We’re not a women’s only club here but I am buzzing to have so many amazing females here at SR2, even more so that recruitment is such a male dominated industry. Everyone is different and brings all different personalities, skills and experience to the table but one thing we all have in common here is our passion for diversity and inclusion and doing good!

I am excited to welcome Sophie as a brand ambassador to Women Rock who is heading up our contract desk and going to be helping us spread the Women Rock story and mission and interviewing brilliant folks for the blog from the world of testing. Welcome to the maddess Soph, don’t forget your socks!

WHY DID YOU JOIN SR2?

I have a lot of friends that work in recruitment and have heard about their challenges and experiences. This helped me to really nail down what I was looking for in a career: autonomy, responsibility, fun and dogs. I never expected to find a company that could offer all these things, but SR2 do! I work alongside not only incredible recruiters, but also incredible people who care about their community and their company. Who knew that a workplace could be so positive on a Monday morning?

WHAT DOES YOUR DAY TO DAY LOOK LIKE?

My day starts with checking the job boards for any new candidates and finding out what they’re looking for. This way, I can either match them with a live role or I can go and find them one! The rest of my day consists of finding managers who are open to conversations about good candidates that I’m working with, drinking lots of coffee, organising the South West Test meetup, organising interviews, helping and advising with CV adjustments, reaching out to inactive candidates (with perfect jobs for them) and drinking even more coffee. People say recruitment is like a rollercoaster and this is something that I learnt extremely quickly. Your day can change in a matter of minutes, something that I love as it keeps it exciting!

WHO IS YOUR ROLE MODEL?

Since forever, my main role model has always been JK Rowling. She not only pushed through some horrible times and changed her life by writing THE best books ever, but she has also never been afraid to speak her mind. As an example, she stood up for her friend, Serena Williams, when people over the internet body shamed her. It shows that even though she probably will have lost fans, her values are what’s most important to her – something I really look up to.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AND AMBITIONS FOR WOMEN ROCK?

I would love for Women Rock to become nationally recognised and be read by thousands of people. Diversity and Inclusion is super important and is something that I’m proud to support through Women Rock. By having a platform where diversity can be talked about openly, I hope we can make a difference to those that feel excluded from the tech community and show that it doesn’t matter who you are, your skills and personality are the most important thing!

WHAT DO YOU LOVE TO EAT AND DRINK?

To be honest I eat anything and everything, but have a soft spot for Italian food as carbs are life. I really enjoy going to new, quirky restaurants in Bristol and trying things that I’ve never tried before! I’m also really into Gin at the moment (like the rest of the world) and like trying different flavours whenever I can.

WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE IN THE WORLD?

Apart from my bed, my favourite place has to be Ibiza. It really sparked my passion for DJing in my first year of university, as I saw some incredible artists there when I went on holiday. I love that it’s acceptable to wear glitter all day and be covered in paint all night too… *cough* holiday incentive? *cough*

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY DOING OUTSIDE OF WORK?

I’m really into the Drum and Bass scene in Bristol, especially the smaller festivals/gigs, as I used to do quite a lot of DJing when I was at University. My days at weekends usually consist of exploring Bristol’s green spaces trying to find cool adventures in preparation for when I have a puppy (watch this space for the cutest puppy ever) and gaming because I’m a secret nerd. I also enjoy any activity that involves the water, so tend to go either swimming or surfing if I can get home to Newquay.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT THE TECH INDUSTRY WHAT WOULD THAT BE?

We all know that the tech industry is very male dominated and this is something that I’d really like to change. When I was at school deciding what courses to take, a career in tech never crossed my mind yet I have male friends that were encouraged into IT by teaching staff and are now quite high up in their careers. I genuinely believe that if more schools encouraged young women to take tech courses, diversity would naturally increase.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE QUOTE?

‘One can never have enough socks’ – Albus Dumbledore

IF YOU WERE ROCKETED UP TO MARS, WHAT WOULD BE THE 3 THINGS YOU WOULD TAKE WITH YOU?

I’d have to take a kettle, as I can’t function without at least 13 cups of coffee a day… Although that means my other 2 choices have to be a mug and some coffee!

Welcome to the family Soph – it’s so good to have you with us on this journey!

#womenrock

a voice of diversity in tech.

@womenrockbristol