Case Study: Vodafone

Case Study: Vodafone

At a Glance


18,000 unique visitors in 2 months
Average time on site of just under four minutes.
3,075 applications received
Excellent candidate feedback
96% conversion rate
Client enters Times Top 100 Graduate Employer list

Background

After a seven year absence from the graduate market, Vodafone UK had a number of very clear aims for their 2010 UK Graduate Programme. They wanted to attract 50 bright, forward-thinking graduates who would come to play a central role in driving cultural change and shaping the business in the years ahead.

The Brief

Vodafone UK were also keen to demonstrate the company’s innovative, progressive approach at all stages of the recruitment process, with the candidate experience at the centre of it all. To ensure that only the best candidates would apply, they wanted to be clear from the outset that this was a 12 month programme, very much contribution based, and different to the traditional graduate programmes where candidates would automatically retain a permanent position. The graduates were made aware that showing passion, ambition, and a knack for coming up with fresh ideas would help keep them with Vodafone when the programme came to a close.

Finally, they wanted to demonstrate speed and simplicity in their approach, very much at the heart of the organisation’s values. A condensed campaign ran for four months from start to finish, including the reduction of a target of 2,500 completed applications to the final 50 in less than ten weeks.

This was far from conventional graduate recruitment. With that in mind, Vodafone UK chose to partner with Alexander Mann Solutions (AMS) to create a truly original solution, spanning attraction, assessment, selection and offer management.

The Solution

AMS helped Vodafone defy convention at every stage of the process.

Attraction
Allied to the magnetic power of the Vodafone brand, the chosen online attraction strategy proved highly adept at driving traffic to a freshly-created UK graduate careers website. A mix of banner ads, job board postings, HTML emails and social media generated tens of thousands of user visits with no need for campus activity.

Website

A new website was designed to give users all the detail they needed in the shortest journey time, while showcasing Vodafone’s technological know-how. Students arriving at the site were met by a filter message that helped to screen out unsuitable candidates and introduce the competitive nature of the programme. Other stand-out content included a video presentation from the UK CEO, and films featuring previous graduates’ experiences which both positioned the value of the programme internally and helped demonstrate Vodafone’s capability with web technology.

Assessment

AMS managed the whole process, with four stages of screening in preparation for final assessment of the top 150 candidates. This last step was where things got really interesting.

AMS worked with Vodafone to shape an ‘Experience Day’ concept, bringing Vodafone to life for graduates and integrating the core assessment centre and feedback process. The Experience Days were designed to be fast-paced, high-octane assessments which put students on the spot and tested their potential in new ways as well as give them a real insight into what it’s like to work at Vodafone. Product and service demonstrations brought the latest Vodafone technology to life and discussions with ex graduates gave candidates an opportunity to ask questions. The process also included ‘speed dating’ interviews to music, which saw candidates rotate around ‘competency pods’ and given just 10 minutes to make an impression. Other group activities included a ‘Dragon’s Den’ style exercise allowing the graduates to demonstrate their persuasion skills, innovative minds and ability to relate the task to the key competencies set out by Vodafone.

This was a genuine innovation in the world of graduate assessment – with all the potential for teething problems that novelty can bring. Fortunately, that was covered too, as AMS delivered interactive assessor training to 70+ senior Vodafone managers.

Selection

Verbal offers came just 24 hours after the Experience Days and written offers within three days of verbal acceptance. True to form, AMS and Vodafone did things a little differently here too, with contracts sent out on branded memory sticks for candidates to print out and send back. And they made sure no one was forgotten at this critical final stage, in-depth verbal feedback was provided to the 100 unsuccessful candidates within two weeks.

Communication

We jointly devised a comprehensive high-touch communications strategy to keep our audience engaged at all times. From greater face-to-face and verbal contact, emails and videos to SMS updates and creative use of our sponsorship links for the final 50, we made sure candidates always felt informed and cared for.

The Results

We were able to measure response and reactions at each point and it’s fair to say that the results were quite remarkable. Between December 2009 and January 2010, the website received nearly 18,000 unique visitors, each of whom stayed on average just under four minutes. But the really impressive stat was the comparatively tiny number of queries received on the graduate helpline – showing that the information students needed was all there on the site.

The applications target was comprehensively smashed, ith 3,075 received in all. And the further along the process the applicants went, the more impressed they were. Experience Days garnered rave reviews – variously described as “fresh, innovative and modern”, “a refreshing blast of enthusiasm”, “completely different from anything else” and “an enlightening insight into Vodafone”.

The most compelling result was a 96% conversion rate at the end of it, with 48 of the 50 offers of employment verbally accepted. Perhaps the most satisfying outcome, though, was something that hadn’t been planned or prioritised – Vodafone UK’s maiden appearance in the Times Top 100 Graduate Employers list.

RSS Feed

Subscribe to our blog

Browse By Category