Graduate recruitment
The Financial Times estimates that more than four in ten of UK's top companies will struggle to recruit graduates in 2007 due to the calibre of candidates.
The competition has never been fiercer and to succeed, companies need to:
- Identify candidates with the highest potential
- Identify those candidates that provide the best fit for the organisation
- Provide a positive experience for the candidate throughout the recruitement process
We work closely with client organisations to design and deliver assessment solutions to meet these challenges. Experience shows that these challenges are often met through an assessment centre solution that may be preceded by rigorous sifting activity e.g. telephone interviews.
Why assessment centres?
assessment centres typcially comprise of interactive exercises in which the candidate meets with stakeholders to discuss a number of work issues. This provides a realistic and accurate simulation of the type of meeting they would be involved in when placed on a graduate development scheme. Not surprisingly, those individuals that do well in simulations of these type will typically perform well when faced with the real thing once inside the organisation. In terms of assessment, we often also film these execises which adds tremendous value to the candidate feedback process and allows us more flexibility to assess remotely and/or after the event
candidates will typically be assessed across a number of different activities. This gives them the opportunity to demonstrate a competency on more than one occasion ensuring a high level of fairness as well as rigour in the assessment process
candidates consider the assessment to be fair because what they are asked to do looks and feels like what they will be asked do when employed on a graduate development programme or in a graduate position
candidates are assessed on a range of different types of assessment including interviews, interactive work simulation exercises, desk-based assessments (including responding to e-mails and phone calls), personality assessement and psychometric ability tests. This recognises that different candidates have different strengths depending on the type of task they have been given to do
Mendas is expert in the design and delivery of assessment processes for graduate recruitment. This extends from the design of the assessment activities themselves to the planning, logistics, scheduling of telephone interviews, and timetabling required to ensure that a gradue recruitment process runs smoothly for candidates and assessors alike.
When it comes to the delivery of graduate recruitment processes, we take the headache out of the work by providing an end-to-end process, covering everything from providing the venue through booking candidates, providing assessors, writing feedback reports and recommendations to clients.
We believe that when it comes to assessment centres we have two customers: the client organisation purchasing our services and the candidate being assessed. We care for both in equal measures and therefore go to great lengths to ensure that the candidates' experience of an assessment event is a positive one.
After all, we are representing the client organisation in both the design and delivery of these assessment events and it's important that we reflect this. Candidates often comment on how much they feel looked after and treated as an individual, with fairness and respect.
Linked to graduate assessment centres, we also provide Assessor training.
Do you want to find out how the Financial Services Authority (FSA) recruited the best talent for their graduate programme?
To discuss any of your recruitment and assessment needs, please contact Sue Ray on 020 7611 0860
