Gender inequality is prevalent across all industries, and the recruitment sector isn&rsquo;t exempt. Historically the recruitment industry has had a &lsquo;boys club&rsquo; image. With the adage, it&rsquo;s not what you know it&rsquo;s who you know running rampant. These days we&rsquo;re thankful to say that the recruitment industry has moved away from this image.
There are more female leaders than ever before, support staff is primarily women, and even in the traditionally male dominated sales roles women are starting to gain ground. All of this is reason to celebrate, but only if we&rsquo;re still aware that there&rsquo;s work to be done.&nbsp;
Gender pay gaps, divide in gender job roles, and progression routes need to be kept in mind to help women achieve more success and make more progress. As when that happens it&rsquo;s recruitment firms who will benefit from the commercial gains these achievements bring. 
<h3><a name="_inln3i2a7la"></a>What&rsquo;s the story so far?</h3>
In 2020 <a href="https://www.bluesky-pr.com/blog/recruitment-hr-and-talent-management/international-womens-day-lets-address-the-gender-imbalance-in-recruitment">research</a> found that 26% of recruitment firm directors were female. This is broadly in line with trends across all industries, showing that recruitment are keeping pace with general female career progression.&nbsp;
There are also significant gains with support staff roles. With over two thirds of recruitment agencies having over 50% female employees at support staff levels. That&rsquo;s above average. The concern comes around the divide between support roles and sales.
<h3><a name="_v2vz6s4jkygu"></a>The role divide</h3>
Within the recruitment industry there&rsquo;s a clear divide between support and resourcing roles. Traditionally, there&rsquo;s been a gender divide between those two functions with <a href="https://utilitypeopleuk.com/women-in-recruitment-di/">78% of staffing companies</a> acknowledging that over half their support function was composed of female employees. Progress had been made on the resourcing side and the number of women in sales had reached more than <a href="https://bdaily.co.uk/articles/2020/06/05/gender-diversity-in-the-recruitment-sector-still-work-to-be-done-reveals-new-report">50%</a>, but post pandemic that figure has reduced to around 30%.&nbsp;
This divide between support and sales is something that recruitment companies need to monitor and be prepared to take action. The support side is often deemed the &lsquo;softer&rsquo; side of the business with functions such as marketing and HR, which are generally stereotyped as more suited to women.
Recruitment firms need to challenge the viewpoint that sales or resourcing is a cut throat, relentless role that usually attracts, and retains male employees. Changing the culture and the narrative around these roles is key to helping women progress in the recruitment industry.
<h3><a name="_1xmm6jjkwrxz"></a>Successes</h3>
The recruitment sector has been a supporter of working from home, which stood it in good stead when the pandemic hit. The need to switch to flexible and remote working enabled many female employees to continue their roles alongside caring responsibilities.&nbsp;
This isn&rsquo;t the only way the sector has supported female employees. <a href="https://www2.staffingindustry.com/eng/Editorial/Daily-News/World-A-quarter-of-recruitment-firm-leaders-are-female-suggesting-gender-imbalance-study-finds-53053">31% of firms</a> have initiatives in place with the sole aim to retain female talent. The recognition that there need to be specific steps, support and intervention for female employees and that these are different to their male counterparts is a breath of fresh air.
<h3><a name="_yy8yoiz2bs4o"></a>Where do we go from here?</h3>
From here the only way the recruitment industry needs to go is up. The work already started needs to continue. Firms need to look at what challenges female employees still face and work to address these.&nbsp;
Across the board the pandemic has impacted women, their careers and in the wider context gender equality. It&rsquo;s up to the industry to step up and talk to their female employees to establish what more they need. Not only for their own benefit but also to impact the sectors and businesses they work with.&nbsp;
The recruitment industry is uniquely poised to impact the hiring and career progression for women outside of their own sector. Change within recruitment itself will lead to change for others and create opportunities for women to climb the career ladder, break glass ceilings and receive equal pay for equal work.
The recruitment industry has established itself and its commitment to gender equality but now it needs to focus on leading the way. Mentoring schemes, anonymous applications, career progression, flexible working, the role divide, gender pay gap - these are all things that are within its control, and they are the key to being able to reflect in another year's time on how far the industry has gone to champion women not only in the recruitment industry, but across employment as a whole.
Source Group International are passionate about evolving the recruitment industry, and we&rsquo;re looking for talent to join us on our discovery. Find out more about our internal practices contributing to building an inclusive workforce <a href="../../../../discover-sgi/diversity/">here.</a>

