The recent BBC news coverage highlights the immense pressures facing young people entering the workforce today, detailing a broken graduate job market characterised by fierce competition and an unpredictable climate.
This reporting strongly resonates with the findings from our own self-funded research at Field Notes. Through our ‘Grads Mindset’ and ‘Employee Stories’ projects, we tasked a cohort of university students, recent graduates, and early talent professionals with recording mobile video diaries to document their genuine job-hunting experiences. Their unfiltered stories directly corroborate the concerns raised by the BBC and offer crucial lessons for Early Careers teams trying to attract top talent.
The Relentless Cycle of Rejection and Assessment Anxiety
The BBC article underscores the emotional toll of the modern job hunt, and our participants firmly echoed this reality. They described the process of actively job hunting as “very stressful“. The graduate schemes themselves are often the biggest source of this anxiety because they involve “so many stages” and time-consuming psychometric tests.
One participant documented the profound frustration of applying to well over thirty roles, only to be met with a barrage of straight rejections. Facing continuous “rejection after rejection” in such a highly competitive landscape leaves candidates feeling deeply disheartened and overwhelmed before their careers have even begun.
A Backlash Against Superficial Networking and Corporate AI
While the media often focuses on candidates using AI to cheat the system, our qualitative research reveals some scepticism toward both corporate networking platforms and Generative AI.
Our cohort expressed frustration with the performative nature of the job hunt. Many view LinkedIn as an “incredibly superficial” space where people “unironically over-exaggerate” their achievements. For some, the pressure to maintain a highly active presence on these platforms feels “really fake”.
Furthermore, while some graduates use AI to help structure their thoughts or condense a CV, they feel that relying heavily on it makes applications “inauthentic” and “derivative”.
Importantly, this standard goes both ways; if a company uses obvious AI in their communications or hiring process, graduates view it as a lack of effort that reflects poorly on the employer.
What Early Talent Actually Wants
When we asked this cohort what they truly value in an employer, their answers challenged traditional corporate assumptions:
- Continuous Learning Over Starting Salary: While a fair salary is necessary to survive the cost of living, development and progression are paramount. Many noted that they prioritise opportunities to upskill, learn, and gain professional qualifications over starting salary alone.
- Authentic Inclusion: They demand valid inclusion where everyone feels they belong. Participants warned that a lack of diversity or a cliquey culture makes the workplace feel “debilitating” and leads to intense imposter syndrome.
- Supportive Leadership: Graduates are not looking for distant corporate bosses. They want managers who are approachable, supportive, and capable of fostering a collaborative environment without micromanaging.
The Need for Human Connection
If there is one key takeaway from both the BBC’s reporting and our self-funded video diaries, it is that young talent is crying out for authenticity and transparency. Relying on polished application metrics or dry surveys hides the real human struggles of your candidates.
By utilising mobile ethnography and video diaries, you can capture the true candidate experience and build early careers programmes that genuinely resonate.
Want to see the real faces behind the applications? Book a demo with Field Notes today to discover how our platform can bring the human truth back to your talent acquisition strategy.
