Reed Consulting GRADdirect Initiative

    BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND, November 07, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- GRADdirect is the specialist graduate recruitment solution from Reed Consulting. Nick Griffin, Head of GRADdirect, explains how Barclays works with GRADdirect to fill the bank's graduate recruitment scheme positions.

Background

Barclays is one of the UK's best known high street banks. It is a hugely diverse financial services organisation with 147,000 employees in more than 50 countries across Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia Pacific. Barclays consists of two clusters, Barclays Retail and Commercial Bank (GRCB) and Investment Banking and Investment Management (IBM). Barclays GRCB has approximately 4,000 branches and sales centres and 12,000 cash machines. It is the UK's third largest bank.

Barclays GRCB recruit graduates into the following areas: Barclaycard, Retail Banking, Finance, Barclays Commercial Bank, Treasury, HR, Technology, UK RB Marketing & Products, Tax, and Summer Intern Programmes.

Challenge

Barclays receives a very high volume of applications each year to join their well respected and engaging graduate scheme. Just below ten thousand were made for the 2008/2009 intake. Alongside these applications, Barclays also receives an extremely high number of queries about their graduate programmes. This incoming activity fluctuates, with particularly high levels occurring immediately prior to application deadlines, which makes a flexibility of service essential. Barclays places a great deal of importance on the professional management of all candidates throughout activity peaks and troughs, making the timely and efficient management of all enquiries and applications crucial.

To help maintain a positive candidate experience for all individuals who come into contact with their brand, Barclays requires support in application form screening, response handling and candidate management throughout the recruitment process, including the processing of candidate expenses.

In addition, the business requested support, expertise and guidance around the selection process with certain elements tailored to meet the needs of individual business areas.

Each business area looks to hire candidates with different skills and abilities, which requires a detailed and comprehensive tailored application screening process. This includes assessing particular personal skills, for example, very customer focused candidates for the Retail Banking scheme; or, specific academic capabilities for the Finance scheme which demands candidates that would go on to complete challenging accountancy qualifications.

Recruitment for each business area is managed by individual programme leaders, resulting in variations in approach, and sometimes changes in hiring managers at different points during the recruitment campaign. Recognising the diversity and responding to individual needs accordingly was imperative to ensure a successful partnership between GRADdirect and Barclays.

Solution

GRADdirect has worked with Barclays since 2003 with this hr consulting initiative. This ongoing partnership has allowed GRADdirect to develop a deep understanding of the client and so, each year, the solution provided has been tailored to meet Barclays' changing demands and requirements, with the highest level of service achieved throughout. The relationship is managed by a dedicated account manager and supported by a team of experienced graduate recruiters, as part of an "on demand" delivery infrastructure.

Delivering the best talent

GRADdirect has supported Barclays' attraction via candidate specific campaigns targeting the reed.co.uk database, including a weekly graduate newsletter sent to 250,000 graduates.

Applications were managed by the GRADdirect team, who have implemented a new and improved screening procedure for candidates at the initial selection stage. The result of this was a significantly improved calibre of candidate seen by Barclays at assessment centre stage, and an enhanced recruitment process.

Maintaining an enhanced candidate experience

GRADdirect manages candidates throughout the recruitment process including administration and scheduling of selection events and candidate correspondence from application form onto the psychometric testing stage and attendance at assessment centre. GRADdirect provides bespoke communication with all candidates using Barclays' chosen online application system. In addition GRADdirect provides regular, live, bespoke management information reports. Application form screening, including a full competency based screen, was always completed within 2 working days of receipt further enhancing the candidate experience and applicants' perception of the Barclays brand.

A partnership approach

Ongoing feedback through the delivery of weekly management information on recruitment progress and monthly management information on attraction sources and diversity maintained client awareness throughout the process.

An end of campaign report was compiled and presented to Barclays for use at senior level to demonstrate the success of the campaign. This included a candidate evaluation of service report covering all aspects of the recruitment process.

Results

GRADdirect has achieved 100% fulfilment for Barclays. All candidates were successfully screened, equating to over 9,500 applications, to the stringent service levels and highest standards required by Barclays. This included screening the 1000+ applications received in the 48 hours prior to the application deadline.

Maintaining the focus on positive candidate experience, all expenses were paid within 4 weeks of receipt of correctly completed claim form and receipts.

Adrian Linden
PR Manager
Reed Press Office
P: +44 (0)845 241 9249
M:+44 (0)7919 967 865
E: [email protected]

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