The Rise of Women in Recruitment:  Celebrating Success and Progress

If you&rsquo;re starting your career in recruiting or you&rsquo;ve been in the game a while, you probably want to excel. Working in recruitment is vibrant, exciting and liberating. So, it&rsquo;s natural you&rsquo;d want to turn it into a life-long career. Here are our top 10 tips to be the best recruitment consultant you can be. And no, finding passive candidates isn&rsquo;t one of them. We&rsquo;re going deeper today to help you succeed in this field.
&nbsp;
Recruitment consultant tips&nbsp;
&nbsp;
<ol>
<li>Build a network - You won&rsquo;t function well as an island in this industry. You&rsquo;ll need to dig your roots into the business community and candidate pool for wherever you operate to make sure you&rsquo;re not missing opportunities for new roles or CVs.</li>
<li>Write great job ads - Everyone is busy these days. They don&rsquo;t have time to read long and wordy corporate dribble.</li>
<li>Look at market trends - What businesses are coming to the area and who will they need to recruit? What about government spending- have any projects been announced? Build an unconventional pipeline.</li>
<li>Take good notes - Remember details from what your client&rsquo;s share that might help you make placements later on.</li>
<li>Input everything online - Allow modern recruitment systems to automate the contact process for you.</li>
<li>Invest in yourself - Take courses and improve your skills and knowledge. Don&rsquo;t wait to become outdated.</li>
<li>Find new pools - Monitor emerging social spaces to identify hidden candidates. You might get first dibs if you&rsquo;re first in.</li>
<li>Keep your word - Do what you say you will when you say you will.</li>
<li>Add value - Think about extra ways you can support your clients and candidates at no fee. This will build goodwill.</li>
<li>Don&rsquo;t rush - If you rush through calls you can come off as uncaring or robotic. That can damage your rapport with clients and candidates.</li>
</ol>
&nbsp;
What do you think of our tips? Want more? Here&rsquo;s how to nail the interview.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
If you&rsquo;re considering recruitment as a career path, why not talk to us. We&rsquo;re obsessed with placing people in the right roles and have connections that could make your journey quicker.
&nbsp;
At SGI, we&rsquo;re looking for new talent to join us across our teams. Hardworking, super motivated, gritty. If that&rsquo;s you, then join SGI, hack your own career, accelerate your earning potential, and have a lot of fun.
&nbsp;

10 tips to be the best recruitment consultant

Why choose a career in recruitment? Working in recruitment is a rewarding experience for many people. If you’re an outgoing person with a passion for helping others, you might be thinking about a career in recruitment and a career at SGI. Here are some reasons why working in recruitment is a great career option. Freedom to manage priorities Once you are trained, you’ll start to build your own base of clients and candidates. Most recruitment desks are remunerated mostly by the commission on placements. So, you’ll be motivated to work hard and follow approaches that yield the bestresults. This is good for you (as you’ll earn more bonuses) and good for the company. That gives you a lot of freedom to manage your own time and set your own priorities. Uncapped earning and progression Most recruitment firms offer commission with no ceiling. This means that the only limit to how much money you can make is your own dedication. Recruitment companies also usually offer very good progression tracks for all roles too. So you’ll have room to grow and earn promotions. It’s not uncommon for a Junior Recruitment Consultant to earn a promotion within the first 6-12 months. Helping others achieve Where you work is a big part of your identity. And that’s true for your candidates as well. By finding attractive placements for your candidates, they’ll experience a <a href="https://www.futurelearn.com/subjects/business-and-management-courses" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">sense of achievement</a>, improved self-esteem and high life satisfaction. Plus, when you find great candidates for your clients, they’ll reward you with loyalty and repeat business. Helping others achieve their goals feels pretty good too. <a href="https://www.sourcegroupinternational.com/leave-ordinary-behind/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Leave Ordinary Behind&nbsp;</a> Variety each day If you hate drudgery and the routine of most working environments, recruitment is ideal. No two days are the same. On any given day you could attend client meetings, screen candidates over the phone, conduct face-to-face interviews, pitch for new business, negotiate contracts or prepare reports. Since most of the work is self-directed, there’s no excuse to be bored. As you can see, joining the field of recruitment has a lot of great characteristics. At SGI, we’re looking for new talent to join us across our teams. Hardworking, super motivated, gritty. If that’s you, then join SGI, hack your own career, accelerate your earning potential, and have a lot of fun. <a href="https://www.sourcegroupinternational.com/contact/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Let’s chat about your recruitment career.</a>

