What was once a black box is becoming increasingly transparent. Where job interviews used to be a somewhat mysterious swamp or a ‘muddy pool of misinformation‘, there is growing interest in what happens in these interactions with candidates. With the help of AI and many conversation transcripts, a lot of interview intelligence is gathered around this process. For example, in the Netherlands, In2Dialog and Cammio are working on this, while in the U.S., BrightHire and Pillar are making significant strides. What does this yield? Among other things, these six insights into the differences between men and women:
#1. Women receive more questions and less time
As a female candidate, you receive an average of 20% more questions during an interview. At the same time, you are given 25% less time to answer these questions. This is especially true of male interviewers, according to Pillar CEO Mark Simpson, after analyzing over 1,000,000 job interviews. ‘This is a signal that male interviewers generally think that women need more time to prove their worth.’
#2. Women need to prove themselves more
Not only do women receive more questions, but they are also asked more frequently about their strengths (in 45% of the interviews compared to 33% for men), weaknesses (40% versus 31%), and failures (24% versus 18%). Additionally, women are more often asked why the organization should hire them (47% compared to 37%) and why they want the job (46% compared to 35%).
Women are more frequently asked why the organization should hire them and why they want the job.
‘Although these questions are not inherently negative, they focus on proving one’s value. The fact that men encounter these questions less often suggests that some interviewers view men as more capable,’ says Simpson. ‘Structured interviewing, where each candidate receives a similar set of questions focused on the skills required for the position, reduces the frequency of questions demonstrating one’s value by 42%.
#3. Women find it harder to discuss salary
Pillar’s analysis also examines how specific candidates react to different topics brought up during an interview. For example, it shows whether a candidate reacts positively or negatively. It turns out that women, in particular, experience discomfort when the topic of ‘compensation’ comes up.
Women experience increased discomfort when the topic of ‘compensation’ arises.
It’s hardly surprising—research has shown this before—but women exhibit measurable discomfort here, something pointed to as a significant explanation for the persistent pay gap. To address this, Simpson advises interviewers to ‘explain your company’s compensation structure and how it aligns with industry standards and internal policies. Encourage the candidate to ask questions about the compensation package and thoroughly address any concerns. Generally, this topic requires a thoughtful and respectful approach.’
#4. Men talk more to each other (about sports)
Perhaps not a huge surprise, but Pillar’s research shows that female candidates receive significantly less small talk and chit-chat during their interviews. Male interviewers and candidates, on the other hand, are more likely to find common ground through discussions about sports. ‘But this can lead to biases about how much you like someone (and how much you like their answers),’ warns Simpson.
‘Talking about sports can lead to biases.’
Men spend 32% more time on small talk when interviewing other men. In conversations with female candidates, however, such topics rarely come up. ‘While a bit of chit-chat is important for building a good rapport, inconsistent interview behaviour arises because interviewers do not behave the same way during interviews with men and women. A simple solution for this is to limit personal small talk,’ says the Pillar CEO.
#5. Candidates prefer a female interviewer
After interviews, female candidates report having had a better experience when interviewed by a woman. Sentiment scores, which measure the candidate’s experience, are typically 18% higher with female interviewers. Female interviewers also tend to ask more about ‘soft skills’, such as teamwork, communication, and conflict resolution. These questions appear 24% more frequently in conversations among women than with male interviewers.
Soft skills appear 24% more frequently in conversations among women than in conversations with male interviewers.
‘Although all candidates should have women interview women and men interview men, we recommend using a diverse panel,’ advises Simpson. ‘A diverse interview panel is much less likely to have biases than a single person or a team of “similar” people.’
#6. Women have longer conversations
This might also seem slightly noticeable, but it is certainly not necessarily bad, says Simpson. When women interview other women, the conversations tend to last 10 to 15% longer than when men conduct the interview. Simpson: ‘As long as the candidate has enough time to shine, this is not a problem.’
On average, candidates speak only 62% of the time, much less than the ideal 75%.’
Earlier, he showed that the ideal job interview (not a screening interview) lasts between 45 and 60 minutes. He says it is good if the candidate speaks 75% of the time. ‘Generally, interviewers talk too much. In all interviews on Pillar, we see that candidates speak only 62% of the time.’ According to him, this provides insufficient time for a thorough assessment of the candidate’s abilities, skills, and overall fit for the role. Although women do tend to have slightly more time for this than men…
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