Engaging students in the midst of a pandemic

Work and play

Making a real difference to local government

Real difference

Engaging diverse audiences for the NHS

Your NHS

A global challenge

100% you

The social mobility challenge

Be the apprentices

The pandemic has changed student engagement in a number of different ways. Virtual has become a norm &#8211; to attract as well as assess students. And it seems that employers are determined not to go back to old methods, but to embrace a more hybrid model. But this means different kinds of challenges &#8211; breaking through the digital noise, grabbing the passers-by, reaching out to diverse audiences and creating connected experiences that students want to be part of. We are here to support employers and help them transform engagement &#8211; from school years to graduate alumni, from initial contact to webinars, social engagement and more.

/get-ready-for-amazing-virtual-campus-experiences/

Get ready for amazing virtual campus experiences

/events/the-get-real-school-leaver-insight-series/

The Get Real School Leaver insight series.

No one needs another generic survey about generation z or student trends. There are enough of them already; and as we’ve seen, very few of them agree with each other. We’re focused on personalised, focused insight into the very real challenges you face – and how you can identify and engage the right people. We’ve got the experience and expertise to conduct qualitative and quantitative research that makes for better decision making.
Talk to us about:
• Audience insight 
• Value proposition research 
• Engagement analysis 
• Process audit 
• Measurement

Insight

What are your key audiences?  How can you realistically engage them?  How can you deliver experiences that make you the go-to employer?  These are some of the questions we look to answer in any strategy.  Combining experience, insight and innovation, we provide clients with strategies that will invariably challenge current approaches.  Because without new and divergent thinking, aren’t we simply doing the same thing and expecting a different result?
Talk to us about:
<ul>
<li>Value proposition development</li>
<li>Channel strategy</li>
<li>Student engagement</li>
<li>Schools and campus strategy</li>
<li>Identification and targeting</li>
</ul>

Strategy

We are a brand and engagement agency; so we focus heavily on how a brand story can evoke the right emotions in the audience and provoke action.  We are master storytellers, using all the tools in the communications box to engage and inspire our audiences, from the first contact right through to life inside an organisation.  Remember, communications that engages really connect with the right people and builds the brand is as much about the science as it is surprising audiences.
Talk to us about:
<ul>
<li>Concept development</li>
<li>Social media content</li>
<li>Writing and design</li>
</ul>

CREATIVE

In 2020, we’ve seen a seismic shift in the way we might work in the future – and it is more virtual and more digital, relying less on the traditional engagement opportunities.  Now more than ever brands need to invest in digital experiences that cut through the ever-increasing noise and engage people in novel and relevant ways.  It is no longer enough simply to have a website.  What is your social strategy?  How can you use Voice or AR?  What will help and support students in the best possible way?  Lots of questions.  We can help you come up with the answers.
Talk to us about:
<ul>
<li>Website design and development</li>
<li>App development</li>
<li>AR, VR and Voice</li>
<li>Social media engagement</li>
<li>Digital marketing</li>
</ul>

