"I have known Natalie for over 15 years, and her professionalism and deep understanding of the financial industry have always been inspiring. Her agency sets the benchmark for transparency, clear communication, honesty, and the kind of practical advice freelancers need when securing roles and finalising contract terms.

Recently, when I was impacted by another agency’s default, I turned to Natalie for help. She worked tirelessly for weeks, navigating complex legal challenges and uncertainty. Thanks to her persistence and expertise, I achieved a full recovery. It was a huge relief to have her in my corner, protecting my interests during such a stressful time.

Beyond her industry knowledge, Natalie is highly skilled in legal contracts and the administrative details that ensure all parties are protected.

I would wholeheartedly recommend Natalie to any professional seeking a new role and to any employer looking for the right candidate. She delivers results and represents both parties in the process."

"Natalie and her team were brilliant from start to finish. She really understood what I was looking for in a project management role within financial services and made the whole process feel effortless. From the first chat to landing the offer, everything moved quickly and smoothly. Truly grateful for such a wonderful opportunity. Couldn’t have asked for better support!"

If you're a technology job hopeful aiming to work in London or Financial Services, you've probably noticed something strange creeping into the hiring process.

The interviews are becoming longer, more complex - and quite frankly, it's getting silly.

Overly long, ‘marathon’ job interviews are alive and kicking tech candidates

A “nine-stage interview” was flagged up on my LinkedIn feed only the other day.

Not that I need social media to tell me that this trend of the ‘marathon’ interview is alive and kicking IT job candidates (thanks, Rebecca Collis for sharing, though).

That’s because I’m the founder of boutique staffing agency Bowers Partnership. We place freelance and contract IT professionals with Investment, Wealth, and Asset Owner companies, writes Bowers Partnership boss Natalie Bowers.

The hiring process equivalent to dial-up? Marathon interviews feel like it…

And while the tech in 2025-26 keeps getting slicker, the hiring process? It's heading in the opposite direction.

This article on tech job interview ‘scope creep,’ if you will, is a follow-up to my last Free-Work article, where I helped you decode freelance job adverts.

Multi-multi stage interviews are all the rage in IT

Only this time, I’m looking at what happens AFTER you apply for an IT role because the modern tech interview is turning into a full-blown side hustle. And an unpaid one at that!

Don’t worry; I’ll explain, including with some top tips (now and next week) on how to deal with the increasingly common ‘multi-multi’ stage interview, also known as the ‘marathon interview.’

What is a marathon interview?

A marathon interview is a job interview that spirals out of all proportion to the tech work you’re going forward for (contractor) or applying for (permanent).

The marathon interview often starts with a quick “intro call.” All is fine so far.

Then there’s a chat with the hiring manager. Sounds promising!

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"Natalie and her team have been instrumental in making the process effortless especially for a new contractor. Natalie’s experience within the IT recruitment field is unmatched and this is evident through the high quality contracts she secures."

"I recently secured a contract for a desktop refresh program. The whole process was seamless. Even though I was overseas the communication with Natalie was excellent, the attention to detail in regard to interview preparation definitely helped secure this position. I found the whole process easy and professional. The onboarding too was prompt and easy to follow, with regular emails and calls from Natalie and Lynette making sure I had everything in order ready to start work. I highly recommend Bowers Partnership to anyone wishing to gain employment."

Spring Statement 2025 affects contractors in potentially numerous ways – with ten devils in the detail, but it didn’t live up to its billing.

How are Spring Statement experts who didn’t respond responding?

Rachel Reeves’s second fiscal statement was such a damp squib that:

• · a technical tax officer told ContractorUK they were too “underwhelmed” to comment.
• · a senior employment law partner asked ContractorUK, “Have I missed something?”
• · an agency boss told ContractorUK that the chancellor’s speech sent them into a “dream” of IR35 reform being repealed.

How long was Spring Statement 2025?

The extremely short duration of Reeves’s statement – just over 33 minutes – is partly behind the feeling of underwhelm.

For context, the longest UK Budget speeches have been over four hours, and the shortest (until now) was 45 minutes (Disraeli, 1867).

Why was Spring Statement 2025 so short?

Yesterday, Reeves reiterated to MPs Labour’s commitment to “deliver just one major fiscal event a year.”

Spring Statement 2025 is the first “Spring Forecast” -- as officials are trying to rebrand it, to seemingly ‘go light’ to help achieve that commitment.   

Further explaining its brevity, Spring Statement 2025 “does not contain any further tax increases,” the chancellor said in her speech. 

