Build a more diverse and inclusive technology team: downloadable eBook
Our eBook, ‘Making tech inclusive: strategies for developing a more diverse workforce’, has been designed to help you reflect on what’s working and what’s not when it comes to your I&D policies, and improve in areas you may have overlooked.There will always be room for improvement when working to achieve an equal and inclusive environment for everyone, as needs change over time. This comprehensive guide can help you gauge the needs of your workforce and allow you to attract and retain the best talent in IT.By downloading this free eBook, you will find out:How diverse the technology sector isWhat diversity and inclusion mean and why they’re differentWhat workplace challenges people from minority backgrounds faceHow to eliminate bias from your recruitment processWhy inclusion and diversity benefit your businessHow upskilling can contribute to inclusivityTips on expanding and diversifying your talent poolHow to improve attraction and retention through inclusionThe value of offboarding correctlyDeveloping a robust diversity and inclusion strategy doesn’t just help employees who are outside the societal norm, but everyone in your company. It will also have a positive impact on your bottom line. Here are some of the dos and don’ts of inclusive recruitment – you can find out more in the guide:This guide is for:Tech employers who want to widen their talent pool and diversify their workforceBusiness leaders who have policies in place but believe they can do more for their employeesAnyone interested in adopting a more inclusive mindset."Removing the invisible barriers to inclusion by showing that your company is open to all will inevitably help you form a more diverse network, customer base and talent pool."
Download - ESG interview questions for senior roles
ESG or environmental, social and governance is a holistic approach to sustainability.Getting the right people to implement any environmental, social and governance (ESG) strategy is clearly important, making the interview stage for senior ESG appointments a key moment.Choosing the right ESG interview questions will allow employers to understand the sort of leadership capabilities a candidate has alongside the expertise they bring. What is ESG?:At the most basic level ESG stands for environmental, social and governance, with these three criteria broken down individually within a company’s ESG policy.Environmental: The environmental aspect of ESG looks at how a business operates as a steward of the natural environment, focusing on all aspects of sustainability including waste, pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.Social: The social element of a company’s ESG framework examines the impact of operations on the human rights of workers, covering areas such as diversity and inclusion, workplace equality and pay and conditions.Governance: The governance aspect of ESG looks at how a business polices itself and its corporate governance. This can relate to issues such as transparency, accountability, and compliance.ESG interview questions:Our downloadable template contains ESG job interview questions that should be asked of someone applying for a senior environmental, social and governance role. It includes important questions such as:What experience do you have with ESG frameworks?What do you see as the three essential pillars of ESG?What ESG key performance indicators do you work towards?How do you keep track of evolving trends in ESG?What ESG certifications do you hold?These questions will allow employers to understand the sort of leadership capabilities a candidate has alongside the expertise they bring. You will find many more on our downloadable template to give you the best possible chance of recruiting the highest calibre of ESG professional.Download our free template, ‘ESG interview questions for senior roles’, by clicking on the button at the top of the page.
How to create a great recruitment strategy
Getting your recruitment strategy right is key to hitting your business goals. Here are some expert tips to help you set up your company for success – and the shortcuts to keep you ahead of your competition.What is a recruitment strategy?A recruitment strategy is a clear plan that explains what roles you’ll recruit for, when, why and how. It should be tied to your overall company objectives.Your strategy must be possible to implement and easy to communicate. While you can tweak your tactics, the strategy must always be clear.Unsure how many employees you’ll need? Hiring temporary staff helps you expand quickly and risk free.The core aspects of a great recruitment strategyGrowth PlansIn order to scale up your workforce, you’ll need to hire – which takes time and resources.Create a measure to help you identify which areas of your business will benefit most from increased headcount.This could focus on return on investment or opportunities lost.Shortcut: Unsure how many new employees you’ll need? A recruitment agency will give you access to temporary staff and contractors to help you expand quickly and risk free.Employer BrandMake sure your employer brand and message are attractive to your target audience, particularly over social media. A well-known brand is a big selling point to talented job hunters.Be open and transparent about the company’s working culture to ensure you attract candidates that will match your business.Shortcut: If your brand isn’t well known, a recruitment agency can contact candidates directly and spend time promoting your employer messages.Skills AuditUse your company objectives to identify developing areas of the business, then decide on the skills you will need to succeed.Your recruitment strategy should include ways to find and bring new skills into the company.Employers often focus on advanced digital and technical skills, but you should also consider bringing in candidates with different experiences.Shortcut: When interviewing for a role you’ve never done yourself, your recruitment consultant can offer interview tips and support to build your confidence."You can tweak your tactics, but your end goals must be clear."FlexibilityIf your company needs to adapt quickly to an unpredictable market then hiring permanent staff may not be the right option.Your strategy should include a plan for temporary staff and contractors to cover projects that are likely to change at short notice.Shortcut: Unless you already have an advanced payroll function, it makes sense to ask your recruitment agency to manage payroll for your temporary workforce. They look after tax, holiday pay and even pension contributions – saving you a lot of hassle.When to review your recruitment strategyYou should always be thinking about how you differentiate your company from your competitors, and how you can be a more attractive prospect for potential candidates.Pay close attention to all aspects of the recruitment process, and make tactical tweaks throughout the year when necessary – while holding firm to your recruitment strategy.You should review your overall recruitment strategy annually to make sure it ties in with your wider business objectives. It’s important that everyone in the company understands your goals – so be clear and concise about what success looks like and how you will get there.