DIGITAL

Student Marketing

We know that the autumn term leading up to Christmas is one of the busiest for those in student recruitment and thinking ahead to February is often that item on the to-do list that gets pushed further and further towards Christmas… 
So we wanted to lend a hand by writing a quick guide to planning and delivering your January/February/ Spring/ TT100 campaign. So here goes:
Here’s a quick reminder of what the survey is all about. In the pre-Covid era, the TT100 survey, which culminates in a ranking of the Top 100 of Graduate Employers annually, would take place face-to-face on-campus surveying approximately 20,000 students across some 35 universities. For the purposes of the rankings, students are asked one simple question which is “Which employer do you think offers the best opportunities for graduates?”
So here’s our thoughts on making your campaign work for you: 
Understanding what is meant by the “best” 
For some graduates, this means the highest number of roles; and associating this with their “best” chance of securing a role. For others it may be salary and benefits, training, location or most diverse and inclusive organisation. We know that the top 5 decision making factors across all audiences are, according to High Fliers 2021:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Being challenged and stretched</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Having a good social life through work</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Giving something back</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Having genuine responsibility</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Being part of a structured programme</li>
</ul>
Is it a vanity project? 
What is the real reason for the project?  
Does being in the ranking mean that you attract better students?
Does being in the rankings support students with their decision-making and therefore, it’s a useful marketing tool (with over half million copies being sold/ distributed annually)?
Do you want to be there because you know that under-represented audiences take a lot of steer from the TT100 rankings and therefore being in the top half of the list makes a difference in attracting diverse students?
Of course, for many employers, this whole process of surveying students occurs after application deadlines have passed – and there are concerns about managing candidate disappointment – and this can stop them investing in Spring activities.  We have seen clients successfully use the data capture elements of their Spring campaigns to support talent pipelining of first- and second-year audiences for future recruitment rounds. 
A creative concept aligned to your main campaign or stand-alone?
This is an interesting dilemma. There are arguments for both. On the one hand, by closely aligning your campaign and messaging with your main student marketing, there could be more of an impact on brand recall. Don’t advertisers talk about the Rule of 7 – you have to see something 7 times before the message gets through? 
On the other hand, the field period for the TT100 is 2-3 weeks (end of January onwards) and is a moment in time. There is therefore the opportunity to do something surprising, unexpected, and out of the ordinary for your student brand that will be memorable for that same period. 
Whatever you decide on, your campaign needs to have resonance with your overall employer brand. For example, what does playing mini golf or the great sweetie giveaway or handing out cup-cakes have to do with your financial services graduate brand? 
We also have seen a lot of Spring campaigns in our time and there are a few rules that we try to abide by in terms of the concept: 
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Is it easy to engage with/ in?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Will it engage those who wouldn’t normally engage with your brand? </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Is it memorable? </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Is it clear in its messaging (i.e. that the brand offers the “best” graduate opportunities because of xxxxx reason)?  </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Is it shareable? </li>
</ul>
To campus or not to campus in Spring 2022? 
The reality is we just don’t know what the Winter months will bring in terms of Covid statistics and the impact on campuses across the UK. But we do know that it is more likely than not that a blended approach to both academic teaching and careers information are here to stay to some degree. For brands, in-person campus activities offer a huge opportunity as a channel with more brands than not being cautious about the health and safety of their teams (understandably). We predict, from several conversations with Careers Teams, that there will be a higher chance that employers can access campuses compared to this autumn during Spring 2022. 
A blended approach 
Students have missed seeing brands on-campus but we know that digital during Covid has proven that we can reach a far wider, more diverse audience online. Ensuring that your Spring activity is a blend of both face-to-face and digital elements will maximise your success. 
Data capturing those that you have engaged with on-campus can be off-putting to some students but for those who do provide their data, there has to be something of value in return either financially or educationally. 
Social campaigns give the safety of anonymity for students and may get you a higher number of entries (we have seen numbers from c 1500-3000 across Instagram and Facebook competitions) and the rewards here don’t necessarily have to be as high value. 
Thinking about who will physically deliver the campaign?
For our clients we see a blend of all of the following:  
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Using your team – students are always keen to see current/ past trainees as well as the recruitment team (who are often needed to answer those difficult questions) </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Using alumni of the university – to create that sense of possibility (‘If they can, I can too’) and to provide a safe space to ask questions. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Using Campus Brand Managers – a great way to access specific courses and groups of students and who can be well briefed to create the link between the activity and voting. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Using micro student influencers – having your brand and your campaign endorsed by fellow or past students with micro followings can amplify the reach of your campaign. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Student Unions and Societies – to promote your events and activities and a useful way to access hard to find/ engage groups of students. </li>
</ul>
Setting realistic expectations
In 2021 16,000 students completed the High Fliers interview online with over 1500 company names being mentioned. The number one slot went to Civil Service Fast Stream with only 6.4% of the overall votes i.e. just over 1000 votes across 32 Unis (c 31 votes per Uni). The results are kept a tight secret with brands not being told exactly how many votes they each achieved. However, statistics would show that the difference between brands in the mid-table will be somewhere between 20 and 100 votes overall. 
The opportunity to rise in the rankings with a strong Spring campaign concept is there for the taking in 2022, as many of the volume recruiters continue to take advantage of digital-only campaigns. Stealing a mere 6 votes from each of the 32 campuses could see you rising by as much as 10 places. 
We hope that this article gives you some food for thought and if you would like to have a chat about your approach to Spring campaign planning, then don’t hesitate to drop the 106 comms team a line or email me directly at <a href="mailto:jayne@106comms.com">jayne@106comms.com</a>. Thank you.