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The boss of the world’s biggest building society has said women who work from home potentially put their career growth in jeopardy.

Debbie Crosbie, Chief Executive of Nationwide, also said that given a choice, women are less likely than men to go into the office.And that’s problematic for women’s career progression, she hinted, as “being seen…is a really important part of development.”

'Development-watching'

Speaking to Radio 4’s Today programme, Crosbie also said “development-watching” — her term for observing leaders up close — was “vital learning” denied by working from home.

Crosbie’s suggestion is that a “physical presence” in the workplace is the key to getting promoted.

‘Up to 40% of end-users now encouraging office-time’

A jobs agency recruiting IT contractors for London’s Square Mile, Bowers Partnership, says it received “fewer” fully remote roles in January 2025.

“[While] hybrid working is still going strong, particularly in tech…around 30-40% of our clients are encouraging more office-time,” the agency’s founder Natalie Bowers told Women in Tech.

‘A lot more flexibility given, post-pandemic’

In her BBC interview, the building society boss said: “Post the pandemic, there has been a lot more flexibility given; not just to people who have child caring responsibilities but also to people who have either caring responsibilities.

“I’m a great fan of that. I just think that we’ve got to be really careful of making sure women get the chance to be present in the business-place as well, because being seen – and then seeing other leaders – is a really important part of their development. We need to be careful that we don’t inadvertently prevent women from taking opportunities by [them] not being in the office”.

‘Flexibility, a huge draw for women in tech’

The boss of Bowers Partnership added: “Smart companies realise that flexibility is a huge draw for top talent, especially women in tech.

“Why? Because it’s much less about Zoom calls in pyjamas, and much more about accessibility, balance, and breaking down barriers.

“For some, it’s also about avoiding costly, stressful, inefficient commuting while for others, it’s about juggling family commitments. Options on how you work — not mandating where — send a clear signal that a company or employer values its workers’ time and wellbeing.”

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If you’ve worked in tech or finance, you know the drill. There’s always a ‘go-to’ person who gets the big projects, leads the meetings, and, often enough, earns the promotions.

But if you look around, how often is that person a woman? And when women are being promoted or being made visible, how often is their work front and centre? Not nearly enough. That’s the visibility gap in a nutshell — and it’s holding back women in tech, big time, writes Natalie Bowers , founder of niche tech recruiters Bowers Partnership.

The gritty truth: women's work isn't always seen

The visibility gap isn’t just a quiet, little oversight; it’s more like the office’s unspoken secret.

In my years of recruiting, I’ve seen plenty of situations where talented women are overlooked for major projects, despite clearly being the right fit.

Too often, their work gets lumped into the background, and they are left without credit.

A woman can develop a game-changing solution, get the project across the finish line, and…barely get so much as a nod in the organisation’s next update!

The wealth and investments sector is leading the way on female tech leadership roles

Interestingly, within the investments and wealth sector, many IT director and Chief Technology Officer roles are now held by women — a promising sign that some sectors are leading the way.

Often, ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) principles are behind this shift, as companies increasingly prioritise diversity as part of their social and governance goals.

But across the broader UK tech landscape, women still represent only 5% of leadership positions.

While some sectors may be setting a positive example, there’s much more to be done.

CONTINUE READING: 

"The most professional firm I have come across by far. From being made aware of the role to getting interviewed and hired was so seamless. When I say Natalie knows her Clients, I mean she really KNOWS them. The whole team are so friendly and helpful it is always a pleasure. I had been searching for a niche role for so long, one conversation and that was that. Other companies need to aspire to the standards set by Bowers Partnership. Thank you team!!"

As Recruiters for the Investment Management and Wealth Management sectors, partnering with internal recruitment teams is crucial for success. Let's dive into how internal recruiters and agency specialists can work together to achieve outstanding results.

Internal recruiters possess invaluable insights into their company's culture, values, and immediate goals. They know the team dynamics and the specific needs of their organisation. On the other hand, agency recruiters bring a wealth of market knowledge, extensive networks, and a fresh perspective, especially for niche roles. By pooling these strengths, we can deliver the best talent fit consistently.

To ensure smooth collaboration:
- ✅ Maintain clear and constant communication.
- ✅ Share open feedback and insights about candidates.
- ✅ Align on timelines and recruitment strategies.

Effective teamwork between internal and agency recruiters can streamline the hiring process, ensure high-quality candidates, and foster a positive experience for all involved. If you want to partner with us to enhance your in-house recruitment results just get in touch with us.