Leave Ordinary Behind - Join Our Team and Discover Your Potential 

If you think recruitment is just about Rolexes, click away now. Modern recruitment is about so much more than hitting your numbers and moving on. It&rsquo;s a place where you can build real skills, market knowledge and relationships. Ready to learn why working in recruitment is more than just sales? Read on.
&nbsp;
Skill-based career
You need more than the gift of gab to succeed as a recruiter. Yes, sales skills are important, but you&rsquo;ll also need to understand your market. This will help you to prepare for the shifts in demand and build a roster of clients &amp;amp; candidates effectively. You&rsquo;ll need communication skills to get at the heart of what opportunities suit your candidates. And you&rsquo;ll need project &amp;amp; <a href="https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_00.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">time management </a>skills to get role openings from brief to filled within strict deadlines. Can you earn very lucrative rewards? Absolutely, but there&rsquo;s a longer-term payoff to be had when you invest the time to build trust with your clients.
&nbsp;
Revolves around people
Modern recruitment firms aren&rsquo;t soulless CV databases. (There are virtual platforms that serve those purposes.) The modern agency is about creating relationships and providing great customer service to clients and candidates alike. When the <a href="https://www.zippia.com/advice/average-number-jobs-in-lifetime/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">average person changes jobs 12 times</a> across their lifetime, you&rsquo;ll want to be the preferred partner for those moves. Now, instead of placing one person in one role and moving on, you&rsquo;re taking a strategic approach. You&rsquo;re thinking about the career journey of your candidates and earmarking them for opportunities on the horizon. You&rsquo;re also working with your client&rsquo;s on their succession planning and recruitment strategy. On both sides of the equation, your value is in your expert knowledge and relationships.
&nbsp;
That&rsquo;s what allows you to <a href="../../../../../../leave-ordinary-behind-join-our-team-and-discover-your-potential/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">leave the ordinary</a> behind and forge a successful career in recruitment. Ready to talk about your next move? <a href="../../../../../../contact/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Get in touch.</a>
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Why working in recruitment is more than just sales

How to ace your recruitment consultant interview If you’re googling “How to ace your recruitment consultant interview” then the nerves have probably already set in. But we’re here to help. We’ve got loads of experience hosting consultant interviews all over the world and we’ve collected some great pointers for you. Do your research When you show up for your recruitment consultant interview, you’ll want to be prepared. That means you should be on time and have a copy of your CV and note-taking supplies. But you’ll need to be mentally prepared too. Before you arrive, make sure you’ve researched the firm well. You’ll want to know as much as you can about their mission and values. This can help you position your strengths in the framework of their existing culture. You’ll also want to understand who the key players are. This is pretty easy to find on LinkedIn when you search for that company. Practice answering confidently There are plenty of resources for sample interview questions. And they’re great to review. But beyond delivering canned answers, you’ll likely be challenged by your interviewer to think on your feet. You might want to try applying the LARA method. It’s a sales technique that also works well in interviews. It stands for Listen, Affirm, Respond, and Ask Questions. It can keep you from feeling flustered when you’re asked a question you’ve not prepared for or your nerves are playing up. By carefully listening, repeating back what you’ve heard and then answering; you’re giving yourself time to think. Lastly, when you follow up with questions of your own, the interviewer is likely to believe you’re fully engaged in the conversation too. Did we mention we’re experts in recruiting? We’re happy to help you prepare for your next recruitment consultant interview. Just reach out and start a dialogue with our team.

