What candidates want and need from the recruitment process

It continues to be incredibly challenging for charities to find the right candidates for their roles, especially across fundraising where expectations remain incredibly high post-pandemic, but competition for funding has also increased.

In the year since THINK Recruitment launched, we have engaged over 550 candidates who expressed interest in the roles we have recruited for. THINK Recruitment has seen how taking steps to make your organisation and role as attractive as possible to prospective candidates can reap rewards. If candidates have a good experience during the selection process, this only reflects well on you, your organisation and ultimately stands you the best chance of finding that perfect candidate.

Fair pay for fair work is obviously incredibly important, but there are steps organisations can take to make their recruitment process more candidate friendly and appeal to a wider audience without increasing salaries:

Provide clarity

Be clear and concise about what you want from the candidate, and your expectations of the role. Avoiding ambiguity reduces the potential question marks a candidate may have about the role, and minimise barriers to them applying.

As well as being clear about what you want from the role, don’t forget to provide the why. Fundraisers are all about impact, communicating with donors about why it’s vital they support their cause and the impact of that support. The same needs to be communicated when recruiting. If there is something in the job description that you can’t explain the ‘why’ behind – take it out.

Be transparent

Be honest and upfront about the challenges the candidates may face in the role, how decisions are made, what the culture is like, etc. Up to 20% of employee turnover happens within the first 45 days, so take the opportunity within the recruitment process to address issues head-on that, if not mentioned, could lead the candidate to feel they were mis-sold once they’re in the role.

Being transparent means the candidates can make a true assessment as to whether they are right for the organisation and role, and if the organisation and role are right for them. It may feel daunting to be open in what is still a candidate’s market, but those who engage with your vacancy will be armed with all the facts to address challenges and deliver success in the role.

While increasing salaries may not be possible, at THINK Recruitment we advocate for pay transparency as part of the recruitment process. If you only recruit at the bottom of the salary band, communicate that so candidates are aware. If there’s flexibility for demonstrable expertise in the role, state that. Salary transparency and clarity can foster a sense of trust from interested candidates and show that the organisation values fairness and inclusivity.

Flex where possible

Working patterns and candidates desire for flexibility has changed drastically since 2020 and this isn’t going to change any time soon. Candidates value flexibility such as the ability to work compressed hours, job share, work staggered hours to accommodate caring responsibilities, or work different hours term-time versus school holidays. Being clear about where your organisation can provide flex and examples of how this is currently modelled within the existing staff base will help candidates to see themselves at your organisation. If there are hard lines such as always needing to be in the office on a specific day for face-to-face time with the team, ensure you provide the ‘why’ – what’s the value and why is it important for mission delivery? This demonstrates to candidates that you are purposeful in your methods.

Also consider how flexible you can be with candidates’ skills and experience – what’s ‘essential’ and where you can flex. Candidates now, more than ever, want to be seen and heard as people rather than roles. Being clear in your recruitment process about where you can flex to accommodate transferrable skills will give candidates the chance to be seen and heard for who they are and be more appealing to a diverse range of candidates.

We know recruitment is challenging, but with consideration much can be done to make roles more appealing to a wider candidate base. THINK Recruitment is here to help with your recruitment needs. Get in touch for a no obligation chat.

 Jo McGuinness / Recruitment Manager
February 2025

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If you’re a non-profit looking for support, we can help! You can get in touch with us here. You can also find us on LinkedIn at THINK Consulting Solutions, where we share useful industry insights.