By Mary Lorenz,
Workforce gender differences have always been a hot conversation
topic: speculation over why women still earn less than men, the debate
over which gender makes better leaders, inherent differences over
workplace personas and even how their networking habits differ.
When it comes to what they're looking for in a potential employer, are men and women really all that different?
Not
really, according to a recent CareerBuilder study on what job seekers
value most about their current and potential employers. According to the
survey, men and women showed little variation in what they prioritize
for factors like compensation, benefits, training and development and
culture.
The only areas that showed any difference were advancement opportunities, work/life balance and appreciation by management:
- Men are 25 percent more likely than women to value advancement in potential employers.
- Women are 20 percent more likely than men to focus on work/life balance and 15 percent more likely to focus on appreciation by their manager.
"The
findings indicate that employers who promote career advancement as part
of their brand message may have a slightly more masculine appeal, while
brands built around the relationships and connections of the
organization may have a slightly more feminine appeal, which can be
differentiators if you're working to better diversify your
organization," says Keith Hadley, director of employment branding at CareerBuilder.
Yet,
while these findings show that differences between what men and women
want exist in some areas, they may not be as significant as people might
expect. Employers might be better off targeting their message by
profession. Consider the following findings:
- Nurses (a female-dominated field) are more likely than all women to prioritize work/life balance.
- Engineers (a male-dominated field) are less likely than all men or women to prioritize advancement.
The findings further underscore the need for employers to define who their desired employee is, understand what that employee wants and create specific messages that speak to those wants.