Tag: #earlycareers

Beginner’s Guide to Early Careers Programs 

Posted on by akessler

A well-designed early careers program is not just a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic imperative. As organizations vie for top Gen Z talent, those with robust, thoughtfully structured programs gain a significant edge. This article delves into the crucial elements of building a successful early careers initiative, and how engaging an RPO can help you structure your overall program and craft an effective early careers recruitment strategy. 

The following guide will explore how to create a program that not only attracts bright, ambitious graduates but also nurtures their growth, aligns with your business objectives, and builds a pipeline of future leaders. From rotational schemes and mentorship opportunities to innovative early careers recruitment tactics, we’ll cover the essential components of how an RPO partner can set your early careers program apart. 

The Impact of RPO for a Strong Early Careers Program 

Establishing a robust early careers program can be a complex undertaking, but partnering with an experienced recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) provider can significantly streamline the process. An RPO partner brings specialized expertise in designing and implementing comprehensive early careers initiatives, from structuring rotational schemes and mentorship programs to crafting tailored development pathways. They can help align your program with current industry best practices, ensuring it appeals to Gen Z talent while meeting your organization’s strategic objectives. 

Moreover, an RPO partner can revolutionize your early careers recruitment strategy, leveraging cutting-edge technologies and innovative approaches to attract top young talent. They can manage the entire recruitment lifecycle, from employer branding and candidate sourcing to assessment and onboarding, allowing you to focus on core business activities. By entrusting your early careers program to an RPO specialist, you’re not just filling entry-level positions—you’re investing in a scalable, future-proof talent acquisition strategy that will drive long-term organizational success and build a strong pipeline of future leaders. 

Considerations for Your Early Careers Program 

Before you can start thinking about how to recruit this dynamic generation, you need to think about how to structure your early careers program. Your RPO provider will guide you through some of the questions below as they help you create a blueprint for building your early careers program.  

Early Careers Program Structure 

  • What are the goals and objectives for your early careers program? Do you want to develop future leaders, or are you trying to find talent with particular skills?  
  • Have you created an early careers success profile? Who is the ideal early careers hire that will meet your program objectives and fit your company culture? What skills and capabilities do they need? What behaviors should they exhibit?  
  • What are your diversity targets for the early careers program? 
  • What will the program look like? Will early careers hires join a particular team or department? Or will they go through rotations with various departments before specializing? How long will each rotation last? What will they do during each rotation? 
  • How long is your early careers program? It could be one to three years, or even longer, depending on your objectives. 
  • Will you hire continuously for your early careers program or bring in annual or semi-annual cohorts? How big is each cohort? You’ll need to balance your program objectives with providing individualized attention and fostering connections. 
  • Do you have a dedicated early careers program coordinator? What about an executive sponsor or steering committee? 

Work Environment & Support Systems 

  • Where will your early careers talent work? Are they required to work from the office? Or are you open to hybrid working options to offer flexibility? 
  • How will you ensure retention of early careers talent? Mentoring programs that pair early careers talent with experienced professionals and buddy systems for peer-to-peer support are two ways to foster engagement, inclusion and community. 

Development Opportunities & Career Progression 

  • What training will your early careers talent need to be successful in the short and long term? Are these materials already created or do you need to develop them? Does the training take place in person, virtually or a hybrid? Do you need to invest in learning and development (L&D) technology? 
  • How will you measure the performance of your early careers talent? Gen Z loves feedback and will want to have career development discussions early and often. Your RPO partner can help ensure your managers and leaders are prepared with performance criteria and coaching frameworks. 
  • What is the career path for your emerging talent? Is there one set path for your program, or will it depend on the individual? Clearly outline potential career paths within the organization and ensure early careers talent know how to find opportunities for internal mobility once they’ve completed the program. 

Remember, an RPO partner will help you create a program that develops talent who align with your organization’s culture and strategic objectives. Plus, they will regularly review and adjust your program to ensure it remains relevant and effective in training and retaining top talent. 

Structuring Your Early Careers Recruitment Campaigns 

Once you know what your early careers program will look like, your RPO partner will then help you structure the recruitment process. Rolling and block campaigns are two different approaches to structuring early careers recruitment efforts. Both approaches have their merits, and some organizations use a hybrid model. The choice depends on factors like industry norms, organizational needs and the types of roles being filled. 

Rolling Campaigns  

In a rolling campaign, you recruit early careers talent throughout the year. Applications are accepted continuously, and candidates are evaluated as they apply. This means rolling campaigns can be more resource-intensive to manage and may make it harder to compare candidates directly. 

