What is it like to be a director-level woman in recruitment?

Isabel Brehcist is Give A Grad A Go’s Client Director, working with some our of our largest clients. We asked for her wisdom on life as a female recruiter...

What is it like to work as a woman in the recruitment industry?

I think it really depends which company you work for (like all jobs). However, I have been immensely supported in my career - at Give A Grad A Go, the leadership team is a 50/50 gender split...

Have you faced any challenges as a woman in recruitment?

I wish I could say no, but sometimes I feel that I would have been taken more ‘seriously’ if I was a man. In my early 20s, I’d get really upset if someone cut me off but I now have the confidence to push back because I know my stuff and I know my voice matters...

International Women's Day: Recruitment Career

International Women’s Day is here!

So, we want to shine a light on what it’s like to be a woman in recruitment.

Gender diversity in this industry, particularly at the senior level, is still not where it needs to be.

At Give a Grad a Go, we are proud to be paving the way for gender equality in the recruitment industry.

Our Australia team is fully female-led and is guided by our Managing Director, Camilla Clarke.

By celebrating women’s achievements, being transparent about pay, and offering equal opportunities for progression, our female recruiters can thrive.

In this blog, we’ll talk about the importance of International Women’s Day, with a focus on gender inequality in the workplace, and explore what it is like to work as a female recruiter at Give a Grad a Go.

In this blog we will discuss:

What is international women’s day?
What is it like to be a woman new to recruitment?
What is it like to be a woman in recruitment at senior-level?
What is it like to be a Country Manager level woman in recruitment?
How has Give a Grad a Go fostered a gender diverse workplace?
How has Give a Grad a Go built a gender-diverse recruitment ethos?

What is International Women’s Day?

International Women’s Day is a day of celebration that commemorates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women across the globe.

International Women’s Day is also a call for action, used to bring attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and ending violence against women.

Within the workforce, International Women’s Day highlights the ongoing struggle for gender parity, equal pay, and maternity rights.

In Australia, 10.5% of ASX 200 companies, and 11% of ASX 300 companies, are chaired by women.

According to the WGEA, the average female worker in Australia earns 13.3% less than their male peers.

The findings of the AHRC note that 41% of women have been sexually harassed at work in the last 5 years, with 71% of these women experiencing negative mental health impacts as a result.

Reflecting on these statistics, the need for International Women’s Day is clear – gender equality, particularly in the workplace, is still a work in progress.

So, what is gender diversity like at Give a Grad a Go?

Do our recruiters feel empowered?

We speak to our female staff members, at various levels of seniority, about life as a female recruiter at Give a Grad a Go…

What is it like to be a woman new to recruitment?

Our newest starters, Evelyn, Cynthia, and Hettie have been working as Graduate Recruitment Consultants at Give a Grad a Go for the last few months.

We asked for their fresh perspective on life as a female recruiter:

“It’s hard for me to say exactly what it’s like to work as a woman in recruitment as whilst my experience has been pretty positive, I am very aware that this is not the case globally.

As I have been lucky enough to work as part of a (currently) all-female team, there has been an emphasis on female empowerment that has helped me to develop a sense of confidence in myself professionally. I still feel very conscious that the industry as a whole is male-dominated and our team feels exceptional for this reason.

I am super proud to be a part of such a powerful team of women and I hope that through the amazing work that we are doing, we will contribute to changing the misconception that girls can’t recruit as well as guys!”

– Hettie

“I’ve been really lucky to work with some amazing clients and to work in the graduate employer’s space, which feels like a big community.

I have, however, been in a situation with a potential client that did not look me in the eye the entire one-hour meeting. I think there’s also a stigma that women aren’t as “salesy” as men, which doesn’t sit well with me.

Sometimes if you tell people “yeah we’re an all-women recruitment team” they say, “aww how cute” and “the spice girls?”, which I know doesn’t get said for male teams in recruitment.”

– Evelyn

“Give a Grad a Go has played an integral part in supporting me as a young female recruiter, particularly in an industry that is competitive, at times cutthroat, and dominated by men.

I’m definitely blessed to be working alongside a team of incredible women who inspire me in so many different ways to be the best version of myself.”

– Cynthia

What is it like to be a woman in recruitment at senior-level?

Christina Clarke is Give a Grad a Go’s Senior Talent and Partnerships Consultant, playing a vital part in building a diverse database of graduate talent.

We asked for her wisdom on being a woman in a male-dominated industry:

“Recruitment is becoming increasingly diverse. I honestly haven’t felt it being overwhelmingly male-dominated, but I think that is due to Give a Grad a Go working with companies across so many different industries, and of course working with an amazing currently all-female team in Australia.

Having support from people around you builds up your confidence, which is why I think ensuring you’ve got a great team is very important. There are many organizations and communities dedicated to supporting women in recruitment, so don’t be afraid to explore these resources and opportunities.

There is also a lot of opportunity to grow and develop in recruitment, so if you are passionate about getting into the industry, don’t let the stereotypes stop you from pursuing it.”

– Christina

What is it like to be a Managing Director woman in recruitment?

Camilla Clarke is Give a Grad a Go Australia’s Managing Director, working as the main port of call for our clients and handling the recruitment process from start to finish.