Tips for acing your Recruitment Interview

Recruitment is an alluring field in Amsterdam. So, we&rsquo;ve collected our top tips for discovering a recruitment career in the capital of the Netherlands. These include things you might not have considered like how your online profiles portray you and who you know locally.
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Reach out to your network &ndash; You may know someone (who knows someone) who is looking for a recruiter. If you don&rsquo;t have a network, build one. Look for meetup groups and local organisations dedicated to business and get involved.</li>
<li>Apply, apply, apply - Even if you don&rsquo;t have any specific experience, you can still go for entry-level recruitment roles with just your high school diploma. If you make enough good applications, you might get a bite or two. And your info will be in their databases for the future as well.</li>
<li>Go solo - While you&rsquo;d need to buy some recruitment software and take some courses, it is possible to start your own firm or work as a self-employed consultant. This is the riskiest option however as it requires a lot of up-front funding.</li>
<li>Hire someone to look for you - Look for a recruiter who focuses on hiring into the recruitment space. They can go to market on your behalf but also tailor your resume for the right roles.</li>
<li>Clean up your online presence - You never know who is looking at your public profiles. Remember that you want to portray the same professionalism online that you would in person.&nbsp;</li>
<li>Turn your flag on - Update LinkedIn to reflect your interest in a recruitment role and the great skills you have. You&rsquo;ll want to show off your time management, organisation, communication, sales, tech and phone skills. If you&rsquo;re lacking, there are plenty of free online courses that can help.</li>
<li>Make some calls - Google can quickly provide you with the details of local Amsterdam recruitment firms. Pick up the phone and ask them if they&rsquo;ve got anything that might be a good fit. Even if they don&rsquo;t right now - they may soon.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Why not make us the first call on your list. We&rsquo;re expanding our Amsterdam office and we&rsquo;re looking for smart, ambitious Junior Consultants to join our vibrant team.
&nbsp;
Let&rsquo;s chat about your recruitment career.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;

Top Tips for discovering a recruitment career in Amsterdam

Recruitment careers are in high demand right now, especially in the UK. According to Linkedin, &ldquo;Demand for recruiting professionals is at [an all-time] high. Recruiting the right talent is increasingly mission-critical in today&rsquo; tight labour market. And their data shows the demand for recruiting professionals has increased 63% globally since 2016.&rdquo; All over, graduates are choosing a career in recruitment for several reasons. We&rsquo;re sharing the most popular six in today&rsquo;s blog.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
FLEXIBILITY&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Core to the recruitment field is the built-in flexibility. This comes from the one on one relationship you build with your clients and candidates. There is no one looking over your shoulder per se. And no one will tell you exactly what you need to do each day. Everyone in recruitment must manage their clients to ensure the correct contact frequency is in place.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
UNCAPPED COMPENSATION&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Recruitment consultants can still earn a lot of money. In general, commission structures do not have a cap at recruitment firms. Because of this commission structure, recruitment consultants can earn significantly more than other entry-level job roles.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
SKILL BUILDING&nbsp;
&nbsp;
When you become a recruitment consultant you will build sales skills. That is not all. You&rsquo;ll also develop communication skills, relationship management skills, time management skills and project management skills. You&rsquo;ll become familiar with the systems required in the recruitment field including CRM, email, telephone and other tech-based skills.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
SPECIALIST UNDERSTANDING&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Depending on your degree you may find it easy to join as a recruitment consultant for a specialist field. Even without direct workplace experience, university or college-level training may provide you with a solid foundation to make determinations about the skills and experience of others in a similar field.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
FAST PROGRESSION&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Expect fast progression as it&rsquo;s not uncommon for recruitment consultants to earn promotions in under a year. There are several levels to progress within the industry and most recruitment firms have clear and defined job roles.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
ENHANCED BENEFITS&nbsp;
&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s also common for recruitment roles to boast attractive benefits packages. Graduates are choosing a career in recruitment often for these soft rewards. Think pensions, reward schemes, corporate cars, private healthcare and more.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Considering a graduate placement in recruiting? Let&rsquo;s talk about that.&nbsp;
&nbsp;