Benefits & Considerations for Rolling Campaigns: 

  • Flexibility for both employers and candidates
  • Ability to fill positions as needs arise 
  • Potentially shorter time-to-hire due to quicker responses and hiring decisions, which can keep candidates engaged 
  • Opportunity to capture top talent year-round 
  • Continuous recruitment aligns well with ongoing social media strategies, allowing for regular content and engagement opportunities 
  • Fewer applicants at a time means you can offer a more personalized recruitment experience, which Gen Z appreciates 

Block or Cohort Campaigns 

Block campaigns, also known as cohort recruiting, involve recruiting during a specific timeframe, often aligned with the academic calendar. For example, you might have an intern recruitment campaign in the spring to hire a cohort of summer interns, or you might hire in the spring to capture students as they graduate. Block campaigns are common in industries with predictable hiring needs and can be more efficient for processing large numbers of entry-level positions. 

Benefits & Considerations for Cohorts 

  • Set application deadlines and structured hiring cycles appeal to Gen Z’s desire for transparency and help them plan accordingly 
  • Great for internships and graduate programs that follow the academic calendar 
  • Creates a sense of urgency and competition among candidates inspiring them to put their best foot forward 
  • Allows for batch processing of applications making it easier to manage large volumes all at once 
  • Allows for group assessments centers or virtual events, which can showcase your company culture and allow candidates to interact with peers 
  • Can be perceived as fairer and more inclusive, which are important values for Gen Z 

Hybrid Approach 

Consider a hybrid model that combines elements of both rolling recruiting and cohort campaigns. It might look something like: 

  1. Main recruitment drives (cohorts) for graduate programs or internships 
  2. Year-round opportunities (rolling) for specific roles or departments 

    Benefits & Considerations of Hybrid Early Careers Recruitment  

    • Attracts a wider range of candidates, including those who may not align with specific cohort timelines  
    • May require additional resources and careful planning to manage both rolling and cohort recruitment simultaneously 
    • Can help distribute the recruitment workload throughout the year, potentially reducing stress on internal teams during peak periods  
    • May create challenges ensuring consistent assessment and selection processes across both recruitment methods 
    • May complicate budget forecasting for recruitment and training 

    RPO & Early Careers Programs 

    By partnering with an RPO, organizations can leverage their expertise to design comprehensive early careers programs that align with their strategic goals and resonate with Gen Z candidates. From innovative recruitment strategies to structured development paths, these programs offer a multifaceted approach to nurturing young professionals. Companies that invest in robust early careers initiatives will find themselves well-positioned to build a dynamic, skilled workforce capable of driving future success.  

    Early Careers Solution Guide

    Posted on by akessler

    PeopleScout Early Careers Solution Guide

    Future-proof your workforce with award-winning early careers and graduate recruitment solutions from PeopleScout.

    Download this solution guide to learn more about our early careers expertise.

    Download Solution Guide

    Learn more about PeopleScout’s early careers solutions.

    Learn More

    Dig into More Early Careers Talent Insights

    Beginner’s Guide to Early Careers Programs 
    Articles

    Beginner’s Guide to Early Careers Programs 

    A well-designed early careers program is not just a nice-to-have—it’s a strategic imperative. As organizations vie for top Gen Z talent, those with robust, thoughtfully structured programs gain a significant edge. This article delves into the crucial elements of building a successful early careers initiative, and how engaging an RPO can help you structure your…

    Early Careers Solution Guide
    Fact Sheets

    Early Careers Solution Guide

    PeopleScout Early Careers Solution Guide Future-proof your workforce with award-winning early careers and graduate recruitment solutions from PeopleScout. Download this solution guide to learn more about our early careers expertise. Download Solution Guide Learn more about PeopleScout’s early careers solutions. Learn More

    Early Careers Recruitment: Meeting Gen Z’s Expectations
    Articles

    Early Careers Recruitment: Meeting Gen Z’s Expectations

    Early careers recruitment is undergoing a seismic shift as Generation Z enters the workforce en masse. Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all early careers hiring strategies. Gen Zers aren’t shy about demanding more—more purpose, more flexibility, and more growth opportunities. Organizations who can navigate these expectations will win the hearts of Gen Z in the…

    Early Careers Recruitment: Meeting Gen Z’s Expectations

    Posted on by akessler

    Early careers recruitment is undergoing a seismic shift as Generation Z enters the workforce en masse. Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all early careers hiring strategies. Gen Zers aren’t shy about demanding more—more purpose, more flexibility, and more growth opportunities. Organizations who can navigate these expectations will win the hearts of Gen Z in the workplace.  

    Meeting these expectations isn’t just about filling entry-level positions; it’s about future-proofing your organization. In this new landscape, companies that crack the code of Gen Z recruitment will gain a significant competitive edge. Let’s explore some of Gen Z’s expectations and ways you can revolutionize your early careers recruitment to attract and retain the brightest minds.  

