How to perfect recruitment in 2022

Perfecting recruitment is particularly important for charities in 2022 due to a post-COVID-19 pandemic drop in the number of candidates for roles.

 

As the charity sector continues to emerge from the health crisis there has been a marked reduction in the number of candidates putting themselves forward for posts.

 

According to the recruitment website CharityJob the number of applications fell by three quarters over 2021.

 

But robust and effective recruitment, from the advertising of roles through to the interview process, can substantially improve charities’ chances of hiring the right member of the team.

 

 

Advertising roles

 

Charities are advised to ensure they take time and care in putting together an accurate and realistic portrayal of roles, such as digital roles, they are advertising.

 

This includes spending time on job descriptions. Recruiter TPP advises charities ensure they avoid simply “copying the role requirements of the previous incumbent”.

 

Instead, charities should look at the role and ways it may be improved within the organisation. Perhaps the new member of the team does not need to take on the same responsibilities?

 

Clear indications of expectations in the role are also vital. If a candidate is ‘mis-sold’ what the role entails they may look to swiftly move on, forcing a charity to resume the recruitment process again.

 

 

Show the Salary

 

Showing the salary is another important part of advertising roles. According to the #ShowtheSalary campaign, which ran from 2020 to 2021, ‘salary secrecy’ can perpetuate wage gaps and fuel discrimination in the work place and hinder efforts to be diverse and equitable.

 

Hundreds of charities and recruitment organisations have signed the campaign’s pledge to #ShowtheSalary. Many have also added salaries to roles and changed their recruitment policies, after being challenged by the campaign.

 

 

Posting in the right places and at the right time

 

According to TPP, January can be the best time to advertise roles. This is because there tends to be more job seekers at this time of year when “people resolve to improve their working life in the New Year”.

 

TPP advises charities consider details of their recruitment drive before the New Year as this is an especially competitive time for finding candidates.

 

A recruitment agency can be invaluable in this process, especially in knowing the best places to advertise. This includes charity sector publications and specialist online recruitment websites, as well as more mainstream media job platforms.

 

 

Using staff as recruiters

 

Existing staff can also be a great source of candidates. This is not only in terms of finding in-house candidates but in referring the charity to friends and former colleagues at other organisations. This makes it vital that jobs are advertised through internal publications and online forums to help staff recommend roles.

 

The process of reviewing CVs and interviewing can also provide a role for staff. They can give charity leaders an additional view of candidates and what the role will require.

 

Charities should also consider widening the breadth of stakeholders involved in the interview process even further. This could involve frontline staff as well as beneficiaries. For example, if a young people’s charity is advertising for a role it makes sense for a young person to sit in on an interview to help ensure the candidate is committed to youth issues.

 

 

Hosting a strong interview

 

Preparation is key to a successful interview. According to recruiter Reed, this groundwork helps to get the “the most out of the conservation”. Advice includes knowing the important points to cover, such as highlights from a candidate’s CV or application and suitability for aspects of the role.

 

Reed recommends:

• Deep diving into applicants’ professional background and relating it to the role
• Avoiding abstract questions for the sake of seeing how they react
• Remembering that interviews are two way to provide candidates with a chance to ask questions too

The use of video technology is leading to a “rapid transformation” of the interview process, adds Reed. This is important to maintain social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic as well as cutting down on a candidate’s travel time and expense.

 

 

Checking references

 

References should be effectively checked. It is essential to check a candidate’s background to help ensure their claims around their career are accurate. According to Reed, one in three CVs contain information that has not been able to be backed up or confirmed during this process.

 

 

Welcoming successful candidates….

 

Retaining new employees starts on their first day by ensuring they are welcomed and looked after in their new role.

 

Advice includes taking the new employee out to lunch on their first day to talk about non-work-related topics to get to know them better.

 

It is also important that they meet their team. This may be virtually for remote workers or office based for those under hybrid working arrangements.

 

Onboarding, also known as organisational socialisation, is crucial to helping new staff members become effective members of an organisation.

 

 

…and giving feedback to those who miss out

 

Recruitment consultant Paul Nott urges charities to prioritise giving feedback to candidates. He says helping unsuccessful candidates to improve supports the charity sector in the long term, by ensuring they are a good prospective new employee in the future.

 

This part of the process also helps treat candidates with respect, after they have spent time preparing for the interview, adds Knott.