6 reasons why graduates are choosing a career in recruitment

Being a leader is not always the easiest path to walk on, especially when you have people looking up to you, whether it’s your small business of just a few employees, a larger organisation with hundreds of people counting on your decisions, or even in your family life with a partner and children depending on you to lead. It’s hard enough to make the right decisions when things are going well and falling into line in your favour, but what happens when the world seems like it’s turning against you and you have to step up to the plate and make the right decisions? Being a leader in challenging times can be daunting, but it also gives you the opportunity to show what you are made of, and you will undoubtedly come through the other side a stronger and more confident individual, ready to make those hard but necessary decisions. There are some key things to remember when you feel like you’re having to work doubly hard just to maintain things, and being a leader is an opportunity for you to thrive rather than be swamped by your circumstances. Be Decisive And Focus YourselfChallenging times bring unique and difficult situations right into your lap and you have to deal with them one way or another. The best thing to do is be proactive and take the bull by the horns when it comes to assessing your priorities and taking the decisions that need to be made, however hard they may seem. You need to set your eyes on the final goal of what you want to achieve to keep your business running smoothly, being decisive means actually making a decision and not deliberating too much for too long on certain issues, as this procrastination can make you seem weak to your team. Take Pride In Taking ResponsibilityThere’s no use passing the buck in tough times, it will make you feel less in control and feel disempowered. Take the decision that makes sense to your head rather than the one that seems right to your heart, and see the bigger picture at play. A leader is in the place they are because in the good times they have taken responsibility for decisions which has led them to their high position and status, so don’t let that slip and show your employees that you are not panicking, that you are in control and you are making steps forward for the good of the business. Now is not the time to shirk responsibility, but rather embrace it. Always Have A VisionKeep your eyes on the prize during tough times, and remember that this is a temporary circumstance that you need to knuckle down through before you come out on the other side. When you lose your vision, be it personal or on a company level, you then become susceptible to loss of motivation and loss of direction – both of which can be disastrous should they continue for a long time. Whether it is a certain amount of turnover that you need to maintain, or that you don’t let too many staff go during the process, having that final goal will motivate and encourage you, and help you to make the right decisions when needed. Remember You Are Not AloneListen to other people and take advice at this critical juncture, you don’t have to do it all alone. If you have a team in place, use them effectively and accept their help, play on their strengths so you don’t feel such a burden, but you will still be in control of the situation. It’s always important to hear other people’s point of view even if you don’t accept it or put it into action, but what it does mentally for you is help to get a wider perspective of the situation.

What Leadership Means In Challenging Times

If you&rsquo;re googling &ldquo;How to ace your recruitment consultant interview&rdquo; then the nerves have probably already set in. But we&rsquo;re here to help. We&rsquo;ve got loads of experience hosting consultant interviews all over the world and we&rsquo;ve collected some great pointers for you.
&nbsp;
Do your research 
&nbsp;
When you show up for your recruitment consultant interview, you&rsquo;ll want to be prepared. That means you should be on time and have a copy of your CV and note-taking supplies. But you&rsquo;ll need to be mentally prepared too. Before you arrive, make sure you&rsquo;ve researched the firm well. You&rsquo;ll want to know as much as you can about their mission and values. This can help you position your strengths in the framework of their existing culture. You&rsquo;ll also want to understand who the key players are. This is pretty easy to find on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LinkedIn</a> when you search for that company.
&nbsp;
Practice answering confidently 
&nbsp;
There are plenty of resources for <a href="https://www.nigelwright.com/uk/recruitment-consultant-interview-questions-and-answers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">sample interview questions</a>. And they&rsquo;re great to review. But beyond delivering canned answers, you&rsquo;ll likely be challenged by your interviewer to think on your feet. You might want to try applying the <a href="https://sparqtools.org/lara/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">LARA method.</a> It&rsquo;s a sales technique that also works well in interviews. It stands for Listen, Affirm, Respond, and Ask Questions. It can keep you from feeling flustered when you&rsquo;re asked a question you&rsquo;ve not prepared for or your nerves are playing up. By carefully listening, repeating back what you&rsquo;ve heard and then answering; you&rsquo;re giving yourself time to think. Lastly, when you follow up with questions of your own, the interviewer is likely to believe you&rsquo;re fully engaged in the conversation too.
&nbsp;
Did we mention we&rsquo;re experts in recruiting? We&rsquo;re happy to help you prepare for your next recruitment consultant interview. Just reach out and <a href="../../../../../../contact/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">start a dialogue </a>with our team.

Career Advice.

The Rise of Women in Recruitment: Celebrating Success and Progress