Winning student votes in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers survey

After 18 months of webinars and aspirational beach Zoom backgrounds, we brought together a group of internal communicators across industries to share stories, develop ideas and snack on popcorn. This is The Big Reconnect.
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Coinciding with the No Time to Die premiere, we thought there was no better way to kick off the Big Reconnect with a Bond themed exercise. We asked everyone what Bond film title best described their working Covid experience. The most common response – and I think many can all relate to this – was Tomorrow Never Dies. Organisations and their people have had to be more resilient than ever before, solving problems on the fly and finding innovative ways to communicate and bring the whole company together during a period of crisis.
Everyone at the Big Reconnect had their own individual experience of the pandemic, but some primary themes emerged across the day that really had an impact on all of us.
Trust
Throughout the pandemic people turned to their employer for guidance and information about Covid as the government communications became, at times, confusing and unclear. This placed a huge responsibility on the shoulders of internal communicators who had to not only get the crisis comms out to the staff, but also were accountable for the accuracy of this crucial information. Being transparent and having visible leadership was absolutely crucial, and those that got their CEOs in-front of the camera earned the trust of their people.
Trust also feeds into the success of a diverse and inclusive workspace. Certainly many organisations are now using pulse surveys and encouraging employee feedback to improve diversity and inclusion. But it’s clear that a loss of trust after many rounds of ‘information gathering’ and not so many rounds of ‘action’ leads to disengagement and difficulties with retention of underrepresented groups.
Speaking of action…
Taking a stand
Black Lives Matter. Reclaim the Streets. Insulate Britain. The last 18 months has been a period of great tragedy and thrown deep-seated social issues into the spotlight. As people ask for more from their government and leaders, there is also an increased expectation for organisations to stand by them and take a public stance. Consensus at TBR was that this is a good thing. The challenge that internal communicators must overcome is the reactive nature of content dependent on news events and finding a strategy that can convey this messaging alongside other vital comms without overwhelming the information flow.
Internal comms as a force for good
Moving away from crisis comms for a moment, there was fantastic conversation about diversity and inclusion (emphasis on ‘inclusion’). Creating an inclusive workplace requires smart communication, harnessing the power of the interpersonal relationships. The line manager is an invaluable tool as they set the tone for work culture and have contact with those hard-to-reach employees like shift workers and frontline staff. It’s also vital that internal communicators review their language to ensure it is inclusive and clear for everyone.
The democratising power of tech
Embracing technology and adapting to virtual communications provided an opportunity for organisations to be brought together – everyone can have a seat at the table when there is unlimited capacity. In the past there has been a gap between full time administrative staff and casual or shift workers, but by using technology everyone could participate in work events and was informed on what was going on. Live streaming is a great example of this. A huge unveiling or premiere is no longer reserved for the VIP, the doors are opened to all employees and they can peek behind the curtain. It’s also logistically easier and cheaper to go virtual so some changes are definitely here to stay.
An opportunity for lasting change
We’ve covered some of the major challenges, but what about the good that has come about from this major disruption? As one attendee articulately put, this is the time to cash in on ditching formality. The pandemic demanded increased visibility from senior leaders, and in the process humanised them. Suddenly the name you’re used to seeing at the bottom of an email was showing you and your colleagues around their kitchen offering a face, substance and transparency to the constant flow of difficult information. Gone were the curated, auto-cued video messages with perfect lighting and a pristine outfit. Now we had real moments of honesty and directness from our leaders.
The move to hybrid working will pose a significant challenge for communicators. Already presenteeism is starting to creep back in and when people are in the office, they’re starting to forget the people who aren’t in front of them.  There is a great responsibility for internal communicators to instil good communication habits in employees that ensure there is no difference between being the person in the room and the person in their living room.
Looking ahead 

18 months after the initial lockdown, we are at a crucial point. Either organisations will be reverting to pre-pandemic habits or codifying the reactive measures that were put in place. Hopefully we can keep the positive changes made in communications, hanging on to the ‘people-first’ mentality to boost inclusivity and engagement of employees through efficient use of technology and senior leadership. If we can codify out virtual connections it will also help ease us into the hybrid world, keeping good video-call habits in place to maintain an inclusive workplace.
The Big Reconnect was just that. There was palpable joy and excitement about being together, having the opportunity to bounce ideas, hash out challenges and find cathartic relief in sharing stories with people who understand the unique challenges of internal communications in a crisis. A big thank you to everyone who attended and got involved, especially the six fantastic speakers who offered their insights on the day.

