A Mum’s Journey to Entrepreneurship in Tech Recruitment
In a recent podcast episode, Kate Hill, founder of The Talent Movement, shares her experience of leaving the corporate world to start her own recruitment agency focusing on technical roles and leadership positions in the engineering and tech sectors. Kate discusses the importance of recruitment teams embracing flexibility, which ultimately leads to diversity and inclusion within organisations.
Kate emphasises the need to start conversations about diversity and inclusion from the very first day of the hiring process. This involves reviewing the language used and the care taken in conversations with candidates, and giving them time to discuss their experiences. She acknowledges that the recruitment industry is target-oriented and sales-driven, making prioritising diversity and inclusion challenging. However, she believes that recruiters have a responsibility to respectfully challenge hiring managers and have uncomfortable conversations to ensure a diverse shortlist.
Kate also highlights the issue of roles not being advertised and the tendency for people to refer their friends, resulting in teams that lack diversity. She notes that the drop-off in women’s interest in STEM careers starts at a young age and emphasises the importance of having role models and changing perceptions. Offering opportunities to retrain and looking at transferable skills can help bring more diverse people into the engineering and tech sectors.
Kate shares her experience of setting boundaries and being strict with her time to balance work and family life. She acknowledges the push and pull of running her own business and the guilt that can come with it, but also recognises that she is doing it for her family’s future. Kate encourages honesty about personal situations and the understanding that people have lives outside of work.
Kate’s message is clear: flexible working is not just for working mums but for everyone; it is the only way to achieve true diversity in the workplace. By prioritising diversity and inclusion in the hiring process and embracing flexible working, we can create a more inclusive and supportive work environment for all.
Time Stamps
**Introduction [00:00:00]**
Elizabeth introduces herself and the podcast.
**Sponsor [00:00:57]**
Elizabeth introduces the episode’s sponsor, Investing in Women.
**Guest Introduction [00:02:04]**
Elizabeth introduces Kate Hill, founder of The Talent Movement.
**Overview of Topics [00:02:04]**
Elizabeth and Kate discuss the topics they will cover in the episode.
**Reasons for Starting The Talent Movement [00:03:07]**
Kate discusses her reasons for starting her own recruitment agency.
**Contemplating Leaving Recruitment [00:05:00]**
Kate talks about considering leaving the recruitment industry and the lack of opportunities for working mothers.
**Recruitment and Flexibility [00:07:44]**
The importance of flexibility in recruitment and how it can improve diversity and inclusion.
**Starting a Business with Children [00:09:29]**
The challenges and joys of starting a business with two small children, working four days a week, and how to stay focused.
**Setting up a Business [00:10:10]**
Initial stages of setting up a business, getting support from family, and pulling in favours to keep costs low.
**Diversity and Inclusion in Recruitment [00:12:31]**
How to educate clients about the importance of diversity and inclusion in recruitment, starting the conversation, and making the recruitment process inclusive.
**Recruiters and Diversity [00:14:30]**
The importance of recruiters asking diverse questions and taking the time to understand candidates’ experiences. Challenges of creating diverse shortlists due to target-oriented industry pressures.
**Lack of Diversity in Engineering and Tech [00:17:29]**
Discussion on the lack of diversity in engineering and tech industries, particularly in leadership roles. The impact of not having diverse perspectives in product design and development.
**Gender Gap in STEM [00:19:18]**
The gender gap in STEM starts at a young age due to a lack of role models and perceptions of it being a male-dominated industry — the importance of offering opportunities for retraining and recognising transferrable skills.
**Increasing diversity in recruitment [00:20:49]**
Kate Hill discusses the positive impact of flexible working on diversity and inclusion in recruitment.
**Work-life balance and setting boundaries [00:22:06]**
Kate Hill talks about the challenges of balancing work and family life while running her own business.
**Managing interruptions while working from home [00:24:22]**
Kate Hill shares her experience of dealing with interruptions from her children while working from home.
**Recruiting for engineering and tech sectors [00:26:47]**
Kate Hill explains the types of roles The Talent Movement recruits for and how they prioritise flexibility and diversity.
**Introduction [00:27:35]**
Elizabeth introduces the podcast and encourages listeners to rate, review, and subscribe.
**Kate’s background and starting her own business [00:28:10]**
Kate talks about leaving the corporate world to start her own business, and the challenges and joys of doing so with two small children.
**Working four days a week [00:31:50]**
Kate discusses her decision to work four days a week and the benefits it brings to her and her family.
**Diversity in engineering and tech sectors [00:34:50]**
Kate and Elizabeth discuss the lack of diversity in the engineering and tech sectors and the importance of improving it.
**Recruiters’ role in improving diversity and inclusion [00:38:20]**
Kate and Elizabeth discuss how recruiters can play a positive role in improving diversity and inclusion across society.