How Major U.S. Companies Are Hiring Women in Technology

It’s no surprise that recruiters in tech have no easy job. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that there were just shy of 1.5 million software developer jobs in 2019, and the field is expected to grow by 22% between 2019 and 2029. Similarly, new diversity recruiting research reports that technology was the largest area of growth, with 69% of companies saying they plan to scale tech teams in 2021. Meanwhile, as demand for software engineers is high, there are only currently about 4.4 million software engineers in the US. 

As if that isn’t enough, along with the struggle to hire qualified talent in tech, our renewed interest in diversity and inclusion has pushed talent acquisition and attraction teams to focus on diversity recruiting. While companies are looking to attract, engage, and hire both women and tech talent, they are finding that there’s an opportunity to increase equality and equity in traditionally male-dominated departments. 

Interest is great. But, it’s easier said than done. Of those 4.4 million software engineers in the US, women hold less than 26% of computing-related jobs. That means all the companies looking to expand are competing for the same 1.1 million women. Because women only make up 1 in 4 software engineers, companies are spending 4x more to hire women software developers than male counterparts, and even more for Women of Color or for women outside of major tech hubs. 

To attract top women in tech, companies like Cisco, Apple, Spectrum, and LinkedIn and more are using the Fairygodboss holistic, recruitment marketing approach to attract, engage, and hire women in tech. Learn more about the approach below: 

1. Attract Talent by Sharing Employee Stories

Research by CareerArc found that employee stories are the most trusted source of information among job seekers. For women, stories help women visualize other women thriving in the workplace. In other words, finding, developing, and sharing employee stories from women and underrepresented employees is an essential part of Employer Branding and Recruitment Marketing that helps women job seekers feel like they will belong. This works so well that some of our customers like Qualtrics reported that sharing employee stories helped them increase applications from women and underrepresented talent from 34% to 50%. 

2. Utilize Employee Reviews as Recruitment Marketing 

Similar to employee stories, the same CareerArc report found employee reviews are one of the most credible sources of information for job seekers - the second most trusted source to be exact. That’s because employee reviews help job seekers understand what a company is like as a place to work. Even more granularly, review sites for women allow women to understand whether they will be valued, heard, paid fairly, and on a path to promotion. 

3. Connect with Women in Tech at Targeted Hiring Events 

While virtual hiring events can be a great source of talent, it doesn’t often work well by itself. That’s why virtual career fair sites that work with customers to source talent by job function, segment of the population, and more can really help. What’s more, when these events are combined with employer branding promotions for companies as well as instructions for job seekers on which companies will be attending and how to prepare to meet with said companies, both companies and job seekers can maximize the value of their time at the events. Even more, when combined with post-event follow ups and promotions to keep nurturing the talent after the event, companies are able to keep in touch with qualified candidates for easy hiring post-event. 

As an example, Fairygodboss hosts small, private virtual career fairs. Prior to the event, we meet with companies to learn about their job opportunities and hiring needs and then source talent - on average 60% of who identify as Women of Color - that meets the needs of the company. On the job seeker side, because attendance is invite-only, women are qualified and informed as part of the invitation process on what to know prior to the event. In some cases, we have even worked with customers to provide follow up and nurturing campaigns for post-event nurturing and hiring. 

4. Engage Candidates on Diversity Professional Networks & Career Communities 

If there’s one thing we’ve learned as the largest career community and job board for women, it’s that men apply to job descriptions and women apply to stories. Moreover, while Employee Resource Groups are amazing for internal advocacy and community, sometimes external and anonymous support is helpful for those questions that job seekers may not be comfortable going to within the organizations. That’s where targeted career communities come in. 

In addition to communal support, these professional career communities and targeted job boards can be a great space for talent teams to connect with specific segments of the population, promote employment opportunities, and share content about what makes the company a great place to work. Sharing the right message in a safe space for women is a great way to showcase your brand as an employer of choice.  

5. Post Jobs to Diversity Job Boards 

Finally, alongside community, content, and events, the next logical step is to highlight and feature jobs on targeted diversity job boards. According to Jobvite’s Recruiter Nation research,  job boards are a leading source of hires behind internal hires and employee referrals. Needless to say, they are a great source of talent. 

However, most job boards don’t offer meaningful ways to tell job seekers what makes you a great place to work. That’s where job boards for women are important. 

Job boards for women in technology understand the need to connect jobs with the stories, reviews, and convincers women in tech need to see to want to apply. They also understand that “it takes a village” and partner with other like-minded and intersectional organizations to help companies grow candidate pipelines full of Women of Color, LGBTQ2IA, Veterans, women with different abilities, and more.

Overall, our research has taught us - and customers - that a one size fits all approach to hiring doesn’t work. With the comprehensive approach and strategies above, you’ll stand a chance to compete for top women talent in tech. 

Discover how Fairygodboss can help you attract, engage, and hire women in technology today.