How to prepare for an interview presentation
Particularly for executive level positions, a presentation stage can be an integral part of the short-listing process.Many employers opt for a presentation interview as it gives a better overview of your general aptitude when compared to (or combined with) a traditional question and answer interview. The presentation is your opportunity to showcase your knowledge, experience and communication skills as well as your general organisation and diligence.Here are our tips on how you can ensure you deliver the best interview presentation possible.Preparing your presentation for an interviewKeep each slide short and significant, aiming for no more than 10 slides. This ensures the information you deliver is memorable and will help you to stand out from other intervieweesUse a range of formats to help illustrate your points. Include graphs, statistics, diagrams, video clips, and images to help break up large volumes of text and maintain the attention of the interviewersInclude quotes from industry leaders and/or research pieces. This helps give your points authority and demonstrate your commercial awarenessIncorporate company colours or fonts in the design of your presentation. This will show you’ve done your research and highlight your brand awarenessCheck spelling and grammar thoroughly – small mistakes can really undermine the content of your presentationPresenting tipsPresent confidently and enthusiastically. Remember to speak clearly, make eye contact and use open body languagePractice, practice, practice. Ensure you are well rehearsed so that you are familiar with the structure and are able to deliver your presentation smoothlyArrive early to give yourself time to set up the presentation and settle any nervesGet comfortable with PowerPoint and presentation equipment. Make sure you know how to work the projector, visual screens or remote control before you begin to avoid any awkward stumbles or pausesHave access to multiple sources of your presentation. Email the file to yourself and the recruiter, bring a copy on a USB stick and bring printed handouts. This way you are covered if anything goes wrong with the file you’re intending to useStay within the allocated time. If you have not been given a guidance on length, aim for the 10 minute mark. Time your presentation when you are practising to make sure it will fit within your allowed time slot. If you need to reduce the content of your presentation, cut out the least relevant or weakest pointsBe prepared to adapt. You may have practiced your presentation in a certain way, but the interviewer might not respond accordingly. Be prepared to be stopped for questions or further discussion unexpectedly10 minute interview presentation templateBelow is an example for the structure of your interview presentation. Use this as a baseline and adapt or reorder where appropriate based on the task you have been set by the interviewer.Slide 1:Introduction – Reiterate the objectives you have been set and lay out the structure of your presentation so that the interviewers know what to expectSlide 2:About you – Detail your professional experience, skills and working styleSlide 3:Company history – Give a brief summary of the company history, any milestones or awardsSlides 4-7:Answering the brief – Give your responses to questions you’ve been asked to answer, the benefits and limitations of your suggestionsSlide 8:Question and answers – Include a slide titled ‘questions and answers’ as a cue to pause for interactionSlide 9:Conclusion – Sum up the key points you have made, reach a decision and explain your reasoningSlide 10:Personal achievements – End the interview on a high with a brief slide on achievements that show you will succeed in the roleTaking these steps should help you to succeed in your presentation interview.