    Consumer-Like Experiences in Early Careers Recruitment 

    This generation and mobile devices go hand-in-hand—literally. They’re accustomed to digital consumer brand experiences delivered through online platforms and mobile apps.  

    Organizations that present tech-powered experiences throughout their recruitment process will get ahead with Gen Z. Consider incorporating:  

    • Mobile-enabled application processes with personalized and automated workflows 
    • Peer-driven recruitment content on socials 
    • Booking and confirming interviews via text message 
    • Tailored email campaigns and meaningful communications that provide hints and tips and explain timelines clearly 

    However, just because they’re digital-first, doesn’t mean Gen Zers don’t appreciate a human touch, so personalization is a must-have with regular check-ins from human recruiters to ease anxiety and build connection.  

    Authentic Storytelling 

    Gen Z job seekers trust employees three times more than the company to provide credible information on what it’s like to work there. They want to hear from their peers, real people who can share their lived experiences in the program or at your organization. Focus on employee generated content rather than highly staged and polished marketing content. 

    Featuring existing employees as brand ambassadors in early careers attraction content will help build trust and authenticity. Plus, it will help candidates see themselves in the role. 

    Opportunity to Demonstrate Potential 

    When it comes to early careers talent, their lack of experience makes it hard for employers to differentiate between candidates using résumés and CVs alone. Using a CV-blind approach, where only the critical requirements are assessed, helps to reduce unconscious bias and level the playing field. 

    Emerging talent tends to struggle with competency-based questions and may have difficulty understanding how their studies could apply to a given role. And often, those candidates excelling in competency-based questions have utilized generative AI tools like Chat GPT or coaching from their careers service—which can result in an inauthentic assessment of the individual. 

    Struggling to give evidence of a skill or behavior (i.e., competency questions, “tell me about a time when…”) when there is a lack of experience, doesn’t mean there is a lack of the potential. Leveraging realistic job previews, skills-based assessments or job simulations and situational-based interview questions gives emerging talent a feel for the job by showing them a snapshot of the real-life, day-to-day tasks of the role and the working environment. They are effective screening tools, giving candidates an opportunity to show how they might perform and demonstrate their potential. This helps level the playing field, and it can reduce early attrition by setting the right expectations from the start. 

    Receiving & Giving Feedback 

    What Gen Z lacks in experience, they make up for in enthusiasm. They’re keen to learn and grow and seek feedback in everything they do. While a candidate may or may not receive a job offer, feedback that they can use as they move forward in their career is the next-best outcome. 

    Often, candidates may receive a generic email or—even worse—no communication at all. When they’ve invested a considerable amount of time and effort into an organization, no feedback can leave a bad taste. At every stage, taking the time to provide personalized feedback gives candidates actionable steps that they can take going forward in the process, or if they’ve been rejected, that they can use to apply to your company again in the future. If the candidate was a close match, the feedback you provide could help them become the ideal candidate in your next cohort. 

    Additionally, with their consumer experience, Gen Z are keen to give feedback. In the absence of a mechanism for feedback, disgruntled candidates can take to social media and student forums to share their experiences and damage your employer brand. Instead, ask for feedback via a candidate experience survey like a Net Promoters Score (NPS) survey, which will allow you to measure your candidate experience and act on the feedback. In addition, monitor your social media platforms and forums and respond to demonstrate that you’re listening and taking it seriously. You may even consider offering candidates a means of contact via a dedicated email inbox and respond to any feedback you receive in a meaningful way. 

    Leveraging RPO Expertise for Early Careers Recruitment  

    Adapting your early careers recruitment to meet Gen Z’s expectations can be a complex undertaking, but you don’t have to go it alone. An experienced recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) partner can be instrumental in revolutionizing your approach. These specialists bring a wealth of knowledge about the latest recruitment trends, technologies and Gen Z preferences. An early careers talent solution can help you redesign your recruitment processes, craft compelling employer branding strategies and implement cutting-edge assessment techniques that resonate with emerging talent. Moreover, an RPO partner can provide the scalability and flexibility needed to handle fluctuating recruitment volumes, ensuring you’re always ready to capture top Gen Z talent.  

    By leveraging an RPO provider’s expertise, you can quickly transform your early careers recruitment program into a powerhouse that not only attracts Gen Z candidates but also sets the stage for building a pipeline of talent that will drive your company’s future success. The organizations that adapt now will reap the rewards of a diverse, skilled and motivated workforce for years to come.

