The Together Project

“Over the past few weeks, I've interviewed someone from their hospital bed, someone for whom a new job would mean that she and her two kids can escape an abusive husband, someone whose neurodiversity has meant that employers have failed to recognise her mind-blowing talent and creativity ... the list goes on.

These were the most life-affirming, joyous and fun interviews ever. The candidates are, without exception, some of the most inspiring, passionate, resilient, and talented people I've met. And I cried because I had to tell everyone apart from two that they didn't get the job. I wanted them all. 

We at  The Together Project decided that our previous recruitment process wasn't equitable and didn't attract a truly diverse range of candidates. So, we teamed up with Radical to fix that.

Employers - this isn't about an EDI box-ticking exercise or virtue-signalling. Expand your recruitment pool and you will be blown away by the calibre of candidates you'll attract. You'll meet people who - sadly - will be working harder to impress you and demonstrate their commitment than most others as they know society undervalues them. And as employers, we are the only ones who can fix that.”

Louise Goulden, CEO of The Together Project, contacted Radical Recruit when she decided that she wanted to take a different approach to recruiting to her small charity’s team. Historically, The Together Project had recruited using local sources or word of mouth, but she commented on how this led to hiring a lot of the “same” type of people.

After discussing the best way to tackle hiring they were looking to do – which included two separate roles at different levels and therefore two different skillsets – we agreed that employing the Radical Engagement Package was the best way to achieve their goals. This comprised of:

• Rewrite of job adverts to make them attractive to a diverse range of candidates
• Advertising on our website and social channels with dual-logo branding
• Outreach to our database via mailshot (circa 1500 candidates and 2000 referrals partners)
• An online engagement event inviting Radical candidates to come and hear directly from The Together Project with a chance to ask questions about the position
• Advice and guidance for Louise and the team when it came to making sure that their process was as accessible and equitable as possible

Radical guided Louise through the recruitment process, including how best to tackle reasonable adjustments, criminal record disclosures, and providing a level playing field for neurodivergent candidates.

Louise’s final round of interviews included five Radical candidates vs two direct applicants and resulted in the hiring of one of the candidates engaged with via Radical’s outreach activities[J9] . Louise told us she was blown away with the calibre of candidates she received from Radical and was delighted with the outcome.