This Q&A brings together Women in Tech and Magda Hoffman, Director at Red Dog Talent Solutions to explore how inclusive hiring and progressive workplace cultures can reshape the UK technology sector. From addressing unconscious bias to supporting women returners and improving salary transparency, this conversation shines a light on practical, evidence-based actions organisations can take to help women not only enter tech, but thrive long-term.
Two things jump out at me: unconscious bias in hiring and promotion, and rigid ways of working. Women still make up only about 21% of the UK IT workforce, and I regularly see great candidates screened out because their CV doesn’t look “linear” or they’ve had a career break. On top of that, many tech roles don’t offer flexibility – only 5% of tech jobs in the UK are part-time – which punishes women juggling care responsibilities. We also can’t ignore the “tech bro” culture that makes women feel invisible or unwelcome.
Fixing this starts with how we hire. For me, that means writing short, clear job ads (ditch the 20-bullet wish lists) and using neutral language so women aren’t put off from the start. It means looking past career gaps and focusing on skills, perhaps using anonymised CVs or coding tasks, because automated systems often reject anyone with a gap of over six months. Most importantly, use structured interviews and scoring rubrics; they’re almost twice as predictive and far fairer than “gut feel” chats. Also, put salary bands on job ads – women are more likely to undervalue themselves, and transparency stops lowball offers. Inclusive hiring isn’t a silver bullet, but it removes barriers and gives women a fair shot.
It’s not enough to hire more women if the culture pushes them out. Women leave because they can’t see a path up; poor career progression, lack of recognition and pay inequity are the top reasons. To tackle this, senior leaders need to own inclusion, not delegate it to HR. That means regularly reviewing promotion, reward and project allocation data by gender, and holding managers accountable for closing gaps. It also means making flexibility the norm – hybrid working, part-time options and predictable hours – so women aren’t penalised for being parents or carers.
I’m a big believer in formal mentorship and sponsorship, because women often miss out on the networks that propel men forward. Setting up internal women-in-tech groups or cross-company mentoring circles gives women a community and a champion. Lastly, listen to the women already in your business. Exit interviews and pulse surveys aren’t just for show; act on what they tell you.
When women feel seen, heard and developed, they stay. If they don’t, they leave – even if you’ve hit your diversity “number”.
As someone who places tech talent for a living, I’d suggest three simple steps:
These aren’t difficult, but they take discipline. In my experience, the companies that implement them not only see more women progressing; they make better hires overall.
Women returners are a huge untapped resource – yet many face the “career break penalty”. Automated CV screeners often reject anyone out for more than six months, while human recruiters assume a gap equals “rusty skills”. Many returners also suffer a crisis of confidence: they worry they’re out-of-date and end up taking lower-level jobs. They usually still need flexibility to manage care, but find tech roles rigid.
What works? First, stop filtering out CVs with gaps. Instead, advertise roles as returner-friendly and encourage people to address their break in a cover letter. Offer “returnship” or “supported hire” programmes: 3–6-month paid placements with training, mentoring and a clear path to a permanent role. Provide refresher training to update technical skills and pair returners with a mentor or buddy. And give them real flexibility; phased or part-time returns make all the difference. When employers invest in returners, they gain experienced, loyal staff and close mid-level gaps quickly. It’s a win-win.
Definitely. I’m inspired by cross-company initiatives like the Tech Talent Charter and programmes run by Women Returners. These schemes bring together multiple employers to offer structured returnships with coaching and peer support. Fintech firms like Starling Bank explicitly tell women, “apply even if you don’t tick every box,” and back it up with mentoring and a clear route to a permanent job.
I’ve also seen success with skills-based hiring platforms that anonymise CVs and let candidates demonstrate their abilities through projects or coding challenges. Organisations like Code First Girls and Tech Returners are offering women-only bootcamps that lead straight to job placements. The best employers combine these external initiatives with internal changes – e.g. using software to scan job ads for gendered language, analysing recruitment data by gender and intersection, and making flexible policies standard.
AI is playing a role too:
What sets these approaches apart is that they don’t treat diversity as an afterthought; they redesign the pipeline to bring women in at every level.
The gender pay gap is still around 10% for full-time UK employees, and tech sits on the wrong side of that average. Lack of transparency is a big reason why. Publishing salary ranges in job ads removes the guesswork and discourages lowball offers, especially since women are less likely to negotiate hard. It also stops the pernicious practice of anchoring offers to previous salary – a pilot where employers agreed not to ask about salary history showed women got fairer offers.
Internally, regular pay audits and transparent pay bands hold managers accountable. Companies required to report their gender pay gap publicly have been prompted to investigate discrepancies. As a recruiter, I encourage clients to benchmark roles externally and set bands based on the work, not on what candidates ask for. When everyone knows the range, it’s harder to quietly pay women less. And it builds trust: employees know you value fairness, and they’re more likely to stay.
Beyond pay and flexible hours, there are a few motivators I see overlooked:
If you design roles and cultures with these motivators in mind – and you talk about them in your recruiting – you’ll attract women who want to grow and stay. It’s not rocket science: it’s treating people as whole humans with ambitions and lives outside work.
Three trends stand out:
Overall, I’m optimistic. Younger generations demand fairness and diversity, and the data clearly shows that inclusive cultures drive better business outcomes. The organisations that take a values-led, evidence-backed approach will attract the best talent and set the tone for the industry.
Magda Hoffman, founder of Red Dog Talent. I help growing businesses build Microsoft capability and hire well without the agency chaos through faster decisions, predictable costs, and a hiring process that stays under control.
I spent the last decade working with Microsoft partners, including Avanade / Accenture and SFW Ltd (now Civica), across in-house and RPO models. I’ve hired hundreds of Microsoft-skilled professionals and built hiring processes that protect leadership time, with 97% retention beyond 12 months and around 95% offer acceptance.
What pushed me to go solo was simple. Hiring was too often reactive, and agency support didn’t feel like a true partnership. Although the effort was there, the structure wasn’t.
That’s when I realised that hiring doesn’t need to be expensive to be high quality and SMEs deserve support that fits their needs, not a one-size-fits-all model.
That’s why I built Red Dog Talent, in-house quality hiring, without the traditional agency model, focused on partnership, precision matching, strong candidate experience, and a process that delivers every time.
I’m also passionate about helping more women thrive in tech. At Avanade, I was honoured to win the Women in Tech Employer Awards 2020: Best In-house Recruiter. For me, it’s about confidence, progression, and making sure women get the support to step up and lead.