    Navigating the Gen Z Era: Insights for Effective Early Careers Recruitment 

    Posted on by akessler

    Navigating the Gen Z Era: Insights for Effective Early Careers Recruitment 

    The future of work isn’t coming—it’s already here, and it’s powered by Generation Z.

    Born into a world of uncertainty, Gen Z isn’t just adapting—they’re rewriting the rule. These digital natives are bringing fresh perspectives, unmatched tech-fluency and a hunger for meaningful work. But they’re also demanding authenticity, flexibility and a real commitment to social impact.

    Can your organization keep up?

    From TikTok-worthy employer branding to creating a workplace that balances purpose with work-life harmony, this ebook, Navigating the Gen Z Era: Insights for Effective Early Careers Recruitment, is your roadmap to successfully recruiting and retaining the Gen Z powerhouse.

    In this ebook, you’ll discover:

    • What makes Gen Z tick: Understand their unique values and career expectations
    • Why your outdated recruitment tactics are falling flat with this generation
    • Strategies to align your early careers program with Gen Z’s values and expectations

    Download your copy today for expert tips for reimagining your early career recruitment program to become a Gen Z magnet.

    PeopleScout Named Talent Solutions Provider of the Year by TIARA Talent Solutions Awards U.S.  

    Posted on by lloftus

    The global talent solutions leader was also the winner of the Client Service and Best Talent Attraction Strategy awards 

    CHICAGO – JUNE 27, 2024 – PeopleScout, a TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI) company and global talent solutions leader, was named Talent Solutions Provider of the Year, the top honor, at the 2024 TIARA Talent Solutions Awards – U.S. PeopleScout also received the Client Service and Best Talent Attraction Strategy awards for their work supporting their clients. This recognition comes after the company’s UK division received the same distinction, along with the Employer Brand and Best Talent Solutions Firm to Work For awards at the TIARA Talent Solutions Awards – Europe in October 2023.  

    “We are incredibly honored to not only be recognized for our exceptional service and effective talent strategies, but to also receive the distinction of Talent Solutions Provider of the Year,” said Rick Betori, President of PeopleScout. “These awards are a true testament to the tremendous work our people do every day to elevate our clients’ connection to top talent, and the trust our clients put in us to deliver custom solutions to achieve their short- and long-term talent goals.” 

    Judges praised PeopleScout’s exceptional service, thorough understanding of their clients’ business, effective strategies and sustainable results. The panel also shared the following award-specific feedback: 

    • Talent Solutions Provider of the Year – One judge said, “PeopleScout delivered the type of service that every RPO and MSP provider should aspire to.”  
    • Best Talent Attraction Strategy – Judges applauded PeopleScout’s talent strategy, which “diversified the candidate pool in a male-dominated industry and lowered the cost-per-hire”.    
    • Client Service – Judges noted that PeopleScout “took the time to understand the business and its challenges by investing time in visiting sites, incorporating customer feedback and leveraging technology to deliver sustainable results.”  

    Ethan Taylor, Senior Talent Strategist for multinational tire manufacturer and PeopleScout client Goodyear, echoed praise for PeopleScout, saying, “PeopleScout exemplifies what it means to be a true partner. They deeply understand our business, and act as a true extension of our team to provide innovative solutions to our unique talent challenges. Their commitment to our success is evident as they continue to evolve our talent strategies to drive meaningful business impact today and into the future.” 

    The TIARA awards recognize companies across the RPO, MSP and Talent Solutions market and are open to independent providers and business units of recruitment solutions providers. The TIARAs set a standard of excellence and recognize exemplary growth, innovation and leadership.  

    A three-stage judging process ensures credibility and enhances prestige for all award winners. TALiNT Partners’ senior team conducts an initial review to shortlist finalists from all entries. Finalist entries then go to a second round of judging by a panel of distinguished industry professionals. Judges then attend a judging day event to determine winners in each category.  

    See the full list of 2024 TIARA Talent Solutions Awards US here.  
     

    About PeopleScout   
    PeopleScout, a TrueBlue (NYSE: TBI) company, is a global talent solutions leader that provides unmatched scalability to meet the hiring needs of organizations of all sizes. It connects clients with top talent through Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO), Managed Service Provider (MSP), Total Workforce Solutions, and talent and technology advisory services. PeopleScout is helping talent leaders harness the power of data, drive decisions and exceed expectations through tech-charged solutions founded on machine learning and AI. PeopleScout’s legacy of service and partnership has led to consistent recognition as a leader by industry analysts. For more information, visit www.peoplescout.com.     