The Big Reconnect

Before we ask ourselves this question, let’s look at what we mean by content marketing. The Content Marketing Institute have created this helpful definition:
“Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.”
So, if we translate that into our world of student talent acquisition it might read:
“A strategic marketing approach that delivers valuable, relevant and consistent content to engage, attract and retain a clearly defined and diverse student audience that ultimately produces a win for candidates and employers.”
Most student recruitment campaigns will feature elements of content marketing, often including some listed here:
<div style="max-width: 350px; margin: auto;"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone" src="https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210923102329/content-marketing--2-300x300.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" /></div>
However, posting a one-off blog highlighting a day in the life of a current trainee or hosting a standalone webinar or on-campus presentation about application tips and deadlines doesn’t constitute a content marketing plan or strategy – there must be a stronger thread.
The future of content marketing is all about digital storytelling, immersive reading experiences and value-driven content. Content marketing is one of the biggest growth areas in student marketing; because without it, employer brands are unlikely to gain traction with the right audiences and unlikely to drive cost effective candidate acquisition.
&nbsp;
Why else should you do it? 
<ul>
<li>To increase your student reach: it’s more interactive, engaging and fun and can help you reach hard to find talent</li>
<li>To differentiate your brand</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>To build a more loyal talent pool by forging relationships over the longer term</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Because “traditional advertising” is missing the mark: 99.99% of banner ads are being ignored as our mental muscle memory has taught us to tune out advertising</li>
<li>Because 40% of candidates say that thought leadership is their #1 preferred content style</li>
<li>To drive down effort and increase ROI: in content marketing, you can employ content atomisation where you invest in writing a single comprehensive piece of content and then break down and disseminate in smaller content pieces</li>
</ul>
Here are five things to remember to maximise your content marketing. 
# 1 – Know your audience inside out
Content marketing is about providing useful, relevant and valuable information to your target audience. If you can’t, hand on heart, explain using what the consumer market calls buyer personas, then your content is unlikely to hit the mark. Content needs to be designed for a specific audience with a specific reason or call to action in mind.
# 2 – Have a Plan
As we said earlier, content marketing isn’t just producing individual pieces of content like blogs, social media posts, videos, landing pages, email etc. and hoping your perfect candidate reads it and responds!
Without a defined plan or strategy, your content can’t take advantage of the nuances in your target audience and their internal sub-sections, nor can you capitalise on “buying signals” at the different stages of the candidate journey.
#3 – Structure your content around themes
Themes are key to driving purpose-driven content. Content should be structured around themes that matter to your target audience and delivered through a pre-defined schedule with a degree of consistency to keep the audience alive to the brand over time.
For example, 106 Comms is working for a large public sector organisation looking to hire over 300 graduates per year that faces significant challenges and has a wide range of target audiences. Building a matrix by target audience of their key career motivators and detractors allowed us to identify specific content that would resonate with the desired audiences. We were then able to group this content into 3 themes, namely:
Making a difference
What makes a great (data scientist, finance manager, HR specialist)
Being your true self at work
#4 – Think creatively about the delivery of the content 
One of the major barriers to many student recruitment teams is the sourcing of original content to be able to deliver a great content-based campaign.
But remember that content doesn’t have to always be shiny and glossy – think creatively about how to deliver the content using animation or infographics instead of original video production for example.
Furthermore, content doesn’t always need to be created by your own brand. Offering comments or sharing other articles related to your campaign themes will bring you a new audience.
#5 &#8211; Get your internal teams on board
It’s vital that you galvanise your internal marketing or communications team by bringing them in on the project early and making it easy for them to generate content. Some of our clients have achieved this by investing in internal content hubs that support their internal brand ambassadors with valuable source material.
If you would like to have a chat about all things content marketing and student marketing then don’t hesitate to drop Jayne or the team here at 106 an email… <a title="mailto:jayne@106comms.com" href="mailto:jayne@106comms.com">jayne@106comms.com</a>
&nbsp;

Content marketing – The best way to reach defined and diverse student audiences.

