You cannot accuse Deloitte of offering women special treatment. Women, like all other sections of society, are simply a seam of talent to be mined.

Tom Crawford, the head of employee engagement and diversity, says that while 57 per cent of university graduates in the UK are female, Deloitte’s percentage intake is in the low 40s.

He acknowledges that the company needs “to reach out and understand” how women perceive it. But he concedes that this can be difficult because it is not necessarily the perception of Deloitte that puts off some women but the perception of the professional services sector.

So the firm’s graduate recruitment strategy has to be active, building on the Deloitte brand. “We court talent and we are open-minded about where we get it from,” Crawford adds. This means not just doing the traditional milkround but also engaging students from a broad range of socio-economic backgrounds. “The broadest range of backgrounds brings the best innovation,” he explains.

This means forging relationships with organisations that, on the surface, seem incompatible with the audit-consultancy-tax advisory remit of the company. “We have a relationship with The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme, which reaches out to kids from all sorts of backgrounds,” Crawford says.

On campus the company gets involved with the societies, such as lesbian and gay groups and faith societies. “We ask our own people to look inside their networks too,” he adds, noting that Deloitte has an employee referral programme.

Crawford recognises the importance of strong role models for potential recruits. He has a network of volunteers who meet students on campus but can also be put in touch with potential recruits for a chat. “We put the people out there so that they can tell their stories. They can be realistic and honest with undergraduates and paint a real picture of life at Deloitte.”

It was this approach that sold the idea of working for Deloitte to Jen Hall, 28, now a consultant in the enterprise applications department, working on public sector advisory projects. She came to Deloitte via Teach First, the scheme through which top graduates are recruited to teach for a couple of years in challenging schools before they have the option to work for one of the sponsors. Deloitte is a “platinum” sponsor, which indicates its level of involvement.

Hall says: “I did four years of teaching and was aware of Deloitte through Teach First events. Deloitte was very friendly and open and had a lot of women representatives at these events. Other firms sent highflying male recruits.”

When she joined she thought she could always go back to teaching. But now she says: “I see this job as long term – if they’ll have me.”

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