    Press Contact  
    Taylor Winchell  
    Senior Manager, External Communications  
    pr@trueblue.com  
    1-253-680-8291 

    Changing Perceptions Across Asia with a New Employer Brand for a Beverage Manufacturer 

    Posted on by akessler
    Changing Perceptions Across Asia with a New Employer Brand for a Beverage Manufacturer

    Employer Branding in Asia

    Changing Perceptions Across Asia with a New Employer Brand for a Beverage Manufacturer

    A global beverage manufacturer and distributor engaged PeopleScout for a localized EVP and employer brand to boost their reputation amongst emerging talent in several markets across Asia.

    Situation 

    This global beverage manufacturer and distributor engaged in an internal strategic review of their corporate vision and purpose, which led to looking at their corporate brand and strategy for the future. The company’s people and culture team delved into how to ensure everyone in the organization is aligned with the strategy and how they could contribute to the business’s future success. Having developed a global employer value proposition (EVP) to support the strategy, a critical part of the roll out was to ensure it resonated with the specific cultural nuances of the APAC labor market, spanning such diverse countries as China, Japan, South Korea, India and Vietnam.  

    The client engaged PeopleScout’s Talent Advisory team to localize their overarching EVP and employer brand to make it relevant for the candidate audience in each APAC market. It needed to be flexible in order to help them navigate cultural differences, target specific talent segments and address local recruiting challenges. 

    The majority of the organization’s recruitment in APAC is for early careers and graduate talent, with roles in sales, marketing, product development, technology, consumer insights and more. There were five main challenges at play: 

    1. Emerging talent viewed working for this organization as a short-term option, not as a destination for a long-term career. Misperceptions about consumer goods brands in the region meant that people saw the beverage manufacturer as a place where early careers talent thrives, rather than where all talent thrives.
    2. In some Asian markets, there’s a lot of pressure on early careers employees to choose the right career. The consumer goods industry is not seen as a prestigious career path. 
    3. Cultural sensitivities around alcoholic beverages—which this client specializes in—created an additional challenge to overcome in some of their Asian markets. 
    4. The beverage manufacturer owns a portfolio of multiple well-known consumer brands and different brands are stronger in different markets. But, the client’s corporate employer brand itself is not well known. They needed to find a way to capitalize on their consumer brands to create recognition for their employer brand. 
    5. The beverage manufacturer was struggling to recruit for emerging roles in fields such as digital and data science, as their brand was not associated with these types of jobs. 

    We set out to create a new employer brand that would help the client better manage candidate expectations, inject authenticity into their messaging and solidify what they had to offer emerging talent in APAC. 

    Solution 

    We started with a comprehensive exploration of data from multiple sources including competitive analysis, industry benchmarking, employer review sites, campus surveys, employee engagement surveys and exit interviews. Through the rigorous analysis of qualitative and quantitative data, we identified gaps and opportunities for each market.  

    We also conducted visionary interviews with leaders in APAC to understand how they were executing the corporate strategy locally and how local culture in their various markets would impact this vision. This helped us to understand the aspiration for the employee experience and the behaviors that the business needed to achieve success. 

    Then, we spoke to employees across key talent groups and demographics through a series of focus groups to understand their real working experience. From conducting previous projects in Asia, we knew that we had to be creative in the ways we gathered insights to respect cultural norms while still gathering good intel. We came away with a clear picture of what attracted and motivated talent across career stages and cultures as well as what could lead to attrition. 

    With this in hand, we built an EVP framework that laid out the “give and get” for employees in each market. The framework was designed to leverage the corporate EVP whilst being flexible enough to resonate in each country. Certain messages could be dialed up or down to match the attractors and motivators for talent in each country. We rigorously tested the framework with employees in each market to stretch and test each brand pillar and ensure the EVP was both robust and future-proof.  

    The next stage was to bring the employer brand to life with a universal creative platform for the APAC business tied to the manufacturer’s consumer brands in markets where the group brand was unknown.  

    To create sharable content for the client’s careers site and social media channels, we interviewed more employees, gathering stories to boost authenticity through both written and video content.   

    Outputs 

    As a result of the employer brand engagement, PeopleScout produced the following outputs for the beverage manufacturer: 

    • A robust, validated EVP framework with clear promises for talent in each Asian market. 
    • Insights into key attractors and motivators for each talent segment to inform their future sourcing strategy. 
    • An employer brand and messaging framework to inform talent attraction campaigns. 
    • Localized recruitment marketing toolkit for each country to activate their new employer brand for various languages and cultures.  
    • A roadmap for people and culture initiatives to drive employee engagement and retention. 
    • Recruitment marketing collateral to support campus recruitment in China for the next academic year.  