Late to the party: How a young millennial finally understood the big deal about company purpose
When I started my internship at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in autumn, 2016, I didn’t know what I was in for. Having spent the previous five years working in and managing cafés and teaching piano to primary school kids, I was used to working on my terms with a very clear purpose because it was wholly mine. This was not to last… 
At the Kennedy Center there was a real emphasis on educating us on large organisational work culture which was imparted through regular classes and internal meetings with senior figures. The main theme of these classes was coming to grips with company purpose, and how that is articulated through their mission, vision, and values (MVV). Full disclosure, at the time I dismissed it as corporate nonsense (it took me a couple more years to stop raging against the machine) but this lesson has had a far greater role to play in my professional life than I ever thought it could.
Prior to working at 106 Comms, I was a Community Manager at a guardianship company. Although I had never heard of this industry prior to being hired (it doesn’t exist in Australia), I found it to be a fantastic business model for affordable and sustainable living. In a nutshell, guardship companies take over the management of empty buildings – usually business premises like banks or former care homes – and equip them for communal living on a licencing basis. Guardianships create communities in a city that can be difficult to penetrate, they’re environments that foster creativity and they make London life liveable due to the low licence fee (aka rent).
The company was a start-up and was only just starting to grow when I joined. I really believed in the community spirit and goodwill of the people living in our quirky buildings across London. In my role I was first point of contact for 600+ people, but I worked alongside colleagues involved only in the property acquisition or maintenance who had a completely different experience of the company and our work. I realised we need to unify our purpose so we could keep the bigger picture in mind as we worked together to deliver.
Although there was only about 10 staff at the time, I ended up with about 10 different opinions on what the company purpose was. So in consultation with the team, I wrote a mission, vision, and values. We were a young company and I faced some poorly veiled (but good-humoured) scepticism just as I had been a sceptic before. Sure enough, two months later and my beautiful PowerPoint collected binary dust as we all forgot our MVV and I learned a valuable lesson:
Company purpose must be a part of the conversation and the every day, otherwise it will be another ‘nice gesture’. 
As the company began to expand into new areas, the lack of unified purpose began to lead to more fundamental differences in opinion in key decision making and it became difficult to reconcile our different visions. It was no one’s fault, but our priorities had deviated due to a lack of unified direction. Since joining 106 Comms I have been able to see how important a unified purpose across industry and organisation, and how effective it is when it’s working well. I carry out extensive interviews with employees for different campaigns, and the majority of the time interviewees cite alignment of values and purpose as the main appeal of the company and motivation at work.
As we move into a new era of hybrid working and increased use of the Alternative Workforce (aka freelancers and gig workers), a strong company purpose is crucial to expediate decision making and maintain service standards. What I once dismissed as corporate fluff is actually the glue that will bring together teams and set companies head and shoulders above the rest for employees, high quality talent and therefore for customers and stakeholders too.

How a young millennial finally understood the big deal about company purpose.

