How we improved the diversity of our hires by 100%Posted 3 months ago by Nick Caley

2023 saw several firsts at Client Server.

We opened our US desk and recruited in the Tech Sales space. It was also the first time we exhibited at the Women of Silicon Roundabout event and were the only recruitment company to do so.

That was something I took a double take on.

The only recruitment business exhibiting?

This event – a celebration of gender diversity in technology, and the flagship event in the Women in Technology World Series – has only one exhibitor who focuses on helping businesses hire?

Seemed strange to me.

Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion are topics close to our hearts, and for good reason, diverse and inclusive teams are just more successful.

According to McKinsey, businesses in the top quartile for gender diversity are 15% more likely to outperform their peers, and that number sits at 35% for businesses in the top quartile for ethnic diversity.

A Cloverpop study also found that teams that are diverse in age, gender, ethnicity, and geography, make better business decisions 87% of the time.

Some compelling numbers.

And arguably tech businesses – with their focus on research & development and creative problem solving – need diversity of thought more than ever.

In 2018, 9% of our placements were female, that number sat at 18% in 2023.

Now 18% is still a long way off parity, but hopefully shows how much we’re progressing.

In 2018, the bulk of that 9% were candidates in the Product, Project, BA, and Quality/Testing space.

However, that gap is also closing.

In last year’s 18%, there was a nearly 50/50 split, with 48% being hands-on software engineers, and 52% covering other technical skill sets.

We also feel that’s encouraging.

However, the question remains; how do you give yourself the best chance of hiring a diverse team?

There’s no magic formula, and we certainly don’t have one, but we do have some tried and tested methods that can offer tangible improvements.

There’s no one size fits all. But looking at your benefits package, what your outward-facing presence says about your business, and how you go about advertising your roles, are all good places to start.

Give us a call - we’ll tell you all about it!