    At a Glance

    • COMPANY: Global beverage manufacturer
    • INDUSTRY: Consumer Goods
    • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS: Talent Advisory
    • LOCATIONS: China, Japan, South Korea, India and Vietnam
    Let’s Connect

    Redesigning the Early Careers Assessment Process for a UK Construction Leader

    Posted on by akessler
    Redesigning the Early Careers Assessment Process for a UK Construction Leader

    Redesigning the Early Careers Assessment Process for a UK Construction Leader

    One of the largest construction, property and development companies in the United Kingdom engaged PeopleScout to design and build a new assessment center to boost diversity amongst their early career talent.

    93 % reduction in candidate pool through new situational application sift stage
    81 % pass rate after bespoke assessment center

    Situation

    Over the past several years, this privately owned development, property and construction organization have increased the hiring of early career talent across multiple functions and departments. With a focus on increasing diversity and inclusion across their business areas, the early careers intake process was identified as an important way to achieve this. They wanted to create an assessment center that was unique, created a positive candidate experience and delivered quality, diverse talent who demonstrate behaviors in-line with their culture.

    This client’s early career schemes recruit for a large variety of roles in many different business areas. However, they needed all candidates to go through the same assessment center, so the new assessment design needed to balance the needs of all departments and efficiently assess individual people. Plus, they needed adaptable exercises and scoring which could be appropriate for both apprenticeship and graduate scheme applicants.

    This organization wanted the assessment center to create an excellent candidate experience and for candidates to feel like they gained a valuable experience in the process. The format needed to be engaging and fun, showcasing their values and the kind of work they do.

    Solution

    We took a phased approach to our assessment design solution for our client.

    Discovery Phase

    Our discovery efforts consisted of gathering information from stakeholders across the company. We ran focus groups with current early careers talent and conducted visionary interviews with senior stakeholders. We also facilitated focus groups with the internal early careers recruitment team.

    Through these sessions, as well as carrying out desk research on the job descriptions, we gained an understanding of skills and experience required from early careers employees. Then, we defined the key issues in the current assessment framework and came up with the concepts for the new assessment center to better the client’s needs.

    Through the discussion it was decided to have three distinct exercises which followed the same story but didn’t rely on each other. In the previous assessment center if candidates didn’t fully understand one exercise, it would have a knock-on effect on their ability to carry out the next one.

    We decided on an overarching fictional project scenario to thread throughout all exercises at the assessment center which was applicable to all business areas. It would also act as a realistic job preview.

    Design Phase

    We designed a new assessment framework consisting of:

    • A bespoke new situational application sift process
    • A new video interview stage
    • A bespoke assessment center

    For the assessment center, we designed a new group exercise, a case study presentation exercise and an interview. We designed a unique group exercise and case study exercise for apprentices and graduates and the interview was applicable for both.

    I addition to the designing the exercises themselves, we created scoring guides and candidate briefs for all exercises. Plus, we generated a timetable for the day of the assessment as well as[PG2]  a briefing presentation so the client could inform candidates at the beginning of day of what was coming.

    Testing Phase

    We started with a pilot assessment center to test the new process. Members of the PeopleScout assessment team facilitated a virtual assessment center day, during which internal stakeholders acted as the assessors and current employees played candidates. This was hosted on TopScore, so the client was able to stress test their virtual platform of choice.

    After the pilot, we ran focus group feedback sessions with a group of the assessors and a group of the mock candidates to gather insights and perceptions on the materials as well as anything which could be amended to aid understanding. Finally, we held a debrief session with the members of the company’s early careers team to get clear on what amends we would make.

    We implemented our client’s feedback and sent the finalised materials to the client, ready for the real assessment centers. We ran a “train the trainer” session for their assessors so they could execute the assessment center going forward.

    Results

    This organization received over 3,800 applicants for their early careers programme, and the new application sift stage allowed the client to filter down their candidate pool to 239. They also felt confident in the quality of the candidates who made it through to the assessment center, with 81% passing. Plus, when looking at pass/fail ratios, we saw no adverse impact at assessment center for gender, ethnicity or disability.

    At a Glance

    • COMPANY: One of the UK’s largest construction, property and development companies
    • INDUSTRY: Building & Construction
    • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS: Talent Advisory
    Let’s Connect

    Early Careers Recruitment Success for an Australian Construction Giant

    Posted on by akessler
    Early Careers Recruitment Success for an Australian Construction Giant

    Early Careers Recruitment

    Early Careers Recruitment Success for an Australian Construction Giant

    PeopleScout embarked on a strategic project to revitalize the graduate recruitment program for one of Australia’s largest development and construction companies. Through our early career talent expertise, we brought in more innovative approaches to candidate engagement and elevated the graduate recruitment experience, cutting renege rates in half.