The Get Real School Leaver Insight Series was created to give early careers recruiters more specific insights into School Leavers.  This is all done in partnership with our friends at <a href="http://notgoingtouni.co.uk/">Not Going To Uni</a>.
Across the course of June and July, Jayne Cullen, our Head of Student Marketing, met with early careers recruiters at a number of organisations, including Clifford Chance, Morgan Stanley, Greene King and Astra Zeneca, to understand what insights about School Leavers would really help them.  There are were key areas:
<ul>
<li>Brand and attraction – how to engage students successfully.</li>
<li>Impact of the pandemic – and how this has affected choices, motivations and behaviours.</li>
<li>Black students – how organisations can better engage with students of black heritage.</li>
</ul>
For the first set of insights in the series, we surveyed over 400 students, primarily years 12 and 13, to find out their perceptions, motivations and behaviours.  We found four clear groups:
<img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-9010" src="https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210910172948/Screenshot-2021-09-10-at-13.39.25-2.png" alt="" width="2072" height="826" srcset="https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210910172948/Screenshot-2021-09-10-at-13.39.25-2.png 2072w, https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210910172948/Screenshot-2021-09-10-at-13.39.25-2-300x120.png 300w, https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210910172948/Screenshot-2021-09-10-at-13.39.25-2-1024x408.png 1024w, https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210910172948/Screenshot-2021-09-10-at-13.39.25-2-768x306.png 768w, https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210910172948/Screenshot-2021-09-10-at-13.39.25-2-1536x612.png 1536w, https://media.106comms.com/app/uploads/20210910172948/Screenshot-2021-09-10-at-13.39.25-2-2048x816.png 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2072px) 100vw, 2072px" />
&nbsp;
Many employers competing for Explorers and Dreamers
What’s interesting is that while ostriches are in the minority, there is a pretty even spread of Dreamers (32%), Explorers (26%) and Planners (37%).  This suggests that many employers – especially those that are not an obvious choice for Planners – are actually competing for dreamers and explorers.  This has a major impact on the content you should be using.
Men’s career capital less strong as compared to female
We found that 10% of all men and women haven’t thought about careers at all; and there are 10% more women planners than men.
The most attractive industries haven’t really changed
Many of us had assumed that there would be a significant change over the course of the pandemic in what industries students are attracted to.  Our research says otherwise.  In 2019, All About Careers reported these as the top 5 sectors:
Health and Public Services &amp; Care
Arts, Media and Publishing
Science and Maths
Business and Law
Education
The Get Real report has these 5 sectors topping the charts:
IT &amp; Tech
Finance and Banking
Business and Law
Arts, Media and Publishing
Engineering
In many ways, we might have thought that healthcare and pharma might have been more front of mind for School Leavers; but it seems not.  But that is the only significant change.
Interest working more important than career progression
Again we did a comparison of career motivations – 2019 v 2021.  In 2019, according to the Trendence School Leaver survey, these were the top 5 career motivators:
Career progression
Training and development
Diversity
Employer reputation
Interesting job tasks
In 2021, the tables have turned somewhat with Interesting Work being the overriding career motivator:
Interesting work
Something I have always wanted to do
Career progression
Salary
Training
Of course, we all think we do interesting work; but is it really, in the eyes of students?  That is the challenge, and many more employers will need to think about creating great stories and content (not the usual ‘no 2 days are the same’ type profiles!).
If it looks dull, students may discount your opportunity
The emphasis on interesting work becomes even more acute when students were asked what turned them off about a sector.
#1 –  Looks dull
#2 – Not enough money in it
#3 – Poor brand image
#4 – People like me don’t do those jobs
#5 – Long application process
But even when you’ve cracked the storytelling, you need to support it with a decent salary.  Students aren’t saying they want lots of money; just ‘enough’ to allow them to buy new clothes or a new phone etc.
From a diversity perspective, it’s still apparent that many people don’t apply to certain sectors and employers because they don’t see people like them doing those jobs. The challenge for employers is to address this head on – especially when they don’t have representation.
Think about channels and contents for your audiences
There are some definite channels for our target audiences.
Instagram and Tiktok for women; YouTube more so for men
LinkedIn for planners (of course!)
Tiktok for dreamers – steps to breaking into career
Instagram for explorers – why your brand makes a difference over another brand
If you also consider that Explorers and Dreamers may be the majority of people that you are trying to convince, there are some key learnings here:
<ul>
<li>Use Tiktok to convert dreamers by showing the steps to pursuing a potential career</li>
<li>Use Instagram to appeal to explorers by showcasing your brand; and also giving them application tips.</li>
</ul>
Competitions to appeal to lower socio-economic groups
From our experience, we’d say that a fair proportion of Ostriches may well be from lower socio-economic groups.  They have a strong appetite for competitions on social media.  So could be worth a try to grow your recruitment of lower socio-economic talent.
So what are the Get Real takeaways?
<ul>
<li>Our research has shown that the top sectors haven’t really changed that much during the pandemic</li>
<li>Understand the make-up of your audience by career planning stage to tailor the message</li>
<li>It’s all about the here and now (less on the longer-term career development)</li>
<li>Being transparent and “loud” about the diversity of your people – to dispel concerns that “people like me don’t do those types of jobs”</li>
<li>Instagram is a preferred channel by female explorers</li>
</ul>
We will be holding the second in our series on 7th October at 11.00am looking at the Impact of the Pandemic on Years 11-13. If you would like to come along, please sign up<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/get-real-school-leaver-insight-session-2-tickets-168700376367?utm_medium=email&amp;_hsmi=2&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9Qm3FOa7AOrao_H_KZ5zxQmr3KD5GiHMtl9RfFeIlr_5zDy9pTLzxVMq_yM4zk55LlP3V5m021xDiNrF2eIj9m2E9Hlg&amp;utm_content=2&amp;utm_source=hs_email"> here</a>.
If anyone would like specific data from this research (sector, persona, gender etc), please contact <a href="mailto:Jayne@106comms.com">Jayne@106comms.com</a> We’d be happy to share free of charge.

