Early careers teams are all facing similar challenges. Application volumes are consistently rising, making it difficult to assess candidates in ways that are fair and transparent. Expectations around candidate experience and diversity have also grown, and most employers are reporting skills gaps across the board.
A solution that may not be obvious for solving these universal early career challenges is Virtual Work Experience (VWEX). VWEX goes far beyond passive engagement. It gives young people engagement which is genuinely meaningful, immersive and most importantly, scalable. When employers equip young people with the right tools, the benefits for both the young people and early careers teams are substantial .
Below, we’ve outlined just some of the ways virtual work experience can overcome the challenges early career teams are facing.
Screening becomes easier
For young people without experience, it can be difficult to gauge whether a role or industry is what they think it is. This can make the screening process difficult when candidates aren’t fully aware of what they’re applying for.
Virtual Work Experience gives young people a realistic view of different industries. With the insight, skills and confidence built through experience, young people have a better grasp of whether it’s a good fit for them. This means they can go into interviews with more confidence in communicating why they’re the best person for the job.
For employers, this means the screening process is more efficient and the right candidates and moving down the pipeline.
58% of a recent webinar audience said volume and assessing was the biggest strain on their early careers funnel. 34% said it leads to difficulty distinguishing commitment from mass-applications.
Increasing candidate quality
Companies can get hundreds of applications for a singular role, making it difficult to separate quality from quantity.
When candidates have insight into the role, they gain clarity on whether it aligns with their strengths and interests. This reduces the amount of applications where things are misaligned.
45% of young people have rejected a potential employer because of misaligned values.
With new knowledge of the industry and day-to-day work, more skills that match the role and an increase in confidence, interviews and conversations are of higher calibre and there are more candidates who are a mutual fit.
Strengthening employer brand
Virtual Work Experience is a great way for organisations to show off their brand to prospective young talent. When taking part in a company's programme, learners get authentic insight into what it’s like to work there.
You’d be giving a glimpse into what a typical day or week looks like. This could be what projects they’d be working on, what responsibilities look like and what sorts of teams they’d be working with.
It can give a much stronger indication of what your brand is actually like as opposed to just your web page or career site. Future candidates are put right into the heart of your brand, positioning it as one invested in early talent development.
Diversity and accessibility
Location, connections and societal factors often limit access to work experience.
Virtual Work Experience breaks down these barriers by making access completely digital. This means organisations can reach a broader range of students beyond the traditional means.
By opening opportunities to all young people, including those who often struggle to get their foot in the door, organisations are able to improve equitable hiring practices, demonstrate commitment to DEI and create a more diverse workforce.
Improving skills gaps
44% of UK businesses report having skills gaps, creating a recurring challenge for employers and early careers teams.
Many young people don’t think they have the skills necessary to apply for roles. On top of that, there’s a huge lack of support in helping them achieve these skills.
“Young people don’t think they have the skills necessary to carry out a specific role. Or the skills necessary to even go through the application process.” - Josh, a Manufacturing Engineering Degree Apprentice
Virtual Work Experience guides learners through realistic, scenario-based tasks. This equips them with the core skills needed to succeed in real hiring situations.
Learning these skills allow young people to build foundational knowledge of realistic workplace situations long before they apply. For employers, this means an early talent pipeline full of candidates who are confident, prepared and ready to evidence their skills in early application stages.
Some of the skills young people can learn through Virtual Work Experience:
- Adaptability
- Communication
- Conflict Resolution
- Cultural Awareness
- Emotional Intelligence
- Leadership
- Problem Solving
- Resilience
- Teamwork
- Time Management
- Critical Thinking
Reduction in time-to-hire
The amount of time spent going through applications can take time away from focusing on more strategic projects.
Virtual Work Experience lets young people apply with the confidence, skills, and knowledge to articulate why they’re perfect for the role.
Quality of hire is increased and screening time is shorter because the right candidates are getting through. All of this combined means that there’s a huge reduction in time-to-hire because pipeline progression is smoother.
For early careers teams, they now have more time to work on projects that attract talent and improve experiences, rather than just on applications.
Key takeaways
Virtual Work Experience has become a must-have for early careers teams looking to make a strategic shift in the right direction. It breaks down accessibility barriers, helps close employability and skills gaps, and improves candidate quality and recruitment processes.
If you’re curious in exactly how much value it could bring your organisation, we created a free ROI tool. Use it to measure what talent, brand and social impact you could generate with Virtual Work Experience.
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