    18 Weeks Cut from Time Spent of Recruitment Activity
    50 % of Graduate Hires Identified as a Woman
    50 % Reduction in Candidate Drop Off & Reneges

    Situation

    One of Australia’s largest development and construction companies had a graduate recruitment program consisted of a short burst of marketing and campus engagement (six weeks), two recruitment phases in March (16 weeks) and August (12 weeks) and a long “keep warm” period. This approach heavily impacted their HR and recruitment teams as well as a line manager resource. Plus, the long recruitment process and keep warm periods resulted in drop off or renege rates of up to 30%.

    They engaged PeopleScout to help them create a more efficient graduate recruitment process, while ensuring they connected with bright emerging talent.

    Solution

    Seeking to strengthen the connection with students and to drive more efficiency, we executed an early careers talent solution that shifted the focus of the campaign—adding more meaningful campus engagement (24 weeks) and one short, sharp recruitment window (10 weeks).

    Laying the Foundation

    The first step PeopleScout took in updating the program was to conduct in-depth job analysis interviews with a variety of stakeholders including: high performing graduates and interns, their line managers and visionaries across the business. This allowed us to develop a robust success profile, which defined what good looks like now and into the future.

    Then we reviewed and updated the early careers value proposition and updated the campaign materials to tap into candidates looking to build a purpose-driven career. We also tailored our approach to ensure we connected with the client’s target diversity groups.

    We created an always-on expression-of-interest portal for the client which allowed us to build a talent pool for the whole academic year. With the Affinix™ Student Engagement Platform, we delivered tailored content and shared employee stories showcasing ‘a day in the life’ and career journeys. This helped us to drive interest and change minds about a career in construction and property by myth-busting common misperceptions.

    Campus Engagement

    Recognising the importance of genuine and authentic communication, we identified graduate ambassadors across the breadth of the business. Moving away from pure reliance on careers fairs and job boards, our campaign involved the delivery of 38 student engagement events, including site tours, “meet the team” sessions and panels with female leaders leveraging our ambassadors.

    Recruitment Process & Candidate Assessment

    Now, having driven engagement with the target student population, it was important that the recruitment process was also effective, efficient and engaging. Our client had been following the traditional path of online testing, group assessment centres and hiring manager interviews to deliver their graduate program. But there was opportunity to ensure the process amplified their brand, provided candidates a realistic job preview, and levelled the playing field for all, enabling candidates to demonstrate their potential.

    Using the insights from the internal client stakeholder interviews during our discover phase, we implemented the following changes:

    • Completely redesigned the assessment framework.
    • Adopted a CV-blind approach which helped to reduce unconscious bias.
    • Implemented a skills assessment in place of previous cognitive tests, which provided a more holistic view of the candidate, tapping into their motivation, cognitive strengths and behaviours, and measured the candidate against the client’s success profile.
    • Provided candidates with meaningful feedback reports, giving candidates an overview of their strengths and areas for development.
    • Revamped assessment centre exercises to bring the client’s construction project world to life, with candidates working together to deliver solutions involving the client’s core areas of focus, like community and sustainability.
    • Used our virtual assessment centre technology to encourage participation, especially for working candidates, rural candidates or those unable to afford the travel who previously experienced barriers during in-person events.
    • Leveraged our technology to improve accessibility for candidates with a disability and for those with ESL requirements.

    Results

    • Reduced time spent on recruitment activity from 28 weeks down to 10 weeks.
    • Achieved client diversity targets, with 50% of graduates hired identifying as women (compared with 15% of graduates with construction and engineering degrees identifying as women) and 3% of graduates hired identifying as First Nations (compared with 1% of graduates with construction engineering degrees identifying as First Nations).
    • Reduced candidate drop off and reneges from 30% to 14%.

    “The process was very well run, and we had strong candidates. Thank you for the hard work and efforts with this program. It was a very thorough process with great results.”

    Client Feedback

    The enhanced engagement and innovative approach to assessment had an amazing impact on the client’s candidate Net Promoter Score (cNPS) with candidates rating their experience at 65, which is considered great. Candidate feedback was incredibly positive with a sample of feedback below:

    • “Very modern and innovative approach to the regular interview process. Allows busy applicants to complete in their own time.”
    • “The interview process was very innovative and provided additional insight into the role.”
    • “Overall has been a great experience. The assessment provided me with feedback that I can take into account in the future.”
    • “Very user friendly interface and didn’t feel demeaning or intimidating.”
    • “Thank you for making it such a smooth application process. I really appreciated all of the support provided, and I’m looking forward to working in such a supportive work environment. I also really appreciated the quick turnaround time for my application.”