Get Real School Leaver Insight Series – Part I

The rapid change in work trends go well beyond the question of ‘2 days in and 3 days out, or 3 days in and 2 days out?’. Trends that were emerging before Covid have gained momentum as the pandemic accelerated the integration of new technologies and communication tools into our work processes. The IoIC released their <a href="https://www.ioic.org.uk/files/IoIC_Future_of_Work_Report.pdf">Future of Work Trends Report</a>, and the impact technology and the Fourth Industrial Revolution will have on our organisations and infrastructure is deep and far-reaching.
The IoIC oracle had plenty to share, so we summarised our three favourite professional premonitions for you. 
<ol>
<li>Technology: Learning to be human</li>
</ol>
The exponential leaps forward in AI, biotechnology, nanotechnology, energy storage and everything else you can think of is propelling us into tomorrow with unprecedented speed. Technology is increasingly capable and taking over repetitive jobs and tasks. By 2025 54% of workers globally will have to significantly re-skill or up-skill in “human” skills that can’t be automated. Jobs will be amalgamated, where programmable tasks from different roles will be taken over by machines, and the ‘human’ elements of different jobs will be amalgamated into ‘hybrid’ roles.
We are also seeing a new generation enter the workforce, a generation with a new way of communicating founded in their “native digital fluency”. A strong internal communications strategy is vital to unite and connect this new generational mix and to navigate the constant change of technology and communication tools.
<ol start="2">
<li>A mercenary world</li>
</ol>
There has been a rapid increase in the ‘Alternative Workforce’ as coined by Deloitte in 2019. This Alternative Workforce consists of contractors, freelancers and gig workers. This phenomenon goes hand-in-hand with the increased difficulty companies are having accessing and retaining the required talent. Worldwide, 67% of companies with 250+ employees are struggling to fill open positions. So companies are regularly outsourcing work to the Alternative Workforce to supplement their teams.
Maintaining an organisational identity and effective, agile teams in this landscape is difficult but crucial. Internal communications now must work doubly hard to ensure the continued flow of two-way information, as well as bring together disparate teams and identities for a common purpose. 
<ol start="3">
<li>Chameleon Companies “Successful companies of the future will be shape-shifters, continuously morphing and adapting to meet new market needs, as they arise.” IoIC Report</li>
</ol>
“Agile” is the corporate buzzword of these roaring 20s, and to be honest it’s apt. We don’t need to rehash how volatile the world is right now, but it’s true that a new flexibility is required for a business to survive. A culture of immediacy in tandem with the growing Alternative Workforce means organisations need to be able to motivate teams on short term projects and swivel to new projects as they arise.
The technological infrastructure – from communication platforms to information hubs – must be in place to support this swift moving, project-based environment.

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GET REAL SCHOOL LEAVER INSIGHT SERIES – PART I

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The Get Real School Leaver insight series.

Recent Posts

WINNING STUDENT VOTES IN THE TIMES TOP 100 GRADUATE EMPLOYERS SURVEY

THE BIG RECONNECT

CONTENT MARKETING – THE BEST WAY TO REACH DEFINED AND DIVERSE STUDENT AUDIENCES.

HOW A YOUNG MILLENNIAL FINALLY UNDERSTOOD THE BIG DEAL ABOUT COMPANY PURPOSE.

GET REAL SCHOOL LEAVER INSIGHT SERIES – PART I

INSIGHT INTO THE FUTURE OF WORK TRENDS

Get ready for amazing virtual campus experiences