It has been a rollercoaster over the past few weeks and a time of confusion and stress for most people. Charity People remains positive and hopeful; mostly because our consultants are having inspiring interactions, every day, with charities and candidates as the sector does what it does best. Rolls up its sleeves and get to work.

To make things as simple as possible for an organisation about to embark on a recruitment process that needs to happen completely remotely, we have put together this specialist pack to support you with various steps you will need to consider in the context of social distancing.

Here you’ll find a step-by-step guide to support remote recruitment:

  • Advertising
  • Long-listing and short-listing applicants
  • Briefing calls with candidates
  • Candidate assessment techniques
  • 360˚ references

Advertising

Advertising across various job boards is key to ensure you reach a wide talent pool.

Language plays a significant part in attracting the right candidate. Your advert should focus on the candidate as much as possible and use the ‘you’ pronoun wherever possible. An advert shouldn’t be a regurgitation of your job description and person specification. It should be an exciting and enticing read that stops good candidates in their tracks!

Charity People are expert communicators when it comes to creating job adverts.

Applications

This is the perfect time to assess whether your application process is working for you, especially at a time when candidates may have less time on their hands if they have children at home.

Is your long application form right for the current climate?

There is debate from an equality and diversity perspective on the use of CVs, but they remain a quick and efficient way to assess a candidate’s suitability.

However, if you’d like to try a more innovative and inclusive approach how about three key questions with a 500-word limit attached to each. It’s also a great internal ‘acid test’ for your key requirements; a boiled down version of your person spec that allows you to consider transferable skills more easily. This method can be adapted to suit your job profile and skills need.

We are happy to offer free advice and guidance on how this could work for your charity and skills gap.

Charity People can take this admin-heavy task off your hands if you are really busy right now. We can provide either a comprehensive longlist or a more detailed shortlist. Both will contain candidates that have been thoroughly assessed by our experienced consultants in a way that best suits your culture and need.

Briefing calls with candidates

Due to limited face-to-face contact at the moment, there can be a worry about recruiting someone you haven’t met in person. Increasing the number of contact points you have with candidates can set your mind at ease. Having an initial informal conversation that isn’t an interview can be incredibly valuable to set both yourself and a candidate at ease before a formal telephone/video interview.

It can provide clarity on motivation and values fit too. You can also use this technique to ensure you get the best quality from longlist to shortlist.

Interviews – telephone versus video

There is some evidence to suggest that video interviews can disadvantage older candidates who may not be as used to digital platforms, so you should consider this when making a decision on your assessment methods. If you want to go ahead with video interviews (and they certainly feel like a good option in this new remote world), consider whether candidates need support to set themselves up digitally prior to interview to ensure inclusivity.

Telephone and video interviewing are fairly new for most people so give yourself time and space to get used to this new way of working.

Many of Charity People’s consultants are either fully or partially homebased so we’re well placed to offer advice and guidance on how to get the best out of a remote process.

How else can we test people?

Charity People has spent time mapping how to get a fuller picture of capability and experience in this new remote world. We are offering a range of additional services including chemistry testing, online tasks, virtual presentations and creating candidate portfolios to showcase their work. Perhaps it is worth considering undertaking a full and comprehensive psychometric assessment?

Please get in touch for support, advice and guidance on any of these techniques.

References using the 360 approach

360° referencing is the perfect way to get a wider perspective of a candidate: line manager, a peer or colleague, and someone a candidate has managed or mentored.

While social distancing prevents us from meeting in person, this is an excellent method of gathering information and insight (and can include skills, experience, personality and collaborative working).

A helpful tool for all hires, but particularly in a remote world. We want to provide as many resources as possible to assist you in having the confidence to appoint.

Call us

Charity People makes your recruitment process easy and effective. We have the tools to give you the confidence to make decisions now and enable you to on-board where necessary in this new remote world.

We are still here, still recruiting, still smiling. Call us for a chat and see how we can best help you.