    At a Glance

    • COMPANY: Large development and construction company
    • INDUSTRY: Building & Construction
    • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS: Recruitment Process Outsourcing, Affinix
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    Rethinking Early Careers: Strategies for Graduate Recruitment in 2023

    Posted on by nfuqua

    As the world changed over the past three years, college and university students had their lives transformed by the pandemic and recovery. Those experiences have changed both their expectations and behavior when it comes to the recruitment process.

    So, as an employer, how can you respond to find, engage and hire the best graduate candidates?

    In this episode of Talking Talent, Kate Buchanan, PeopleScout graduate program manager in our Sydney headquarters, joins to share strategies for early careers hiring in 2023.

    In 2020, university students saw their entire lives move online. From college classes to job interviews, the path to their future was virtual. Now, the world has shifted again, but some changes became permanent. Technology still remains central to the process; however, the process cannot remain fully digital.

    In recent years, many employers experienced increased ghosting and saw more candidates dropping out of the graduate recruitment process. While a fully virtual hiring process moves candidates quickly from application through assessments to offer, it lacks a personal touch. When the process happens completely online, graduates don’t have the opportunity to build relationships, making it easier to ghost employers.

    So, how can you respond and ensure those strong candidates stay engaged through their first day on the job? The key is building a process that combines technology and the human touch—with both the speed and ease provided by technology and the relationship building that happens when recruiters work directly with top candidates.

    In this interview, Kate shares best practices from recruitment marketing through onboarding that help talents leaders build connections, decrease candidate fall out and minimize ghosting. She explains how the right technology at the right points can improve the candidate experience and make graduates feel like they are already part of the team before they even start.

    Dow: Supporting Graduate Recruitment in EMEA and India

    Posted on by akessler
    Dow: Supporting Graduate Recruitment in EMEA and India

    Dow: Supporting Graduate Recruitment in EMEA and India

    Dow, a leading materials science company, turned to PeopleScout for recruitment process outsourcing for their graduate recruitment program across Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India.

    15 countries and 5 languages
    63 candidate NPS score (considered “great”)
    25 % of candidates were female

    Situation

    Dow has been at the forefront of materials science for 125 years, pioneering new ways for science to make the world a better place. Due the specialist nature of the talent they need, Dow’s in-house recruitment team was at capacity executing a high-touch hiring process and needed support recruiting for their internships and graduate programs in EMEA. They turned to PeopleScout for a global RPO solution spanning 15 countries, including Belgium, France, Germany, India, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE and the United Kingdom.

    They needed over 100 interns and graduates from science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs. Dow was competing with several other employers in the region for this talent. Plus, the implementation period was compressed from 12 weeks down to five, so we needed to act fast to engage these future innovators.

    Solution

    The PeopleScout Talent Advisory team built a bespoke microsite, featuring real graduate employees, that brought the Dow culture and their career opportunities to life for their young audience. We also polished job descriptions to resonate with the audience and posted job adverts online, leveraging LinkedIn in some cases to expand the promotion of more specialized roles.

    Working as an extension of their in-house team, we conducted phone screens and scheduled interviews for Dow hiring managers. Processing over 6,000 applicants, our multi-lingual delivery team in Poland conducted over 1,200 phone interviews in English, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

    Results

    We filled 134 graduate and intern vacancies. Candidate feedback has been overwhelmingly positive with candidate Net Promoter Score (NPS) coming in at 63, which is considered “great.”

    “I would definitely suggest Dow to anyone because I had a very good recruitment experience. The company and the position were introduced to me in very detailed way by the recruiter. So, I believe my ambitions and goals are aligned with Dow’s expectations.”

    Candidate Feedback

    Another key point of success for the graduate recruitment program is that more than a quarter of candidates were women, despite their underrepresentation in STEM fields.

    “PeopleScout has been fast in responding to every email, and it’s clear that they value meeting their clients’ needs. The roles they’re working on are very niche and technical, but they’ve been able to align to what hiring managers need.”

    Hiring Manager at Dow

    At a Glance

    • COMPANY: Dow
    • INDUSTRY: Pharmaceuticals & Life Science
    • PEOPLESCOUT SOLUTIONS: Recruitment Process Outsourcing
    • LOCATIONS: 15 countries across EMEA, including Belgium, France, Germany, India, Italy, Kenya, Netherlands, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, UAE and the United Kingdom
    • ABOUT DOW: Dow’s (NYSE: DOW) ambition is to become the most innovative, customer centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world. Dow’s portfolio of plastics, industrial intermediates, coatings and silicones businesses delivers a broad range of differentiated, science-based products and solutions for its customers in high-growth market segments, such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Dow operates 104 manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employs approximately 35,700 people. For more information, please visit www.dow.com or follow @DowNewsroom on Twitter.
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