Hiring Women into Technology Roles
- Tom Archer
- Mar 8
- 3 min read
Image: Women In Tech | Nicole Hall | Entrepreneur & Business Woman at Meduk & Hall Of Fame
less than 1 in 5 Women in Tech
I get it, hiring can feel like a time crunch. You've got an empty seat, workloads piling up, and the pressure to fill the role yesterday. But here's the thing: if you're serious about building a diverse team, last-minute hiring won't cut it.
EngineeringUK reports that only 15.7% of the tech workforce is female, and in some parts of the UK, only 12% of the entire Tech workforce is actively job-hunting at any given time.
Do the math, and that means in a two-week job posting, 55 women in all of the Tech space in the UK might see your role. What are the odds of even one applying? Slim. A short window doesn't just shrink your talent pool, it stacks the deck in favour of the status quo.
So, what's the fix? Time. A four-week minimum, six weeks ideally. Yes, that means being proactive, but it also means giving female candidates a real chance to see, consider, and apply for the role. With six weeks, you triple the likelihood of female applicants not just one but three qualified candidates. And that matters. It creates a fairer, more balanced interview process, where female candidates aren't the lone voice in a room but part of a more equitable evaluation. It's not about tokenism or ticking boxes it's about ensuring hiring is fair, inclusive, and built for long-term success.
Female Candidates Per Week
The Job Advert - Female Focused
The other day, I was chatting with a friend brilliant, experienced, and precisely the kind of person any company would want on their team. But when I mentioned a job opening, she shrugged. "I don't meet all the qualifications," she said. That stuck with me. How many talented people are self-filtering out of roles because of how job descriptions are written? Research backs this up. Studies show that women, for example, tend to apply only if they meet 100% of the listed qualifications, while men apply at around 60%. That means the way we phrase job specs isn't just informative; it's a filter that can unintentionally push great candidates away.
So, how do we fix it? It's about writing job descriptions that invite rather than intimidate. Instead of a long, rigid list of requirements, distinguish between must-haves and nice-to-haves. Add a line like, "If you meet most but not all of these, we still encourage you to apply." Swap out stiff, exclusionary language for something more human and welcoming. People need to see themselves in the role before they apply, our job as employers is to ensure the door is open, not covered in warning signs.
Increasing Job Post Engagement with Gender & Culteral Diverse backgrounds
To effectively attract and recruit female talent in the tech industry, it's essential to utilise platforms dedicated to connecting women with technology roles. Here are some reputable job boards and communities to consider:
WomenTech Network: A global community promoting gender diversity in Tech, offering a job board that connects skilled professionals with top companies.
Tech Ladies: A worldwide community supporting over 140,000 women in Tech, providing a job board and resources to help women find roles in engineering, product management, design, and more.
Women in Technology (WIT) Career Center: A platform listing technology jobs of interest to WIT members, aiming to advance women in technology from the classroom to the boardroom.
Women Impact Tech: A community and job board focused on connecting women in Tech with companies committed to inclusion and innovation.
Diversify Tech: A platform that connects underrepresented groups in Tech with opportunities, offering a job board and resources for job seekers and employers aiming to diversify their teams.
By posting your job openings on these platforms, you can reach a broader and more diverse audience, enhancing your efforts to build an inclusive tech team.
In Summary
Having hired and managed over 35 people in the last 2 years and interviewed 100’s I know first-hand the challenges of hiring women in tech.
By following these three steps I guarantee you will receive, interview and hire outstanding female talent.
Plan ahead. Your post needs to be open for 6 weeks or more.
The Content. Move away from listing every microscopic aspect of the job. Instead, tell a story and start the conversation.
Socialise the role properly. LinkedIn and the Company website don’t cut it.
I hope this has helped and if you want further support or have any questions please reach out via email at thomas@ceodotme.com or via the website Contact Us section.
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