How we are making our recruitment more inclusive

In an era where organisations are increasingly striving for inclusivity and diversity in their workforce, innovative tools and platforms are emerging to help achieve this goal. At Energise Me we have embraced the Applied recruitment platform, aiming to transform our hiring process to be more inclusive, fair, and diverse.

We’ve been learning about unconscious bias, where unconscious preferences or prejudices can influence the hiring decisions made by employers. Often, candidates can be disadvantaged due to factors such as gender, ethnicity, age, experience or educational background. Energise Me recognised the importance of combating bias in our recruitment process, and continually challenged ourselves through our Diversity and Inclusion action plan.

What is Applied? It’s a recruitment platform that introduces an unconventional approach to hiring the right candidates. Unlike traditional methods that rely heavily on resumes and cover letters, Applied focuses on a few well-thought-out questions that focus on an applicant's ability rather than experience.

My experience as a candidate with the Applied platform

Akshayaa Bharathkumar – Marketing and Communications Officer

“As someone who has navigated the job market in recent times, I found Energise Me's approach to using the Applied platform refreshing. Traditional recruitment methods often required me to upload a CV and then manually input all the information once again, a process that can be complex and time-consuming. In contrast, the Applied platform simplified the initial application process, asking me to answer five questions, with a word limit of 250 words for each answer. This approach not only saved me time, it allowed me to the chance to showcase my skills and knowledge, rather than rely on a list of previous roles – something that was beneficial as a recent graduate.”

How we’re evolving and learning

We’re still learning how best to use Applied and adapt frequently based on the quality of applications, feedback from applicants and changes in technology.

We’re seeing a big increase in the use of AI in applications. Applied has a filter that tells us where it has likely been used, and it’s challenging us to review applications in a different way. We’re committed to asking applicants what they ‘would’ do in situations, rather than asking for a list of experience, and we’re finding that personal responses really stand out.

We also challenge ourselves on whether we’re asking the right questions, as part of this we’ve started including external partners in developing our assessments and assisting with shortlisting and interviewing.

Key takeaways from the Applied Platform

1. Quality over Quantity: By focusing on the content of the candidate’s responses to questions, we prioritise quality and place it at the forefront. This approach ensures that the candidates are evaluated based on their skills and not on the number of keywords on their CV.

2. Unbiased Hiring: The Applied Platform promotes unbiased hiring by removing the potential for unconscious bias that can be introduced in the traditional recruitment process. All candidates are evaluated on the same standardised criteria, creating an equal and fair selection process.

3. Not missing out on the best candidate: We want to hire the best person for the job. This means we focus on the skills and knowledge they hold, through a set of questions rather than a CV. The platform allows applicants to be anonymous and present their skills more effectively, increasing the likelihood of identifying the right talent.

4. More Inclusive and Diverse: By removing barriers and embracing the Applied platform, we’re increasing inclusivity and diversity within our workforce.

By shifting the focus from CVs to thoughtful responses, candidates can shine based on their abilities rather than demographic characteristics.

?Interested in working for us? Current vacancies are available on our website: www.energiseme.org/jobs??

?

?