Schmooz is a Woman-Led Business, but I Don’t Only Hire Women

Schmooz is a woman-led business, aka, I’m a female CEO. I also went to an all-girls school and I’m a mom to a daughter, so trust me when I say that I am all about celebrating women, supporting women, and providing equal opportunity. However, to me, while celebrating and supporting women certainly deserves a day of its own to recognize, like International Women’s Day, I also think the goal of these days is to empower all people as equal. So today, I wanted to talk about my hiring practices... and why Schmooz is not an all-woman business (even though it could be).

Here’s what it boils down to: I don’t automatically hire women - I hire for fit. Who fits our values? Who will add value?

Here’s what I keep in mind when I’m hiring:

1. Surround yourself with positive people and new perspectives

How do we get multiple perspectives, backgrounds, points of views in a company? It comes from diversity. I want to give my clients the best I can, which means working with a team that has different strengths and weaknesses, which have to do with any number of items, including their gender, religion, country of origin, personality, educational background, and experiences.

The right person for a role is often someone who not only believes in your vision and is a positive person to be around all the time, but also brings a new perspective, skillset and energy to the company and the role. In my experience, a diverse team is so much better than a homogenous one.

2. Offer payment for the job at hand (or what I can truly offer)

Something I’d recommend is making a job description more inclusive - this means clarity. You should have a clear (or as clear as possible) description of what the role will be, and what success will look like for a person in this role. Using the description as a checklist for reviews will help both you as a leader and your employee.

In that vein, you should also list the price range for the job as soon as you can so that anyone who is getting the job can make a choice. Of course, someone who is more experienced may be the right fit, and someone who is less experienced may get a lower offer, but having clarity about the success metrics before you meet interviewees will help you have less bias, and make better hiring decisions.

3. For Goodness Sake, Remember, Men Take Parental Leave as Well

Women have babies, yes. If the women employees in your company choose to have a baby, they are entitled to maternity leave. The reality is that we still live in a world where many people still think women are the primary caregivers, however, men are entitled to paternity leave too.

So here’s what I want to say about that: recognize that anybody can have a child or family situation at any time despite their gender. Don’t let the possibility of a parental leave dictate your hiring decision or your thought on how well someone can do their job.

Frankly, I think having a child has made me more focused and helps me to do my job better. I am more honest with myself about what is and isn’t working because someone else’s life is at stake now, way more than ever before.

4. Have Flexibility

Build your company around flexibility that allows your employees to cater to their professional as well as personal life.

All humans get sick, take vacations, and have general other needs that get in the way of running your business perfectly efficiently all day. As an employer, a part of your job is to make sure your employees can be successful, and part of that is making sure that you are treating them the way you want to be treated.

Frankly, the more satisfied your employees are in their personal needs, the more productive they can be when they show up at work.

I guess I went on a tangent here. My point is:

Build your company around a certain degree of inclusivity.

The golden rule that I reiterate to every day:

Treat people the way you want to be treated.

And Since today is International Women’s Day, here’s what I want to say as well:

Make Everyday International Women’s Day.

Make Everyday International People’s Day.

Be a good person.

Live your best life.

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