Graduate Leadership Programme Case Study

This international horticulture group has recruited four graduates for their brand new leadership programme. Here’s how it happened;

What was your business challenge/need at the time that required a new hire?

We have had previous success with graduates entering the business into direct entry-level roles however given substantial growth and investment, it was imperative that we implement a group-wide programme that will provide us with future leaders to fit with our long term succession plan.

Why were you looking for a graduate?

We needed someone with a particular skillset and a graduate was the best option for the role.

Why did you decide on GRB against other options?

We have worked with GRB in the past for our direct-entry positions, when we decided to put together a graduate programme we were confident GRB would be able to provide us with the calibre and quantity of candidates that we needed. They took the time to really understand what we were looking to achieve with the graduate programme as well as the candidate profiles that we wanted; from this they were able to build a comprehensive job description and marketing plan to attract the high calibre graduates we were after.

"Ruby and her team didn't miss a beat and I couldn't fault then in every aspect of the project."

How did you find the recruitment process?

Excellent. GRB kept both myself and the candidates well informed throughout the process so we were confident throughout that we would have a successful outcome. From the beginning of the process we put in place definitive timescales for shortlisting, feedbacks and interviews which meant that the process ran smoothly. The quality of their selection (including backups) was extremely high which was recognised by every assessor on the assessment centre.

How did you find the service?

Fantastic. Ruby and her team didn’t miss a beat and I couldn’t fault them in every aspect of the project. It was noted from the candidates that the service outclassed many of their competitors which ultimately helped us maintain a strong employer brand as a graduate employer of choice.

What has been the outcome and how has the graduate made a difference?

We looked at 16 CVs that Ruby had selected and screened, invited 12 to our Assessment Centre (and selected two back-up candidates). All candidates were fully prepared for the assessment centre and as a result we had a very successful day, resulting in offers to four candidates. We originally only had two vacancies but were so impressed with four candidates we offered them all a place on the programme.