to go? First, I have been a Talent Attraction Consultant since 1981 (41 years). As a Recruiter, I am on the frontlines of introducing women to Hiring Managers. Secondly is my personal life – I have 4 professional sisters – two of whom assist their husbands in the management of their firms. My Wife (who retired as a Neuro ICU nurse after 45 years – she finished at the Top!) and I have been married for 49 years. We have two professional Daughters with advanced degrees and successful in their careers – and two Granddaughters.
When I began recruiting in the Washington/Baltimore area, the majority of IT candidates (Data Processing in those days) were men. Many of the Enterprise Sales professionals were men. The hiring managers? Most were men.
When Did I See An Improvement In The Promotion Of Women?
Understandably, it takes time for the impact of a rule that impacts college/university students, to bubble up to the professional level. Now, Title IX impacts Women’s Sports. How would it impact Women Professionals?
During the early 1980s, Women who benefited from Title IX began to grow into management positions in the Washington/Baltimore area. One of my clients was The Washington Post. For that time, The Washington Post was unique. There was no glass ceiling – Katharine Graham was the publisher. I recruited several women programmer/analysts for The Washington Post – and some were promoted.
In 1992, My client was MCI Telecommunications. Initially, I recruited for the iconic “Friends and Family” product IT Support and for the important Commercial Billing IT Support. We were very successful in hiring women and men – and many of the hiring managers that I supported were sharp women. During the Fall of 1992, I was given an amazing project for MCI – create the recruiting strategy to transition the Commercial Billing IT Support from Pentagon City, VA to a newly remodeled building in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. We needed to recruit a minimum of 120 IT professionals to Cedar Rapids in 12 months with the clock starting on January 1, 1993. Please keep in mind that there was no Internet recruiting in those days.
Once I created the strategy, I presented it to the VP of Commercial Billing and his Director. They liked my strategy and granted me access to the hiring managers to present it.
Briefly, I worked out of my Pentagon City MCI office for the first 2 weeks of the month. I would identify target markets around the US where we may be able to attract IT talent. Then approve ad copy for newspaper ads for resumes for future recruiting trips. During the last 2 weeks of every month, I would create a recruiting trip based on the number of resumes received. We would travel to 2 to 3 cities per week with 3 or 4 managers and interview 16 to 24 candidates daily – and make hiring decisions every evening over dinner. To change the perception of everyone that Iowa was flat, I found a great photo of downtown Cedar Rapids taken from a high hill near downtown. Well, at 948 feet the Mt. Trashmore Landfill is the highest point in Linn County – but our candidates in various cities around the US did not need that knowledge…
Progress In The 1990s
Early in our search, we focused on the leadership positions within Commercial Billing IT Support. We scored a coup during an MCI-only Career Fair that I set at the Embassy Suites in Laclede’s Landing in St. Louis. We recruited the first woman IT Manager for McDonnell Douglas for an MCI Senior Manager role. Since MCI had many women in management positions, attracting women IT professionals was fairly easy, depending on their family responsibilities. We were interested in attracting the best of the best – in quantity. Tough job that gets easier when you already have attracted top performers.
On December 31, 1993, we counted IT professionals in seats – 143! Ten relocated from DCMDVA and 133 new employees. Over the next 8 months, we recruited another 80 IT professionals and a technical recruiter. Fun fact – we exceeded the number of seats available in the newly remodeled building!
Disappointment in the 2000s
While women were being promoted during this time, research demonstrates that despite receiving promotions and increased responsibility, women are still paid less than men for the same work. Sales are one field where women may exceed the compensation of their male coworkers.
According to Business.org, the two states where the inequality is the greatest are Wyoming and Utah. There are many factors that contribute to the inequality in compensation.
One factor is the requirement by Human Resource Applicant Tracking Systems where candidates must list their current salary (there are 22 states where that is illegal) and/or their desired salary – and it is a required field. As RecruiterGuy, I know how to sidestep this requirement – network your way into the company. By the time an application is required, the candidate has had a conversation where interest was created.
The impact of requiring salary information is most companies’ practice of giving an offer that is 5% to 10% more than the candidate’s current salary. If a man earns $100,000 per year, their offer could be $10,000 more per year. A woman applying for the same position with the same experience who earns $80,000, would be offered an $8,000 increase. This practice perpetuates women earning less than men – and putting them further behind as they climb the corporate ladder.
The impact is greater at the C-Suite level because one of the perceptions created when a person earns $20,000 or $30,000 less than their male competition for a C-Suite position is they are not as qualified for the position. I suspect this is part of the reason for the glass ceiling.
How Do We Solve Compensation Inequity?
I have a few suggestions that will help. None will cure the attitude problems inherent in our culture. Hopefully, as we become more aware to encourage girls during their formative years (as we did), they will compete professionally on a level playing field.
Suggestion #1 – Formally train Hiring Managers on how to effectively interview candidates. Every day candidates are hired in positions because the Hiring Manager said the candidate’s interview “Felt Good In My Gut!” My response? “Guts are great for storing and processing food, not for selecting the best qualified candidate!” Formal training removes some of the personal feelings of “Does this person look like me?” and replaces them with an objective assessment of the candidate’s qualifications and fit for their position. Then determine where this candidate fits within their Salary Structure without regard to their current salary.
Suggestion #2 – For professional positions, Eliminate the requirement for a candidate to spend 20 to 30 minutes to complete an application prior to applying. This requirement drives the top performers away from a company in droves. Why? The world has been conditioned by companies who require all candidates to spend time diligently completing an application. Then never hear back from them. Do grocery stores require you to complete an application before entering? Would you shop at one that required you to apply every time you shopped? As mentioned above, this requirement perpetuates salary inequality.
Suggestion #3 – Encourage Managers who interview top performers (women or men) the option to approach executives to approve closing a lower level position and opening a higher level position because they found an All Star who would be a great addition to their team.
Suggestion #4 – In any negotiation, the first person who puts a number on the table loses leverage. My most recent book that received a 5 STAR review Book review of Expect Success! – Readers’ Favorite: Book Reviews and Award Contest (readersfavorite.com), EXPECT SUCCESS! The Science Of The Over 50 Career Search has a Step (Chapter) on Salary Negotiation for candidates.
If your company would like to chat with me about my Talent Attraction Consultant expertise, you may explore my website, RecruiterGuy – Bill Humbert Talent-Attraction Contract-Consultant, or reach out for time on my calendar Contact – RecruiterGuy. I am looking forward to our conversation!
Bill Humbert is available for Speaking, Talent Attraction Consulting, and Training contracts.
Bill@RecruiterGuy.com 435-714-4425
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