Covington Attends Bright Network Seminar in London on Graduate Recruitment Trends

Members of the firm's Diversity Committee attended a London breakfast seminar hosted by one of our external diversity partners, Bright Network, for an unveiling of specially commissioned research on graduate recruitment trends featuring candidates from a variety of backgrounds.

The research showed that current students (who are now part of Generation Z, rather than Millennials, with a distinctly different outlook on life and work) are more focused on human contact within the recruitment process. In an age where application forms, psychometric testing, and video interviews are prominent in many recruitment processes at the graduate level, today's students are keen to meet face-to-face with people from the firm to which they are applying, and have higher expectations of this contact continuing throughout the process. There appears to be a need to consider tailoring application processes to more closely match the aspirations and preferences of this newer generation if employers are to successfully attract the best candidates.

Feedback has also become more and more important for candidates in a difficult job market, the research also highlighted. Ninety percent of employers state that they give feedback to unsuccessful candidates, but only 40 percent of unsuccessful candidates state that they receive feedback. There is a mismatch in perception, suggesting a need for better communication and human interaction in this digital age.