Last Summer, Jack Denton from AllAboutGroup and I started the Early Careers Podcast, to bring together the latest trends, insights and innovations in early careers recruitment.
We both love podcasts and listen to them all the time for ideas and new perspectives. They also help me pass the time when cycling into work! I’m currently listening to Changeboard’s Future Talent Podcast, and would definitely recommend it.
There’s some great content out there, but Jack and I both realised we were having to translate a lot of it into our early careers space… so, why not create a channel specifically for early careers?
Fast-forward six months and Series One reaches its climax this week, so I thought I’d share a round-up of seven of the key learnings from the first series for you.
Seven key learnings
1. The ethnic pay gap is on the horizon. With UK companies over 250 people having to report their gender pay gap data in April 2018, Claire England, Head of Diversity & Inclusion at JLL expects the ethnic pay gap to be a key metric as soon as 2020. Claire England | The Ethnic Pay Gap
2. Reverse mentoring is the future for humble leaders. Long gone are the days of autocratic, top-down leadership. Listening to those more in the know will show modesty, help leaders better educate themselves and empower young people within businesses. Dr Paul Redmond, Director of Student Life at the University of Liverpool believes in reverse mentoring and walks around campus with his students to better understand their realities. Dr Paul Redmond | Zombie Jobs
3. Facts speak to the head, but stories speak to the heart. Chief Behavioural Officer, Steve Keith predicts stories as the most effective way to educate young people (and influencers). Authentic messaging around the four T’s of Triumph, Tension, Tragedy and Triumph will appeal to the hearts. Steve Keith | Storytelling in Early Careers
4. “Myers Briggs weren’t psychologists… you could just use horoscopes!” Even though many of us use Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) to assess personality types, Ben Schwenke, Lead Psychologist at Test Partnership reveals how various testing can make recruitment lead to better hiring decisions. Ben Schwenke | Psychometric testing a science or an art?
Jack, Ollie and Ben Schwenke after recording ‘Psychometric testing, a science or an art?’
5. Candidates rejecting and reneging is a growing concern. Tristram Hooley, Chief Research Officer and Tom Christodoulou, Membership Development Manager at the Institute of Student Employers shared their latest survey results. Up from 5% to 7%, students reneging (accepting roles and then declining them) is on the rise and it’s estimated to cost the market a whopping £4.9m each year! Tristram Hooley & Tomas Christodoulou | Reneges and Rejections, where are you going wrong?
6. Digital is taking over… but only if you know how. Paul Gascoyne, Graduate Recruitment Manager at Shearman & Sterling believes ‘there’s a lot of wasted money in graduate recruitment” and explained how he’s “reduced campus activity by 50%“ through his forward-thinking digital marketing expertise. Paul Gascoyne | Digital Marketing Masterclass
7. Education-led marketing is more effective with females. Alex Parkes, Future Talent Manager at AIA explains how “females are more likely to fall out of an application process, due to a lack of confidence”. She details how Accenture’s incredible, Award-winning ‘powerful minds’ campus campaign has taken the latest technology out onto campus and increased female event attendance by 56%. Alex Parkes | Tech & Innovation in Early Careers
Jack, Ollie and Alex Parkes discussing ‘Tech & innovation in early careers’
You can listen to all trends, insights and innovations in early careers recruitment by visiting the Early Careers Podcast website here, or via all your usual podcast channels too, such as Apple or Spotify.
Series Two will see Jack & I don ties and shine our shoes as we head to parliament on 27th March! We’ll be speaking with Lord Holmes of Richmond about his fantastic legislation suggestion regarding paid and unpaid internships. You can read more about Lord Holmes’ recommendations along with my thoughts around unpaid internships here.
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy listening and please subscribe to receive the latest podcasts!
Ollie was also featured on BBC Radio 4’s The Bottom Line with Evan Davis discussing ‘Internships’ in March, click here to listen to the recording.
