July 29, 2026 Making Decisions, Recruitment, Recruitment & HR Technology

Tempted to use AI to shortlist your job applicants? Here are four reasons that’s a bad idea

Four reasons not to use AI to shortlist applicants

Reviewing job applications can be hard, time-consuming work – especially when you have a long list of applicants.

And in the last couple of years, AI large language model (LLM) tools like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini hhave become appealing options to cut down the hours and effort of reviewing and shortlisting your job applications.

But while AI can help automate many once-manual processes, should reviewing applications be one of them?

Professor Alysia Blackham from Melbourne Law School is one of the world’s leading experts in age discrimination law. She explains why it’s a bad idea to rely on AI tools to screen your job applicants.

May 20, 2026 Legal Issues, Recruitment

When is it okay to discriminate when hiring new employees for your NFP?

Mostly, discrimination is something people want to avoid – because it’s unfair, and can be incredibly harmful. But what about situations in which discrimination might actually be helpful – either for candidates or for your organisation?

In some circumstances, particularly for NFPs, the law does provide carefully defined exemptions to state- and federal-based anti-discrimination laws.

But this is a complex area, with different rules in different states and territories, so it can be difficult to work out what exactly the laws and exemptions are, and how they apply to your organisation.

May 14, 2026 Recruitment

A guide to messaging candidates in 2026

You’ve identified a great candidate and emailed them the next steps in your recruitment process, but you get no response. A few days later you wonder whether they’ve even seen the message.

With top applicants increasingly receiving messages from employers across several platforms at once – emails, texts, voicemails, social media – it’s becoming more common for messages to get lost in the noise, or even mistaken for a scam.

So what do hiring managers need to consider to ensure their communications are seen and responded to by the best candidates?

May 7, 2026 Managing People Well, Recruitment

What to do when a team member resigns

A sudden resignation and the weeks that follow can be a disruptive time for any organisation, especially close-knit not-for-profits. Here are some key lessons to guide NFP organisations through this turbulent time, and the transition period that follows.

April 1, 2026 Culture and Values, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Recruitment

Six ways to make your recruitment process work for First Nations candidates

If Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander candidates aren’t applying for your roles, the barrier may not be a lack of interest – it may be your recruitment process. Even when NFP employers are working to build a more inclusive workforce, the way roles are designed and advertised can unintentionally exclude First Nations applicants.

The good news is that NFPs can make small changes to create genuinely welcoming, culturally safe hiring processes – and increase engagement from First Nations candidates.

We asked Australia’s only 100% Aboriginal-owned executive recruitment firm specialising in Indigenous appointments how to craft a recruitment process that encourages First Nations people to apply for a role.

March 25, 2026 Recruitment

Does checking references really help you find the best candidate? Here’s what the evidence says

Does checking references really help find the best candidate?

When hiring a new employee, you likely consider information from several sources beyond just a CV and an interview.

One of the most common is to check applicant’s references by speaking to their referees – previous managers or colleagues. Reference checks tend to be the final hurdle; a sort of background check for the candidate’s job history and credentials.

But research suggests there are important limitations to reference checks that are worth keeping in mind.

February 26, 2026 Recruitment

10 things you need to know before you engage a recruitment agency

For NFPs, the decision to use a recruiter can be a difficult one. While they can open doors and save time, they are very expensive – up to 20 percent of the first year’s salary for the role you’re recruiting. So if you decide to go down that path, you need to ensure you’re doing it for the right reasons, and you’re going into it with your eyes wide open.

March 13, 2024 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Recruitment

Why clear job descriptions matter for gender equity – and how to write them

There it is, gleaming at the top of your screen: your dream job, a high-level, well-paying position in your field. Are you qualified enough? Should you apply?

New research shows that talented women are more likely to shy away from applying for job opportunities, particularly more advanced, higher-paying positions, because they’re concerned they aren’t qualified enough, whereas men don’t seem to worry about their skills matching the specific job requirements as much,

Here are three key things that NFP organisations can do to draw more, talented women to apply.

November 29, 2023 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Health & Wellbeing, Recruitment

This ‘tick’ can help make your organisation more attractive to candidates

While the ‘war for talent’ is a terrible metaphor, in a time of record-low unemployment almost every NFP organisation is looking hard for ways to make themselves more attractive to the best candidates.

And with more than 10 percent of Australians identifying as LGBTIQ, a June 2023 survey of 5,474 people who identify as LGBTIQ across Australia and 12 other countries found that one-third were looking to move to a more LGBTIQ-inclusive employer.

One tool that can help you to attract more LGBTIQ candidates and volunteers to your organisation – and better retain your existing LGBTIQ employees and volunteers too – is the ‘Rainbow Tick’.

November 16, 2023 Onboarding, Recruitment

How to onboard a new leader for your organisation

Most NFP board members know that their most important responsibility is to make sure their not-for-profit’s leader has the support and tools they need to make the organisation thrive. Despite this, almost half of all surveyed NFP CEOs saying that they didn’t get a proper onboarding when they started their jobs.

But given that NFP boards are made up of volunteers it’s understandable that many organisations struggle in this area. So here are five recommendations to give a new leader the best start at possible at your NFP.