Top 10 competency-based interview questions to find the perfect candidate
This list of competency-based questions encourage interviewees to use real-life examples in their answers. You get to understand how a candidate made a decision, and see the outcome of their actions.Our top ten list of competency-based interview questions will help you recruit the skills your team needs.1. What are your greatest strengths?This is a classic interview question, and with good reason.It’s a chance for your candidate to prove they have the right skills for the role. Keep the job description in mind to see whether the interviewee understands how their skills relate to the role.Remember you’re looking for transferable skills, not proof that they’ve done the role before.2. What will your skills and ideas bring to this company?This competency-based question is an opportunity to see which of your candidates stand out from the crowd.A good candidate will show an understanding of your company goals within their answer. A great candidate will offer practical examples of how their skills can help you achieve that vision.3. What have you achieved elsewhere?Confidence is key in this competency-based question. It gives your candidate an opportunity to talk about previous successes and experiences that relate to your vacancy.Make sure the achievements you take away from their answers are work-related and relevant to what you’re looking for.4. How have you improved in the last year?Candidates can tie themselves up in knots trying to disguise their weaknesses. This competency-based interview question is a chance to show a willingness to learn from their mistakes.It’s also an opportunity to test the candidate’s level of self-awareness and desire to develop."Competency-based interview questions ask for real-life examples to show a candidate’s skills."5. Tell me about a time you supported a member of your team who was strugglingThis competency-based question will test your candidate’s ability to show compassion towards their colleagues without losing sight of their own objectives.Those further along in their career should be able to reference training or mentoring that not only helped their co-worker but also improved team performance.6. Give an example of a time you’ve had to improvise to achieve your goalIn other words: “Can you think on your feet?” It is increasingly important to be able to react to unexpected situations.The candidate’s answer should highlight their ability to keep their cool and perform in a scenario they haven’t prepared for.7. What was the last big decision you had to make?The answer to this question should be a window into your candidate’s decision-making process and whether their reasoning is appropriate for your role.This is a competency-based question designed to highlight how an interviewee makes decisions. Do they use logical reasoning? Gut intuition? However they manage big decisions, does their approach match what you’re looking for?8. Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult personAll candidates should be able to reference an experience of working with a challenging colleague. Look for them to approach this question with honesty and a clear example of working through the experience.Rather than passing blame, there should be a recognition of the part they have played in the situation, and how they might tackle it differently next time.It’s essential to get a sense of how candidates would fit and thrive within your company culture.9. What was the last thing you taught?You’ve asked the interviewee about their skills, but can they show a capability for teaching others about these skills?This question isn’t restricted to managerial or senior roles, and should be asked whenever you’re looking for a candidate who will add value to your team.10. Why are you a good fit for this company?The key to this competency-based question is whether the candidate can explain how their transferable skills would fit your role. This tests both an awareness of their own abilities and an understanding of what you are looking for in a new employee.The candidate should be able to confidently explain why they want to work for your company, and convince you that they would fit your team culture.If you’re interested in learning more about interviews, please contact your local recruitment specialist.
How long should an interview last?
Discover the full range of items to take into account when planning to interview a candidateInterviewing candidates is often the most crucial part of any recruitment process. Our clients often ask the question, “How long should an interview last?”Spending too little time in an interview can mean you don’t pick up on candidate skills. Too long and it you will experience a diminishing return on your time.Commonly, face-to-face interviews tend to last no less than 30 minutes. Half an hour doesn't give either you or the candidate an accurate impression of each other. After all, you want to ensure that they are the best fit for the business.Although it varies depending on industry, most interviews last between 45 minutes and one hour. This should provide sufficient time and flexibility from both sides to get to know one another.But what works for one business may not work for you. The length of time spent in an interview is also highly dependent on how senior and/or specialist the role is, as well as the total time you and your staff have available.So, to help you to decide on how long an interview should last, here are some items to consider:Before the interview:To make a good impression, candidates often arrive before their allotted time. Ensure either you or a member of staff has the time to greet them before the interview begins.During the interview:Making a firm decision on how an interview will be structured beforehand will help dictate the overall duration of the interview.If an interview is a structured series of competency based questions then the overall time spent will be fairly consistent across multiple candidates. Rehearsing the interview process with another employee can help to gauge how long the interview will take. Less formal interviews often help to gain a better insight into a candidate and can help to build a greater rapport. If you're planning on a more relaxed interview style then extra time may need to be factored in depending how the conversation develops.In certain industries, companies will often ask candidates for a demonstration of their skills alongside a traditional face-to-face interview. If there are any tasks, tests or formal presentations that need to be completed the time for these will also need to be factored in.It is also important that a candidate has the opportunity to raise anything that they're unsure about. Remember to allow time for questions from the candidate at the end of the interview.After the interview:Once the discussions have taken place does the candidate need to be shown anything more, meet members of staff, or see your facilities?The more you can plan your interview process, the better you will be at estimating how long the interview will take – which will give you a more effective recruitment process.