Broken recruitment processes are being blamed for leaving young people with low self-esteem and a negative impression of their chosen industries.This is according to a joint report from Business in the Community (BITC) and City and Guilds Group.
Whose fault is that? You might take a hard line and suggest they should toughen up. The world of work is hard and can come with a lot of rejection and difficult knock-backs. Recruitment processes are a convenient excuse. But perhaps the recruitment industry does have to shoulder some responsibility as well.The survey of 4000 young people said that around 22% of young people who had a bad recruitment experience were put off a company completely, and one in ten was put off a whole sector. Just sour grapes and delicate egos? Or simply the fault of people controlling the recruitment processes? As ever, the truth can probably be located in a middle ground.Inadequate recruitment processes are putting talent pipelines in jeopardy, potentially damaging future success. This is the report’s key warning. Difficult job application processes lead to loss of confidence and low motivation when it comes to applying for more jobs. The recruitment industry as a whole has to take this on board.[Read the Atlantic Resource blog: why it’s hard being young in today’s workforce.]With the unemployment rate for 16-24 year olds remaining around 14% as opposed to the adult rate around 5%, we recruiters are seemingly not making it easy enough for young people.
Future Proof employer campaign
‘Future Proof’ is a new campaign being launched to help young people overcome barriers to entering the jobs market. This includes online resources to help companies analyse and reduce obstacles such as a lack of previous experience, location and qualifications.A director of the campaign Grace Mehanna, welcomed the news that some organisations had already signed up and taken action by scrapping UCAS points and A-level grade requirements for entry-level roles.“We want to work with businesses to help shine a light on the skills they need and open their eyes to the potential of young people, not just looking at those with good academic qualifications and previous experience.”Even those companies not directly engaged with ‘Future Proof’ can borrow elements, and look at themselves and their policies anew.
Wider problems of youth unemployment
Naturally, wider problems remain, which also points the finger towards issues of broken recruitment. Of the total global unemployed, 37% are aged between 16 and 24: almost three times the adult rate. That’s 73 million young people struggling to find work.We will always be hamstrung by our ignorance of the future, the rate of change and technology developments. The pace of progress today, the fluidity of media and technology, this makes it feel more of a 21st Century issue, but perhaps it was always this way.The ‘Future Proof’ campaign is a proactive initiative which should be welcomed. It should set an example inside and outside the campaign itself about how companies can adapt and accommodate younger workers. As for those young workers, the rewards still exist for them in the workplace, but it usually takes incredible amounts of hard work and dedication to achieve them, just as it always did.Get in touch with us if you’re seeking an entry level job in catering, construction, office admin or care work.
