Apply to work with Real Ideas

We aim to contact successfully shortlisted candidates within 1 week of the closing date but sometimes this can take a little longer. It will be two weeks at the most.

Given the current situation, we are happy to conduct interviews online if appropriate. If interviews are to be held in person, it will usually be held at either our Plymouth or Liskeard office.

Plymouth office
Devonport Guildhall, Ker Street, Plymouth, PL1 4EL

Nearest railway stations: Devonport (15-minute walk) or Plymouth (40-minute walk)
Nearest bus stop: Cumberland Gardens
Parking: On-street parking is available in the surrounding area. Please park with consideration for local residents.

Liskeard office
2 Pike Street, Liskeard, Cornwall, PL14 3JE

You can walk, drive, cycle or use public transport to access the building.
You’ll find us right in the heart of Liskeard, we’re located on Pike Street (next door to Barclays Bank).

Drive: From Plymouth, use the A38 dual carriageway and follow to Liskeard. Parking is available on street in the Town Centre or at the following Pay and Display car parks: Cattle Market, Lower Sungirt, Rapsons and Westbourne.

Bus: Transport for Cornwall operate the following services from Liskeard: 11, 11A, 71, 73, 74, 75, 77, 236. National Express coaches also pick up in Liskeard with connections to destinations country wide.

Train: Liskeard is situated on the main rail line with direct trains to and from London Paddington, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester, and Scotland. There is also a scenic branch line to Looe.

Great Western Railway and Cross-Country Trains run through Liskeard.

The exact type of interview will vary depending on the role you’re applying for. We appreciate interviews can be stressful, so we try to make them more of a conversation and a chance for you to tell us about how your skills and experience make you the right person for the role.

Sometimes we may ask you to complete a task or a presentation, but we will let you know about this in advance.

Our processes are open, transparent, and fair. If you have any particular needs or requirements, please do let us know so we are able to make the required adjustments.

Who you meet at the interview is determined by the role you are applying for but it’s generally the person you will be reporting to and one or two other members of staff? Occasionally we may ask people from external organisations to join the panel, particularly if the role involves a skill set or expertise in specialist areas.

We try to ensure there is a gender balance across our interview panel, but this isn’t always possible, it depends a lot on staff availability.

We have a relaxed dress code at Real Ideas, so dress how you feel comfortable.

If we are not currently advertising, you are welcome to join our mailing list and receive notifications when new posts become available by signing up to our newsletter.

We take the collection and processing of personal data seriously and have updated our policies, systems and processes to comply with GDPR. You can read our Privacy Notice.

Yes, we encourage people to use public transport where appropriate to reduce carbon emissions. Please do not hesitate to ask for an expenses form before or after the interview.

If you can’t find the answer to your question on this page, please contact jobs@realideas.org or call 0330 223 4158

Once applications have been submitted any personally identifiable data is removed by our HR team prior to then passing to the relevant shortlisting panel for review. We do this to remove any potential unconscious bias. Its only when applications have been shortlisted do panels find out who they will be interviewing.

Each panel member assesses the applications individually against the role profile and score according to the degree to which they think candidates have evidenced the requirements (0 for not at all, 5 for exceeds requirements). Panel members then convene to compare scores and agree which candidate they would like to invite interview. In generally this means scoring 70% or higher on the overall marks available. Any candidate who has scored 0 in any of the sections generally isn’t invited to interview.

It’s also at this stage that our HR team will notify panel members of any adjustments which may need to be made for candidates attending the interview.

The same process is used when apply by CV and or personal statement.

We recognise that an application form isn’t always the best way for candidates to tell their story so we’re trying to find ways of making the process more inclusive. However, we also want to ensure that applications/CV’s Personal Statements etc are all assessed using the same methodology to make sure it’s fair and equitable, this is difficult to do if we’re not consistent in the way people apply for posts. Candidates are therefore asked to use one of 3 ways of applying depending on the role available. This is under review and we would value feedback on this approach.

Unfortunately, it’s not currently possible to save and return to the application form although this is something we’re looking into. We would advise that you download a copy of the application and use this as a draft before filling the form online.

We recognise that feedback is important, so we try to ensure we offer it to everyone who applies for one of our posts. This is sometimes time consuming so, depending on the number of people who apply but we generally offer candidates who haven’t been shortlisted generic feedback on why applications tend to fail. If candidates want more detailed feedback as to why their application wasn’t successful, they are invited to contact hr@realideas.org with their name and date/details of the post applied for. Those who have made it to interview but who have not been successful are give 1:1 feedback if required. This can be done over the phone, in person or via an email.

Everyone is welcome at Real Ideas.

We believe that valuing diversity sits at heart of positive social change and that we need to be inclusive to make real and lasting change.

We recognise that some of the sectors we work in are biased towards those who are white, male, cisgender and non-disabled. At Real Ideas we’re working to build a culture where difference is valued and where anyone, from any background, can do their best work and feel part of our organisation either as a potential employee, a partner or a supplier of goods and services.

To help us understand how we’re doing and what we can do to keep improving we need to understand more about who wants to work with us.

To help us on our journey to a more inclusive organisation we ask people to complete our short equality, diversity, and inclusion survey.

All information entered into this form is anonymous and will not be shared with the shortlisting panel or used in any way to help determine the outcome of an application for a job, tender or opportunity and will only ever be reported in aggregate (summary) form.

Yes, although it is hoped that any feedback given has been taken on board.

On rare occasions however we may decide for a multitude of reasons that we haven’t been able to find the right person through shortlisting, in which case we may re, in which case the advert will state ‘previous applicants need not apply’.

Yes.

Applications from ex-offenders are welcomed and will be considered on their merit. Convictions that are irrelevant to the job will not be taken into account. You are still required to disclose any convictions, which are not ‘spent’ by virtue of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

We will not ask for this type of Data unless you have been selected for interview.

Please be advised that relevant roles require registration with the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). DBS helps us make safer recruitment decisions; checks are carried out to ensure that we are recruiting suitable people into their organisation.

We try to ensure all part of our recruitment process are inclusive as possible and that we attract people from diverse backgrounds.

Once a candidate has been shortlisted and invited to interview, a member of the HR team will enquire about any additional support or adjustments required for the interview. It is at this stage that we notify the interview panel of any additional requirements.

Questions are based on the role profile and in particular the person specification, it’s also an opportunity to find out more about you.

Our role profiles are designed to give an indication of what information we will be looking for and when to help you prepare your application, anticipate the sorts of things you may be asked and out your best self forward. We may also ask any clarifying questions based on your application, e.g., gaps in employment history, particular questions about a role you may have held in the past etc.

We certainly don’t want to trip people up, its more of a conversation and an opportunity for you to check out that we are the type of organisation you want to invest your precious time, effort, and energy in and a chance for us to explore what you can bring in terms of skills, experiences, aptitude and potential.

There will be an opportunity to ask us any questions at the end. We like being asked meaningful and well thought out questions, it gives us an opportunity to talk more about what we do and who we are but also shows forethought, planning, and genuine interest.