Waterwise Charity Board Recruitment Process Case Study

How Applied (working with Eastside People) Helped Transform Waterwise’s Hiring

Using the Applied system and focussing on skills-based questions instead of previous experience and background made a huge difference. As well as Waterwise being open about this through their employer brand – that diversity and inclusion were important – using Applied meant that this transpired through the actual recruitment process. Waterwise (supported by Eastside People), also held a Zoom drop-in session for interested candidates to find out more about Waterwise, the roles, and the Applied system, which was very well-attended.

Chair of Waterwise, Tania Flasck, was highly impressed by Applied: “I absolutely love the detailed, automated feedback given to candidates, it is rich with data and helps candidates feel that we’ve really taken the time to care about their applications, giving them useful ways to improve for future opportunities.”

Candidates commented they were attracted to the role because the process was so unique that it was obvious it wasn’t just a diversity box-ticking exercise. The success of using Applied became obvious when instead of around the typical 10 candidates per Board role (Eastside People’s figures), there were a total of 57 applications; a 30% increase. Unpaid Board roles often have a low volume of applications so this was a vast improvement. With a wider pool of talent to choose from, more high-quality candidates could be taken through to interview.

It also meant the hiring team spent 50% less time reviewing applications. Managing Director, Nicci Russell from Waterwise said “I was whizzing through them and still feeling like I was getting useful candidate information, the Applied system just makes it so much easier. Candidate quality was higher because the questions were so focused and skills-based, certain applicants just qualified themselves out as they probably couldn’t answer all the questions, leaving us with only high-quality applicants. We ended up appointing five people because the standard was so high.”

The five successful candidates are unique and highly-skilled individuals, between them significantly broadening the skills and insight on Waterwise’s Board – giving Waterwise exactly what they had set out to achieve.

From a recruiter perspective, Eastside People found Applied’s customer service team to be incredibly helpful and responsive throughout, supporting them through a new way of hiring for the first time. They had their eyes opened to a new way of hiring. Bernice Rook, Director of People, said “it made me think differently about what we were really looking for in these candidates and what would show us their potential for success in the role – and (I can’t believe I’m saying this) it was really enjoyable!”

This story has been published courtesy of BeApplied.com and Waterwise.

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How Applied (working with Eastside People) Helped Transform Waterwise’s Hiring

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Board/Trustee Recruitment

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Waterwise and Applied Case Study: Charity Board Recruitment

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Waterwise banner Image Applied & Eastside People Case study

How Applied (working with Eastside People) Helped Transform Waterwise’s Hiring

Related Services

Board/Trustee Recruitment

Get in Touch