The recruitment industry has a reputation as a male-dominated field. Whilst more and more women are achieving senior roles, there is still a long way to go. For International Women’s Day, we spoke to three of our female senior managers to find out what it is like being a woman in recruitment, how male dominated the field really is and what we can do to support women to achieve the most senior roles. Our second interview is with Christine Sands who heads up our global pharma team and has 13 years of recruitment experience.

 

What does a typical workday look like for you?

I have a 5:50am start, I drop my son at childcare and then start work at 8am – I am fortunate to work for a flexible employer and can work two days from home, so those days I get to spend a bit more time with my son in the morning. This is followed by team briefings and then standard recruitment activity. When at home, I usually try and fit in a workout at lunch and in the office, we do team yoga. Afternoons are another catch-up with the team and then candidate qualifications. I usually try to be home by 6:30pm on the office days, so I can eat dinner and spend time with family – it’s all about work-life balance!

“I usually try to be home by 6:30pm on the office days, so I can eat dinner and spend time with family – it’s all about work-life balance!”

In your experience, have you found recruitment to be a male-dominated field? If so, how do we attract more women to the recruitment industry?

Throughout my career I have found recruitment to be male dominated, but I think it has definitely progressed over time. More recently I have seen increasing amounts of recruitment companies with a diverse workforce, which is fantastic. Although we are seeing a rise in women more generally and in leadership positions, it is certainly not as progressive in Director or C-Suite level roles. I feel some women wait for the progression to be offered to them and therefore, they are often overlooked. Unfortunately, the recruitment industry can be aggressive, and you have to be willing to ask for what you want – whether that be a pay rise, promotion or flexibility!

 

How has the industry changed in the last few years?

Over the last few years there has been a large focus on encouraging woman into recruitment. There are great associations, such as Women in Recruitment by APSCo, that focus on gender equality. The increase in flexible working options since the pandemic will hopefully encourage more women with family responsibilities into the industry. At Invenia, we have some consultants who are based abroad full time to be nearer to their families and it works really well.

 

What barriers have you faced, as a woman, in becoming successful in your field? How did you overcome them?

Recruitment can sometimes be a very ego-centric industry, and in some organisations if you don’t “shout the loudest” then you are often not heard at all. Rather than contributing to the general noise, I will always reserve my points and opinions to when it matters and is relevant and can have the most impact. As a result, my colleagues and the management team listen to me because of the valuable points I make and not because I am the loudest in the room.

 

What have you found most useful in your career in terms of helping you to advance?

Having a supportive management team is essential. You need a manager who wants you to be as successful as you do, understands what you are looking to do and helps you to achieve your goals. As a manager, this is what I aim to do for my team to help them to grow in their careers.

“You need a manager who wants you to be as successful as you do, understands what you are looking to do and helps you to achieve your goals.”

What do you think companies in the recruitment industry can do to support women more?

Having a child at the start of my recruitment career was certainly challenging and back then it was almost unheard of for recruitment companies to offer flexible working hours – this has certainly progressed hugely and now makes it a lot easier for woman to enter the industry and still have a family. I am hopeful that by offering this flexibility, we will see a huge change in the way companies attract female talent and we should see a more engaged workforce in general.

 

What’s the most important piece of advice you’d give to a woman thinking of starting a career in recruitment?

Be resilient and know that everything is achievable.