Recruitment and Diversity - My Personal Journey

When I started in recruitment 20 years ago, diversity and inclusion were not even part of the conversation, let alone a priority. Fast forward to today, have things really changed? I want to share my personal and professional journey - and perhaps you can decide for yourself.

The Early Years

Like many first-generation British children, my career path was shaped by my parents' aspirations. Lawyer, doctor, or accountant, those were the "success routes" they knew. Having spent most of their lives outside the British system, they had little exposure to the corporate world. My mother was a housewife, and my father worked long hours in construction.

Growing up, there was not much guidance on what else I could achieve. We moved to Kent when I was nine, and as kids, we faced racial abuse from classmates and neighbours alike. My parents' response was simple: "Ignore them, they'll stop." So, that's what we did.

Perhaps this mindset of ignoring discrimination toughened me up for the challenges that lay ahead. It certainly made me resilient.

University Challenge

University brought more eye-openers. I pursued a law degree, but by my second year, I felt disillusioned with the path I had chosen. Summer placement interviews at small law firms led to questions like, “will you be taking extended holiday to India?” and “does your cultural background stop you from working the long hours required?”

By my third year, I knew I was done with law because in some ways it felt unreachable.

Ironically, my career in recruitment has focused on helping graduates like me to find new paths. This is why I love what I do.

Starting in Recruitment

Working in recruitment quickly opened my eyes to how companies used to select candidates, especially those from diverse backgrounds. I recall, in my years as a trainee, clients requesting candidates "without an accent" or explicitly refusing to consider anyone from a minority background because of "fit".

However, I have been fortunate to work for two founders who valued talent and success above identity. That belief has kept me with the same company for all these years.

Fast Forward

Twenty years later, diversity and inclusion are now in the spotlight.

Companies are celebrating cultural occasions and hiring managers are being trained to be "inclusive". Firms are actively seeking candidates from diverse and low socio-economic backgrounds, KPIs for diversity are being set, and D&I roles are popping up everywhere.

In professional services, especially law, I am now seeing a diverse range of candidates in senior roles. This is magical for me, given how my journey began. But despite this progress, I feel like the momentum has slowed, and the results that companies hoped for haven't fully materialised.

A Case Study 

Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic, I undertook a significant recruitment drive for a client who was relocating their contact centre to the Midlands. It was a large project to hire approximately 40 Senior Customer Care Executives and 5-6 Team Leaders. We ran a successful campaign, managing to secure interviews for all our candidates.

However, it wasn't until after the campaign, when I delved into the statistics, that a striking pattern emerged.

For the Customer Service Advisor roles, 90% of the successful applicants were from ethnic minority backgrounds. This wasn't just a coincidence or bias in selection, it closely mirrored the overall applicant pool for these positions.

When I looked at all the applications, it was clear that about 90% of applicants for these roles were indeed from ethnic minority backgrounds.

However, the picture changed dramatically when it came to the Team Leader positions. Here, most applications came from candidates from non-ethnic minority backgrounds, and this was reflected in the demographics of the successful applicants.

This stark contrast highlighted a clear disparity in representation across different levels of business support roles.

This pattern isn't isolated to this campaign. I have observed similar trends in other areas of business support, such as Executive Assistant roles. It is rare to encounter candidates from ethnic minority backgrounds applying for these positions, even though many professionals start their careers in business support roles.

A Deeper Problem?

This raises questions on a lack of awareness about career advancement opportunities in business support roles among ethnic minority communities.

Are there accessibility issues preventing ethnic minority candidates from advancing to higher positions? And if so, how can we address this imbalance and create more equitable pathways for career growth?

I am often asked how firms can improve diversity in their recruitment processes.

My thoughts on improving things

While D&I initiatives are well-intentioned, they often only scratch the surface. Real change starts by educating young people and parents - especially those from under-represented backgrounds, early on.

They need to understand the possibilities beyond traditional career choices, particularly if they lack commercial awareness. It is about addressing the root of the problem and helping individuals see their potential from a young age.

Additionally, it is crucial to seek advice and support from individuals who have come from ethnic minority and low socioeconomic households who have perhaps done the journey themselves. They understand the unique challenges and can provide invaluable insights on how to effectively reach and engage with these communities.

You can't create a successful strategy without this input, as the cultural nuances and lived experiences are vital to crafting successful and impactful initiatives.

Final thought

We have come a long way since my days of wanting to be a legal professional, but we can't become complacent.

Real change will take years of deeper efforts, beyond simple checkbox exercises, to truly balance the scorecard. The time to start is now. Otherwise, diversity and inclusion risk becoming just another policy, rather than a meaningful movement.

What do you think? How can we genuinely improve inclusion and diversity in the workplace? I'd love to hear your thoughts!