The shortlisting day for our trainees went rather well..
I was able to relax and observe as the candidates were put through their paces by the staff, mentally noting the potential stars of the day.
I had arranged a rotation of three stages, having split the candidates into 3 groups. The stages consisted of a group task (clearing scrub and maintaining a bonfire), informal chats with staff and a group activity with a twist...
You probably haven't heard of Forest School, but I'm sure you will in the coming years. It's a new-ish style of engaging people with the natural world around them. It perhaps sounds a bit tree hugger but that's because I'm not going to spend too much time explaining it all. If you have the time - have a look here.
The activity they did was to use sticks, leaves, cones, feathers, nuts, string and clay to create their very own 'Forest Friend'. They then named their friend and told a bit of a tale about them to the rest of their group. I know, it all sounds extremely 'fluffy' right now - just bear with me!
Turns out, this was probably the most insightful activity of the day... The candidates got so distracted by making their friend that they forgot about being assessed, relaxed and really started to show us just who they really were. Some great creativity was on show as well, and getting them to talk to their group about their friend was also a very useful exercise.
The feedback from the staff assessing the activity was excellent and really helped to confirm the final selection for the interview stage.
I've just got to figure out how to get the clay out of the carpet now!
On the left, It's Miss 'Stickly' come dancing. On the right, It's Jimmy Hend'Sticks'.
Comments