Nottinghamshire Police launched a new concept in its ongoing recruitment drive after hosting the force’s first-ever open day for potential new recruits.
The Recruitment Open Day marked a fresh approach for the force in its efforts to attract the brightest and best candidates.
The event on Wednesday (14 December 2022) saw nine shortlisted candidates invited to force HQ where they took part in a recruitment fair, before team building exercises and an interview carousel.
Two candidates landed administrative jobs in the Citizens in Policing Department (CiPD), four more are now on a pass list for that role and similar posts and three remain part of the recruitment process for possible jobs in the enquiry officer team.
Superintendent Amy Styles-Jones, of Nottinghamshire Police, said the open day was a great way for managers within the force to find out more about candidates without having to deal with large amounts of paperwork.
She said: “We are always looking at new ways to recruit and this was fresh, stripped-back approach which is very different to our traditional recruitment techniques.
“It was a huge success and really gave the candidates the opportunity to shine and tell us about themselves. They really got stuck into the team-building exercises and completed some excellent interviews.
“We hope events like this will allow us to fill the posts which are available and also provide a pool of talent going forward for when other vacancies arise.
“Candidates may not get the job they initially apply for, but could find out about another post on the day which they are suitable for and possess the skills needed to pursue that role.
“The event was also a new approach for managers who were able to shortlist candidates prior to the day and avoid a lot of time-consuming paperwork.
“We’ll now be working on feedback, both from hiring managers and the candidates, to make any changes needed for the next event.
“It’s an idea that can be used by departments across the organisation. Contact Management is hoping to hold a recruitment open day in the new year and Information Services is looking at a similar process for recruiting their next apprentice roles.
“We are hopeful this first event will spearhead a new way of continuing to attract the very best candidates to the force.”
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