RECRUITMENT:
Finding the Right Women for the Job

Recruiting women for nontraditional jobs can be challenging. A substantial number of women, like men, are interested in trade and technical jobs, but women are not yet equally represented in these jobs.

There is no typical profile of a woman interested in nontraditional work. Like workers in any industry, women interested in nontraditional work may vary in marital status and sexual orientation, and some may have children. Women of color interested in nontraditional work face barriers of both gender and race when looking for these jobs.

Women enter nontraditional work for various reasons:

• A love of learning
• Willingness to take on new challenges
• An interest in working with their hands
• To see concrete products of their work
• To be role models for their children
• To earn higher wages and benefits

There are women trained or interested in nontraditional jobs in every community. In 1992, approximately 2.9 million women were employed in nontraditional occupations, and it is predicted that this number will increase substantially by the 21st century.

• Dispel myths about gender, race, and sexual orientation for staff or members, and for the women you are recruiting.
• Ensure that the employee or membership recruiters know the facts about working women and are supportive of women entering nontraditional work.
• Provide specific information about the nontraditional jobs, such as job titles and salary ranges, since many women are unfamiliar with nontraditional work.
• Assess women's skills, abilities, and aptitudes for nontraditional work by incorporating information on transferable skills into the hiring process and utilizing aptitude tests that are as bias-free as possible.
• Expand your recruitment sources to include job training programs and community-based organizations, pre-apprenticeship programs, and secondary and vocational education systems.

• Assess your current recruitment policies and strategies in our Issue Self-Assessment Quiz.
• Request help to implement the recruitment strategies identified in the Issue Self-Assessment Quiz.
• Ask additional questions on recruiting women in Ask A Question.
• Search our Resource Database for People and Documents that can help you recruit women for nontraditional occupations and apprenticeships.
• Share your experiences in recruiting women with other employers and unions by posting news to the Workplace Discussion Forum.

• Orientation and Assignment
• Training
• Retention
• Sexual Harassment Prevention