As partners of The Recruitment Network (TRN) we recently attended the Women in Recruitment roundtable where industry representatives came together to discuss the biggest hurdles facing females in recruitment today. The main themes focused on why increasingly talented women are leaving roles early in their careers before they reach senior positions and the reasons behind this.
Challenges voiced around the table ranged from the gender pay gap in recruitment, potential discrimination such as age, and the lack of role models in the industry. In particular, we looked at whether the culture of recruitment means that women either leave the industry altogether or don’t view it as a career of choice.
With this in mind, here are some top strategies to get the ball rolling to encourage and empower more females in recruitment today:
It starts with surveys
Getting back to the root cause is key. For organisations to master retention and engagement, surveys of all female employees are a great way to identify the top factors that make them want to stay with the company and let’s employers know what to delve deeper into. Focusing on bite sized chunks and information gathering is the first step towards progress.
Showcase your success
A key topic of the event was whether a lack of work life balance and the ‘motherhood penalty’ means women are less willing or able to commit to a full time work pattern that recruitment roles often require. However, in order to avoid a self-fulfilling prophecy, it’s important that businesses succeeding in Diversity and Inclusion initiatives publish their case studies for all to see and share their positive stories to evoke others to do the same.
Mentees and Mentors
Mentoring programmes with other female leaders are crucial for women particularly at the start of their career and having someone to consult with and look to as an example of how they ‘did it’ is great motivation. With research showing that 94% of women consider mentoring programmes to be valuable in helping them develop in their careers, but almost half of employers (45%) failing to offer such schemes, there’s a clear disparity that could be detrimental to female numbers in recruitment. It’s vital that leaders recognise the impact they have in creating the right culture and attitude to inspire other women and help build their future career.
If you would like to get involved as a mentor (or mentee) for women in recruitment register on the webpage to get the ball rolling.
Author: Zahra Abedi
