Top Tips: Attracting Talent with Passion and Purpose
We work with a lot of people in the not for profit world who love what they do and care about the cause they’re working for. When you’re hiring, attracting applicants who bring shared values and purpose is important to helping your NFP team succeed.
While there’re many things you can train people on when it comes to skill requirements, passion is much harder to teach. So how do you attract the right kind of people to your roles? Our top tips are here to help:
Look for potential rather than box ticking
Almost anything can be taught. Rather than getting too bogged down by having applicants tick all the boxes when it comes to required experience, start looking for those that demonstrate the right values and genuine interest in the role and what your organisation does.
When you’re writing the job ad, think carefully about what kind of experience you’re looking for in the role and only list requirements that are absolutely essential. Seek data has shown that 33% of job seekers won’t apply for a role if they don’t meet all the listed . When you split the data between male and female applicants, 65% of women won’t apply vs 41% of men. The last thing you want to do is miss out on people who have the right motivations and passion for the role, but don’t put their name forward because they couldn’t tick all the “required” skills and experience.
Communicate effectively and show your own passion
It’s going to be difficult to find people who share a passion and enthusiasm for your cause if you can’t show it yourself. Job ads and position descriptions that are too stuffy and impersonal are not going to inspire much excitement. Websites and social media accounts that’re either dormant or unengaging aren’t doing your brand any favours either. You can’t expect to have applicants bring their passion to the table when they can’t see it reflected in your advertising campaign or online presence.
Utilise Cover Letters
When you’re hiring, especially for skills-based roles that can be found in almost every sector e.g. accountants, human resources, administrators etc. you tend to find yourself with a long list of applicants that could technically do the job in question but are left guessing as to who’s actually going to be the right fit for your team from a values point of view. CVs can give us a snapshot of someone’s work experience but what’s missing is their motivation for this role in particular. Because you can’t interview absolutely every single person, asking for a cover letter as part of your recruitment process is a good way to allow your candidates to set themselves apart and tell you why it’s your role they want.
Make sure your job ads specifically mention requiring a cover letter as part of the application process, as there’s some advice out there telling people that cover letters are no longer necessary. Not only does the requirement for a cover letter help you understand an applicant’s motivation and current situation, but for those who choose not to include one you now have a good indication of who either didn’t read the ad properly or doesn’t really care about the role they’ve applied for.
Use targeted screening and interview questions
Ask targeted questions of your shortlisted candidates that not only allow them to demonstrate their previous experience, but also allows them to tell you directly how their values align with your organisation. If the candidate’s interest and passion aren’t coming through in their answers, ask them directly about their motivation for applying and more specifically what your cause means to them. Typically, you’ll find it’s pretty obvious if someone is motivated beyond the potential pay-check, but if in doubt find out!
Be flexible and open to alternative working options
Offering flexibility with hours and location, hybrid or remote working are big attractors to job seekers. It’s no secret that salaries in the NFP world can sometimes be on the lighter side compared to their private counterparts, so while money is probably not the biggest driver for your candidates, having a good work/life balance will always be important. We have some tips on how to manage flexible work requests and conversations here. Be sure to mention what flexibility and additional benefits you can offer in your advertising and interviewing process.
The long-term benefits of hiring for passion can’t be understated. Employees who are motivated and engaged are going to go above and beyond. But don’t forget to do thorough background checks and due diligence before making any job offers as it’s important that new hires are going to be the right fit for your team beyond their enthusiasm for the cause.
If you’re feeling uncertain about hiring for passion over skill, take heart that this is a common approach. Research from Seek found that 67% of employers are likely to hire a candidate who demonstrated passion for the role but didn’t have the required years of experience or skills.
Don’t have the capacity to run a thorough candidate attraction and recruitment process? Consider engaging a recruitment agency (like us!) to help ease the pressure and manage all the steps on your behalf.
Good luck,
Kirsty and Nikki
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