Six Ways We've Improved our Hiring Process

Over the past two years at One Acre Fund, we’ve made significant changes to our hiring process in response to candidate feedback and developments in global recruitment best practices. We’ve worked hard to make the recruitment experience faster, smoother, and more flexible than it was before.

Here are six key improvements we’ve made:

1. We’ve reduced hiring time for entry-level roles by 28% and by 38% for mid-to-senior level roles.
2. All roles now have clear 90-day application deadlines. Our application forms are now shorter — reducing the time it takes to complete our application form by 50%.
3. We’ve tried to make the experience more personal. For example, candidates can now record how their name is pronounced so that our hiring team can get it right from the beginning.
4. We’ve also worked hard to improve the relationships we build with candidates. We offer pre-interview online calls and SMS communication and have increased social media interactions with candidates, including a dedicated jobs handle on Twitter that enables us to share our stories, respond to questions and address complaints.
5. We’ve improved our hiring processes for senior roles and significantly improved our diversity in our senior positions. In 2020-21, 85% of our hires for Associate, Manager and Director roles were nationals of African countries. You can read more in our 2021 People and DEI Report.
6. We’ve developed and launched an exciting new internship program in Rwanda to help us develop the next generation of leaders. So far, in 2021, we have hired 19 interns across 10 departments.

As the recruitment space continues to evolve, especially in light of a COVID-19 pandemic that continues to disrupt professional processes, we’re adapting too. For job seekers, particularly new professionals just starting out, understanding what’s changed can give you an edge and help you land the job you desire.