Tools and templates to attract, recruit and retain talent

These tools and templates will help you to attract, recruit and retain the right people for digital, data and technology roles.

Feel free to copy and use the templates on this page for your own use.

On this page:

Tools and templates to attract candidates:

• Contents of a message to approach potential candidates
• Best practice job descriptions
  • content of an inclusive job description
  • example of an inclusivity statement
• Attracting diverse talent
• Social media best practice
  • Example social media posts

Tools and templates to recruit:

• Application sifting and scoring template
• Example interview template
• Example Trello board to track the recruitment process

Tools and templates to retain:

• Exit interview template

Further reading

• Webinars
• Blogs

Contents of a message to approach potential candidates

When sending a message to a potential candidate, you should start by: 

• introducing yourself and your role 
• briefly introducing the organisation that’s recruiting and its vision 
• explaining the role and why you think they’re suitable for it 

Each message should be tailored, but here is essential information which you should include: 

• a link to the full job description on a website 
• the salary 
• the benefits the organisation offers 
• examples of projects that the organisation work on 
• an offer to have a direct conversation over the phone or by video call before they apply 
• the closing date 
• your contact details 

Best practice for job descriptions

Example job description

This template is an example of best practice job description when recruiting for digital, data and technology roles.

Neath Port Talbot Council have also shared with us their job descriptions and person specifications for Digital, Data and Technology roles.

Content of an inclusive job description

In an inclusive job advert, you should: 

• include the salary on all job descriptions 
• list the company benefits for staff  
• use gender-neutral language 
• include an inclusivity statement in all adverts 

Example inclusivity statement

This inclusivity statement is one we have used in CDPS’s job descriptions:

Please keep reading
 
Research shows that, while men apply for jobs where they meet 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalised people tend only to apply when they check every box.

So, if you think you have what it takes, but don’t necessarily meet every single point on the job description, please still get in touch. We’d love to have a chat and see if you’d be a good fit.    

We are passionate about creating a diverse workforce and positively encourage applications from under-represented communities. We embrace equality of opportunity irrespective of disability, neurodivergence, ethnic origin, colour, nationality, gender and gender presentation, marital status, sexual orientation, culture or religion.   

Communities to engage and attract diverse talent

It’s also important to engage with LGBTQI+ and Contendiverse groups on Slack, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok. Many members will be passive candidates who aren’t signing up for job boards. Meeting them on platforms they will already be using is a way of reaching out.  

Here is a list of Slack groups you may want to engage with if you work in tech. 

Social media best practice

These are tips to increase engagement and reach on social media: 

• include enough ‘white space’ – don’t clump text together 
• separate sentences with line breaks 
• begin your post with a question that will spark interest 
• use hashtags in your post (LinkedIn recommends no more than 3 hashtags) 
• tag members of your senior leadership team or staff with large networks 
• encourage staff to retweet or repost with a comment 

Example social media posts

Templates for recruiting

Application sifting and scoring template

You can use this template to score candidates’ applications.

Example recruitment interview template

You can use this template to format and run your interviews.

Example Trello board to track the recruitment process

This Trello board can help you track the progress of recruiting.

Templates for retaining

Exit interview template

You can use this template to understand the reasons someone is leaving your organisation. This helps you to understand what steps you can take to retain staff in the future.

Webinars

Watch a recording of the attract webinar:

Watch a recording of the recruiting talent webinar:

Watch a recording of the retaining talent webinar:

Blogs

How to attract talent to digital, data and technology roles

In response to the public sector crisis in attracting, recruiting and retaining staff within the digital, data and technology (DDaT) space, here are some ideas on how to attract digital talent.

How long should the recruiting process take?

Our Talent Partner, Lauren Power talks about what the recruitment process looks like at CDPS and how long it takes to recruit.

How to keep staff happy and retain them at your organisation

There are steps that employers can take to make sure staff are happy and stay at your organisation, says Lauren Power, our Talent Partner

Tools and templates to attract, recruit and retain talent

Tools and templates for hiring and human resources managers to find new and different ways to attract, recruit and retain the right people to digital, data and technology roles.