Survey reveals an uptick in tech integration for early careers talent acquisition  

26 January 2021 — With the global pandemic accelerating the digitalisation of businesses, more employers have integrated technology into the entire talent acquisition remit including early years recruitment and assessment. That’s according to research from global talent acquisition and management firm, Alexander Mann Solutions.  

The report – in partnership with Aptitude Research – analysed a mix of quantitative and qualitive research across North America, EMEA and APAC during the pandemic to ascertain the impact of Covid-19 on talent acquisition.  

The data revealed that 38% of those surveyed had a separate budget for campus and early years recruitment during the outbreak. This included an allocation for technology investment, with Financial Services the top industry with a separate budget for campus engagement activity. These companies indicated intentions to focus on using digital solutions to engage candidates throughout the year and beyond.  

Almost a third (30%) of companies also highlighted that they are now considering implementing game-based or digital assessments in order to provide validity to assessments while also delivering a positive experience to candidates through shorter, more candidate-friendly assessments. 

Jane Clark, Global Head of Emerging Talent Consulting, AMS commented: 

“There’s no doubt that Covid-19 has led to an increased use of technology in the talent acquisition arena, but while we saw more firms utilising video interviewing, tech has clearly proven valuable in many other ways this year. It’s highly encouraging that so many employers reported they had a separate budget for campus and early years recruitment as it can be all too easy to overlook this critical segment of talent pools in difficult times. 

“What has certainly been interesting is the greater investment in virtual tools to engage with emerging talent from attraction through to onboarding. Utilising digital platforms for virtual career fairs, virtual company presentations and redesigning social media campaigns was a real game changer in 2020.  We also saw creative virtual campus ambassador programmes used to attract the best graduate talent. Some organisations were quick to switch their internships to digital platforms and we predict this trend will continue in 2021.  It seems that many clients are embracing this digital world and all the many benefits it brings. We don’t see this appetite for innovation and differentiation going away any time soon – in fact we think this will form part of a post-Covid future.”