We asked her what crucial advice would she give to aspiring female recruiters:

“Build a network of mentors around you – in and out of your company.

When I first joined Give a Grad a Go, I was really inspired by the strong women in my team and looked to them for advice.

Now, LinkedIn makes it so much easier to follow thought leaders in your industry and make connections with women in the sector who resonate with you.

It will help to keep on top of what’s happening in the wider industry. And don’t be afraid to ask people about their career paths!”

– Camilla

How has Give a Grad a Go fostered a gender diverse workplace?

Reflecting on the feedback from our most junior, and senior, female employees, Give a Grad a Go has succeeded in fostering an empowering work environment.

We speak to our People and Operations Director, Claire Donaldson, about how she has worked to create a gender diverse workplace:

“We’re committed to being an equal opportunity employer and recognize the importance of equality, diversion, and inclusion across our workforce and ensure that all employees, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith, disability, or other feel valued and get the same support, recognition, and opportunities.

In terms of gender equality, traditionally, recruitment has been seen as a male-dominated industry.

However, we’re proud to say across Give a Grad a Go UK & Australia, we have 40 employees, with a gender split of 62.5% female & 37.5% male (2022 stats were 57% female & 43% male).

At the Director level, this split remains 50% female & 50% male, which we’re very proud of.

In Australia, we have a 100% female team, with Camilla Clarke (Managing Director-Australia) leading the way and acting as an incredible role model for the wider team.

Year after year, we continue to seek advice and feedback from our employees and learn from other companies and candidates about how we can improve this.

We’re constantly learning and gathering new responses every day from our candidates, helping to build a bigger and clearer picture about diversity in the workplace and the hiring process.

We’re always looking to see how we can improve both our own internal offerings, as well as providing this advice to the clients we are representing.

For example, our Q4 2022 stats showed that equal salary and same opportunities for all employees were the changes people most wanted to see employers make.

Some additional measures to achieve diversity and inclusion within our team include:

Providing transparent progression plans and salary scales across sales, marketing, and operations. This means that everyone who has the same job title (e.g. Senior Consultant) is on the same salary, has the same professional development path, and has access to the same training.
Having regular touch-points with HR advisors (Clearbridge HR) to update and review our own internal policies and benefits for staff. For instance, introducing enhanced maternity and paternity pay, as well as hybrid working.
Ensuring a diverse interview panel – making sure candidates meet with a range of senior members in the team.
Creating standardized questions in our internal hiring process to ensure each candidate is being asked the same questions.
Working with our marketing team to revise our job descriptions to ensure they are inclusive and attract a wide array of candidates.
Making sure all policies are made available during onboarding. As well as checking employees know who to speak to should they need further advice or support, including D&I policies and grievance policies.
Scheduling monthly reviews with each employee in the business to ensure any feedback, additional support, or training needs are openly discussed.

Our internal policies are there to make sure our staff feel supported.

Whether this is under our equality and diversity policies, or policies around how to raise issues internally, we want to ensure everyone knows how they can speak out if any issue arises.”

How has Give a Grad a Go built a gender-diverse recruitment ethos?

During our journey to achieve gender diversity internally, it has also been crucial that our commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion continues to be reflected externally in our placements with our clients.

Our 2022 stats show a 43% female & 55% male split across all industries.

This has been particularly pertinent in our encouragement of female talent within traditionally male industries.

For instance, whilst the industry expectation for gender split within law, tax, and accountancy sits at around 45% female, our placed candidates were 50% female.

We also work hard to partner with clients that promote the same gender-forward values that we do – we are proud to have worked with the likes of The Female Lead on their recruitment drive.

Give a Grad a Go is also committed to being an equal opportunity employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, faith, disability, or other.

We are continually finding ways to improve the way we work, so we have created a voluntary, anonymous Diversity & Inclusion survey for all new registrations.

The D&I survey enables us to can monitor our D&I across the database and gather data on key issues.

We have also implemented initiatives such as anonymised shortlisting – we provide clients with anonymised candidate CVs so that they are unaware of the candidate’s gender before the shortlisting process.

This CV initiative has been a positive step forward in terms of reducing unconscious bias at CV selection stages, and we are constantly striving to develop additional initiatives to tackle challenges surrounding diversity in our recruitment services.

We are proud of the work we’ve contributed towards gender equality, but of course, there is certainly a lot more to be done to ensure diversity across the board (not just gender!) is achieved.

Your career as a female recruiter can thrive when working in an uplifting, empowering workplace!

Celebrating International Women’s Day with Give a Grad a Go Australia 💪

What is International Women’s Day?

What is it like to be a woman new to recruitment?

What is it like to work as a woman in the recruitment industry?

Have you faced any challenges as a woman in recruitment?

How has Give a Grad a Go helped you to succeed as a female recruiter?

What is it like to be a woman in recruitment at senior-level?

What would you say to women that are interested in recruitment but are worried about stereotypes of it being a male-dominated industry?

What is it like to be a Managing Director woman in recruitment?

What one piece of advice would you give to women looking to kickstart a career in recruitment?

How has Give a Grad a Go fostered a gender diverse workplace?

How has Give a Grad a Go built a gender-diverse recruitment ethos?

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