People take time out of work for many reasons. Sometimes it’s a choice; for others it’s a necessity. Women, who are statistically more likely to take time out of work for caregiving, are disproportionately disadvantaged by career gaps.
At Applied we champion ethical and inclusive hiring. At Women Returners, the team is on a mission to remove the career break penalty.
Together, we want to ensure all candidates entering and returning to the workforce are given an equal chance to succeed. To do this, we’re asking employers to assess employment histories blind.
It means making a pledge to evolve the application process so that candidates aren’t asked to specify the dates attached to their previous roles, but to share the ‘number of years’ they spent in each role instead.
Research shows that when candidates replace CV dates with number of years’ experience, call-back rates improve by 14% compared to candidates with an ‘explained’ or ‘unexplained’ gap on their CV.
So whether you’re an organisation, recruiter or HR professional, you can help us end the stigma around career gaps for good by pledging to assess employment histories blind.
Do you want to know more about how you can help end career Gap Stigma for good?
Sign up for our webinar taking place on Thursday 13th October, 1:30pm.
According to research, almost three in 10 women (29%) thought that taking maternity leave had a negative impact on their career. Meanwhile, less than half the proportion of men (13%) noticed the same impact after paternity leave. And 57% of working mothers feel that taking time out of work for childcare isn’t in fact a “choice”.
When CV dates are replaced with number of years experience, call-back rates for candidates improves by 14% compared to candidates with an ‘explained’ or ‘unexplained’ gap on their CV.
New research, commissioned by Applied, found that career gaps are statistically more likely to disadvantage women, who are more likely to take time out of work to fulfil childcare responsibilities.
Of the 2000 people we surveyed, 38% of women with a career gap took time out for childcare, compared to just 11% of men surveyed. For men, mental or physical health was the most common reason for taking a career break, cited by 23% of male respondents compared to 18% of women.
Its time for change. Time to end the stigma. Read our guide to learn how you can help to end career gap discrimination... for good.
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