The Challenge: Piercing the “Interview Persona”
For Early Careers professionals, understanding what graduates actually think is incredibly difficult. Traditional surveys often yield dry, quantitative data, while focus groups and interviews are plagued by the “interview persona” – where graduates tell recruiters what they think they want to hear.
To build employer brands and grad schemes that genuinely resonate, it’s essential to understand this demographic from the “inside out.” You need to see their anxieties, their digital habits, and their unfiltered expectations.
To explore this, Field Notes ran an internal research project with a cohort of 5 university students and recent graduates. We utilized our mobile self-ethnography app, turning their smartphones into trusted companions to capture their raw, in-the-moment realities.
The Method: Empowering the Participant
Rather than sending a list of survey questions, we used Field Notes to set up a multi-day diary study. Because participants recorded responses via the app on their own phones, in their own time and space, we bypassed the observer effect. The result was Hollywood-quality, deeply authentic video narratives that felt more like FaceTime calls with a friend than a corporate research study.
Key Findings
The richness of the video entries gave us an incredible access to the graduate mindset. For Early Careers teams, the findings challenge several common corporate assumptions.
1. The Job Hunt is a High-Anxiety, Demoralizing Reality
While brands often view their grad schemes as exciting opportunities, the graduates’ lived experience of applying is overwhelming. The sheer volume of competition creates deep stress and imposter syndrome.
- A participant frankly shares their frustration, noting that they are feeling highly stressed because they are “zero for 40” on internship applications, receiving only rejections.
- Another participant recounted applying to well over 30 roles, noting that the constant straight rejections are disheartening and make them question how they can stand out when the market is so competitive.
2. Deep Skepticism Toward LinkedIn and AI
Despite being digital natives, this cohort is highly critical of “fake” corporate behavior. They do not view LinkedIn as a trusted space, and they are surprisingly skeptical of using Generative AI for applications.
- A participant openly cringes at LinkedIn, calling it “incredibly superficial” and asking, “You mean to tell me employers are taking this seriously? Are you for real?”. Another participant notes that reaching out on LinkedIn is “nerve-wracking” but necessary, viewing it as a chore rather than a natural social space.
- A participant explains they avoid using AI to write CVs because it comes across as “a bit inauthentic and not a proper representation of myself,” warning that if an employer uses AI, it sounds “derivative” and shows a lack of effort.
3. Authentic Culture Beats “Corporate Values” Every Time
When asked what they want from an employer, the graduates heavily emphasised well-being, work-life balance, and genuine inclusion over high salaries or posters on a wall.
- A participant powerfully articulates the need for “valid inclusion rather than performative” diversity. They specifically call out companies that hire diverse talent just “for the sake of it” without actively creating a safe, representative environment.
- A participant laughs at the concept of corporate values, noting he “tunes out” because to young people, it’s just “made up jargon”. Another participant clearly states that while salary is important for survival, it is not worth it if it comes at the expense of sanity and work-life balance.
The Impact: Why Field Notes for Early Careers?
This project demonstrates that you rely solely on application metrics or standard surveys, you will miss the emotional truth of the graduate experience.
By using Field Notes, you give young talent a platform they are comfortable with (their smartphone camera) and the privacy to be brutally honest.
- Richness: You capture their tone of voice, their sighs of frustration, and the physical environments they inhabit.
- Authenticity: You bypass the “interview filter,” capturing their raw opinions on your brand, your application process, and their personal fears.
- Impact: By using our clipping and playlist tools, you can take these video moments directly into your boardroom, proving to stakeholders exactly what the next generation of talent needs to see to apply and stay.
Want to have access to all the videos we collected? Get in touch with us at hello@fieldnotes.space
