The Elephant (and Donkey) in the room: sexism in hiring

As the Republican and Democratic National Conventions come to a close, it's a good time to take what we've seen and heard and translate it into business wisdom.

If you listened to the speeches of the two candidates for vice president, you might have noticed a distinct difference in tone. Joseph Biden spent a whole lot less time introducing his family and talking about his personal experience as a father and husband.

Why then did Govenor Palin feel the need to spend so much time talking about hers? Because the reality is, people still question whether a woman with a family can manage a full-time career.

Unfair! Sexist! Wrong!

Yes. Yes. Yes. But, if we simply decry the injustice without looking at the root, we learn nothing that can benefit women.

Employers are, for the most part, pragmatic people. They want workers who will devote all of their energy to making the organization more successful. If you have a split focus, you simply are less likely to be the best value in terms of hire. It is still believed by society that no matter how much life has changed, women will end up having to devote more of their brain power and time to home making act ivies. There is, unfortunately, both anecdotal and scientific research to back this up and it only gets worse as they have children. (http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111458).

Women also like to talk about their private life. To back this up I spent an hour on a hike and bike trail walking near pairs of people as they jogged. I listen to 10 conversations from two men and then from two women. My observation was that men were more often talking about work, sports, gadgets, or news. Women were more likely to be talking about relationships (at work or at home) or family.

Having interviewed hundreds of men and women, I can assure you the same is true of interview situations. When interviewing men, the conversation tends to stay on work with the occasional drift into leisure. Occasionally men will mention that they have children. Significant others are rarely brought into the conversation unless it is in relation to their work or a recent move that brought them to the city.

Women on the other hand chat about their families, their engagements, recent weddings, ages and stages of children, and boyfriends. It is very rare to have an interview with a female candidate who does not talk about their personal lives.

Sexism in the work place tends to backfire on employers because they miss out on fantastic employees. But as a female candidate, that really isn't much consolation for not getting a job for which you are qualified.

So what can you do. Think about how you communicate and how you answer questions:

• You don't need to tell an interviewer why you moved.
• You don't need to tell an interviewer about your personal life.
• You don't need to mention weddings, engagements or family plans.
• You don't need to talk about your children.

Keep all conversations focused around your skills, your experiences, and what you can bring to the table. Once you have the job, don't over share with co-workers. Keep your personal life personal.

So we return to Sarah Palin. Palin is a capable professional woman. She is also a mother, wife, and public servant. But Palin has to take the lead in directing the conversation in this most important of all job interviews. As the campaign progresses, my hope is that she will take the lead in encouraging people to stop examining the life she lives in her house and helps them focus on the things she would do in the White House.