How to Leverage Back-to-School for Hiring Working Moms

While I don’t usually see the kids celebrating back to school, I’m always celebrating because it means I get my #MomForce back! I’ve previously discussed how at ApplicantPro we have about an 80% female staff, and most of them are moms.

When I meet other employers, and hiring managers who are struggling to find enough qualified applicants for their open positions, I’m quick to tell them about the untapped talent pool of moms and how they can tap into that pool to find amazing applicants. In my experience hiring moms has set me up with a unique group of employees who have proven to be highly qualified, extremely loyal, very hardworking and dedicated employees.

While these employees have proven to be amazing performers, I did have to slightly adjust my hiring process to find them. Today I want to lay out a couple of things that will open up the flood gates of applicants for your company to begin building their own #MomForce.

Video: How to Leverage Back-to-School for Hiring Working Moms

4 Steps to Hiring Working Moms

1. Gather Information by Interviewing a Mom

Specifically one that works, preferably one that works for you.

If you don’t have a lot of moms that work for you currently, just find any working mom whether it’s a crossing guard at your local elementary school or an Uber drive on your way home from work. Take some time to ask them why do they work and why do they like to work for you? Go the extra mile and ask them what you can do to make their life better.

After you’ve interviewed a couple of moms, take their advice and implement some changes into your company.

2. Create an Irresistible Offer Catered to Moms

After the first step of gathering information from moms, you’ll probably find that working moms have some pretty different priorities than your average employee.

Usually moms are looking for specific perks, and they usually aren’t unreasonable. I’ve found that a huge factor of why applicants are attracted to my company is the flexibility that we offer here at ApplicantPro. The flexibile work environment that we offer isn’t just working any time they want but also working where they can. I provide my employees with laptops so they’re able to work from home, or from the side of a soccer game while still being there for their kids.

Sometimes job flexibility also means simply allowing them to choose which days they work. While looking at adjusting the hours they work, I also adjust their PTO to allow them to take partial day PTO rather than requiring full eight hours.

3. Adjust your Job Ad to Amplify Your Job Offer

After you’ve mapped out your irresistible job offer from Step 2, write a job ad that reflects your companies unique perks.

Clearly explain or accentuate the flexibility the job position offers. You’ll also want to make sure you’re not overstating your job requirements, as most women candidates will not apply for a job that they’re not completely qualified for.

For example, if it’s an entry-level job and you’re willing to do onsite training with them, don’t put in the job ad that they need three years of experience. Along those same lines, you might look at lightening up some of the wording to make it easier to understand. Don’t use overly technical terms, and very simply state what the job is and what they will be doing in their day-to-day.

4. Market Job Opening Close to Your Office

Moms like working close to home so they have the added security of being able to be there in case they’re needed and so they’re not wasting time away from their families on a long commute to and from work.

When you’re advertising these jobs you might take a slightly different approach than what you’re used to. You’ll want to share the job ad in local community Facebook groups. Have your employees spread the word on their social media accounts and around their neighborhood. Chances are, the moms that are already working for you know other moms in the area that might also be looking for a good job.

These 4 steps are going to help you target a huge previously untapped talent pool. Try these suggestions out and let me know how it impacts your hiring. For more tips on how to write an excellent job ad to target mom’s take a look at the free tool below.