Delivering the fastest, most personalised and most professional response to candidates is a passion for Affinity’s Talent Acquisition Team.
“When you find the job you want – you don’t want to wait – and especially in the early education sector where so many of our candidates are being offered multiple roles by multiple companies – we are determined to be the first and best company they hear back from!” explains Mallika Joshi, National Talent Acquisition Manager.
Affinity Education Group was recently re-accredited as part of the Circle Back Initiative which is now in its second year. The accreditation acts as a qualifier for businesses, who commit to responding to every candidate, regardless of the outcome. Newly appointed Assistant Centre Manager Stephanie Davies said her December 2023 recruitment experience with Affinity was great start to her second employement period with the company.
“The Talent Team were so fast in responding to my questions and progressing the application. I had applied for three roles but the one with Affinity was the one I really wanted because it was a step up, so it was great to have my recuitment process run so smoothly,” she said. Ashlee Emblen recently joined Affinity as an Early Childhood Teacher and said the warm welcome and zoom interview process made her feel immediately at ease.
“The team were so prepared with professional questions to ask which really allowed me to showcase my experience and potential as an Early Childhood Teacher,” said Ashlee.
“I already have experience across Educational Leader, Early Childhood Teacher and Management roles, and I am really looking for the next step in my early childhood teaching career with Affinity.”
Steve Gard, founder of the Circle Back Initiative, says ‘prioritising personal connections’ is one of the key elements which can make a difference in candidate recruitment experiences.
“In a recent poll by us at Benchmarcx, 50% of people said that "the way they made me feel" was the final deciding factor in accepting their current or last role,” Steve said.
“Only 19% said it was the salary offered and 31% said it was the role” he said.
Affinity’s Talent Acquisition Team follow up candidates with personal phone calls and encourage them to familiarise themselves with the centre where they would be working.
“We introduce our candidates to our Affinity Values, explain our Affinity Advantages Employee Benefits, and then connect our candidates with Centre Management team as early as possible so they feel comfortable,” said Mallika.
“As our Affinity team is rapidly growing, our unwavering commitment is to identify and welcome the best candidates for every role within our early education centres, ensuring the best possible candidate experience."
Talent Acquisition Team – Affinity Education Group
(L-R – Aaron (AJ), Ryan, Pamela, Abiya, Gayle, Kate, Katherine, Thumashee and Patrick
Linda, Mallika and Michelle