Diversity: 5 Lessons in Recruiting Female Executives

“How do we recruit and develop more female leaders for executive roles?”

One of the most frequently asked questions in talent acquisition today is “How do we recruit and develop more female leaders for executive roles?”. A question that a number of organizations and initiatives, including #codelikeagirl, are trying to address. At Adam Bryce, we are passionate about helping companies improve their diversity. In 2017 46% of our executive placements were femaleAs a retained search firm for over 30 years and a certified Women Owned Business, these are some things we have learned.  

Diversity: Top 5 Recruiting Lessons

  • Diverse slates equals diverse hires. It’s not rocket science; to ensure female diversity focus on finding diverse candidates. This doesn’t mean targeting a specific job for a female candidate. It means making a concerted effort to find the most qualified women for the role, every time.
  • Building a diverse internal pipeline at lower levels of the organization drives senior level diversity.Companies often have an interest in hiring females at the executive level but have not spent time building an internal pipeline. Shifting the focus to hire diverse candidates at junior levels is critical to developing future leaders. This can be done through external talent mapping and internal talent management.
  • Find the leaky hole in your bucket. Often organizations lose female leaders at a certain role or level in the organization. Use data to determine where your bucket is leaking and devise a plan to fix it.
  • Women network and job search differently. Women often don’t spend as much time networking or self-promoting. This can make it harder to find or identify women for leadership roles. Develop creative approaches to effectively build a network and maintain strong relationships with female leaders. Another option is to partner with a firm that specializes in this area.
  • The best way to attract diverse talent is to use a candidate-centric process. This process considers the candidates career and personal goals and offers flexibility that will address the talent and competency gaps in the organization.

Adam Bryce is a certified woman owned business by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC). We understand that women view and approach career decisions differently. Throughout the recruitment process we treat female candidates with this diversity in mind. In 2017 46% of our executive placements were female. Learn more about how Adam Bryce can help you build more diverse leadership teams.