Today, the role of a recruiter is versatile, with the opportunity to learn about different industries, build a vast network, and have their hand in making a difference in someone’s life.
For women, in particular, a role associated with career development, client services and talent acquisition is attainable through recruiting. And women may already be at an advantage to fill the demand. According to statistics, women comprise nearly 60% of the recruiters in the U.S. Specialty recruiters in Tech or Engineer recruiting offer additional unique job characteristics which place them right smack in the middle of the most in-demand industries for the foreseeable future. Despite these pluses, however, recruiting can still be overlooked as many people aren’t fully aware of the advantages this job offers. Pursuing opportunities as women in tech and engineering recruiting can be more rewarding than an individual looking for a career change, or first job, may think.
Some positive associations to a career as a Tech or Engineer Recruiter include:
Job Flexibility:
- With our society being so technology and Internet heavy, many job seekers prefer positions that are remote or offer workplace flexibility, like hybrid work schedules. The flexibility to work remotely is such a high priority that a recent Employ survey found that 40% of respondents said they would take a pay cut to work remotely and 30% said they would like to be fully remote. Women especially have gravitated more towards a role with flexibility, especially considering they continue with primary home care responsibilities that were magnified during the Pandemic. One survey noted that 68% of women would prefer the flexibility of remote work. Since tech professionals are often the ones responsible for developing and maintaining the work platforms that make remote work even possible, Tech and Engineer Recruiters follow suit as the nature of their daily work function affords them the ability to work autonomously outside the office, with the ability to schedule in-person time as needed.
- Also consider that while recruiting is a time-demanding job, the time parameters aren’t always the same as traditional work hours, allowing recruiters to set non-traditional schedules. In many instances, recruiters are actively pursuing candidates who may still be in a working role while looking for a new position. Matlen Silver’s Chief Operating Officer, Michele Beilman, noted that in her recruiting days, it was important for her to be available when candidates were available to have conversations. Lunchtime and evening hours may be the opportune time to speak with a candidate who is available, leaving other parts of the day flexible.
Women in tech and engineering recruiting puts them at the forefront of workforce technology:
- The way we work is constantly revamped by innovation. Today, women comprise about 27% of tech roles, and as we look to ways to increase female representation, recruiting for the tech field as a starting point is a great opportunity to learn about the types of technology roles on the rise, what skills are needed and to make connections with companies who are looking for tech talent. Tech and engineering recruiters have a front-row seat to new tech coming down the pike for almost every industry because of their close interaction with IT pros. These recruiters are knowledgeable in tech talk and skills, which is an asset in today’s tech-driven society.
- The demand for tech talent and the desire to increase female representation in that field can be affected by having women in tech recruiting roles. Women in tech and engineering recruiting roles can help change the conversation by working on inclusive job language, networking in a predominantly male industry and serving as mentors and advocates for other women seeking a role in tech. The same methods for making a deliberate effort to recruiting female IT pros can be applied. As Cameron Edwards, SVP for Client Strategy and Operations at Matlen Silver noted when discussing the return of women to the workforce post-Covid, “As a tech staffing company,we have to attract women to tech by looking at the individual and connecting them to employee resource groups or mentorships, and giving them a pathway to get from “here to there.” This advice is clearly transferrable to increasing women in the tech staffing and recruiting industry as well.
Recruiting as a Road to Business Independence
- Women are pursuing opportunities to own their own businesses at great rates. Just prior to the onset of the pandemic, the rate of women owning their own business was growing at a rate 2x faster than all businesses. Recruiters are stockpiling skills related to all business functions that are easily transferrable to running a company. People and time management skills aside, recruiting requires knowledge of employment laws, compliance, accounting and payroll, negotiation, sales, marketing and more – all of which form a solid knowledge base for building a business. If your goal is to someday own your own business, these skills will be paramount to getting started.
Women lead with empathy and cultivate positive relationships at work:
- Relationships are built between the recruiter and the client and the recruiter and the consultant – and the end result is bringing them together to make a positive impact on work. Women, according to many studies exhibit increased empathy at work, which is a critical trait when working so closely with people who are exploring their professional growth. Recruiters witness the professional lifecycle first hand, and new job opportunities can be life-changing for many individuals. Having a recruiter who can empathize and help nurture a meaningful experience during the process is the key to a successful outcome for all parties.
The Future for Women in Tech and Engineer Recruiting
Currently today, there is a high demand for tech positions across all industries and recruiters are the key to building the necessarily pipeline to funnel talent to organizations. In addition to filling the overall demand, organizations continue to make a conscious effort at increasing female representation in the tech and engineering fields as well. Building a plan that encompasses both objectives is a win-win. Computer and information technology employment is projected to grow much faster than the average for all occupations, by 2x the national jobs rate in the next decade. By leveraging the strengths in recruiting already demonstrated by women, furthering the pursuit of their roles as Tech and Engineering recruiters offers a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on these projections and build a rewarding career.
