Module 2

Module Two: Recruiting Women to the Energy Utility Workforce

Institutions in traditionally male-dominated sectors like energy may face multiple challenges increasing the number of women staff due to ingrained biases in their hiring processes, negative public perceptions of the sector as an appropriate place for women to work, and lack of women’s awareness of energy careers and job opportunities. Utilities will need a plan to overcome these obstacles. Module 2 provides resources on how to improve a utility’s ability to recruit and hire women candidates. By clicking on the relevant section and/or sub-topic in the table below, you’ll find corresponding resources and tools.

Attracting and Recruiting Women

Recruitment and hiring processes can disadvantage minority candidates if they are not scrutinized for bias. The resources in this section can help companies identify and avoid different types of biases in their procedures, and include a range of free tools for developing job descriptions, interview questions, selection committees, and evaluation rubrics. Although national laws governing the legality of various interview questions vary, research shows that structured interview processes and behavioral-based interviews reduce gender bias 1.   The resources below provide guidance and examples of questions to ask and avoid. Proprietary AI-based screening and selection systems are not included due to cost considerations.

Create Inclusive Recruitment and Hiring Processes

Resource Description Source
Human Resources: Recruitment and Selection This free online course covers the skills and knowledge needed to create equitable recruiting and selection processes. Open University
Recruiters’ Guide to Interrupting Bias This resource provides techniques to identify and interrupt bias in 5 core recruiting processes. A framework for writing inclusive job descriptions can be found here. Lexio
Inclusive Recruitment Developed for a specific organization, this toolkit provides a step-by-step approach to inclusive recruitment, from writing job descriptions to forming a selection committee to onboarding. The appendices contain several assessment tools and checklists that can be helpful to other organizations. CGIAR
Toolkit to Mitigate Bias in Recruitment & Hiring This resource provides guidance to organizations to help them mitigate gender, racial, and other hidden biases in their recruiting and hiring processes. The Avarna Group

Conduct Unbiased Interviews

Resource Description Source
Employer Interviewing Guide: Best Practices This site contains multiple links to Monster’s tips on conducting interviews, covering such topics as interviewing techniques, interview questions, and blocking out biases. Monster Worldwide
Hiring and Recruiting: Interview Toolkit This toolkit identifies possible sources of bias in the interview process and provides sample questions and notes templates designed to mitigate them. Bias Interrupters
How to conduct an interview: An interview checklist This resource provides tips and links to help non-HR professionals conduct equitable interviews. Workable
Interview Question Toolkit This toolkit contains a variety of interview questions on multiple subject areas, as well as sample evaluation rubrics for behavioral and other types of interviews documented to reduce gender bias. The Management Center

Bridging the School to Work Transition

Making it easier for women to gain knowledge and experience in the power sector can help overcome the shortage of women in the STEM pipeline by removing barriers to entry and selection bias. Traineeships also enable utilities to identify and gauge the potential of possible female recruits in a sustainable manner. This section provides resources on how to design equitable internship programs and provide scholarships to women. While most of these resources are not specifically targeted at increasing the number of women in such programs, many include sections on recruiting from disadvantaged or under-represented populations.

Target Women for Internships and Apprenticeships

Resource Description Source
Adding a Gender Lens to Non-Traditional Jobs Training Programs Focused on the clean energy sector, this toolkit is oriented primarily to educational institutions but tools 1.3 and 1.4 on recruiting women to apprenticeships can be useful for employers seeking to increase the number of women in technical/vocational positions. Jobs for the Future
Internship Toolkit for Employers This resource covers creating an internship program from conception to completion, and contains checklists and sample evaluation forms, amongst other resources. University of Minnesota
Internship Toolkit This toolkit guides employers with templates and other guidelines to design a successful internship program. National Association of State Procurement Officials (NASPO)
Internship Toolkit Planning and Executing an Effective Internship Program This toolkit guides employers through the process of selecting interns and contains templates and checklists related to intern orientation, goal setting, and evaluation. Henry W. Bloch School of Management

Provide Scholarships to Promising Recruits and Employees

Resource Description Source
Developing an Educational Scholarship Program Originally developed for the medical imaging sector, these guidelines are applicable to other sectors and organizations contemplating creating a scholarship program. ASRT Education and Research Foundation
Scholarship Toolkit This toolkit provides a scholarship program task list and advice on selection criteria and application forms. Center for Energy Workforce Development