Partnering with ABInBev to deliver a multi-country recruitment process (Odyssey Talent Management)

We at Odyssey Talent Management are thrilled to be nominated for this award. It is affirmation that we provide the service that we promise to our clients. One of our key values is that we uphold a partnering mindset, and work with our clients to build solutions that meet their key and unique requirements.

Whilst there are many examples of where we have done this with all our clients, our partnership with the AbInBev TAP and GMT selection processes stand out as examples where we have worked in conjunction with a client to customise our solutions so that they address their unique challenges.

Our partnership with AbInBev began in 2019. AbInBev engaged us to assist them improve their multicounty recruitment process.

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Deloitte: Be Invincible

What worked for us in 2020 / 2021?
• Campaign that was directly targeted to our students
• Tone of voice
• Modern design and elements
• The inclusiveness of the campaign

Rationale for 2020 / 2021
We created the DYIS platform where not only did our graduates belong but they were the founders, which meant they left their legacy. This is a great role that the graduate recruitment campaign was recognised for, because we aspire to be leaders in our industry.

We need to leverage off the previous campaign and what has worked for us without completely discarding it and creating confusion. Tag line: Be Invincible!

Our vision was to look for Young Invincible, that has not changed. We are looking for the best of the best, the bold thinkers, the ones who are aware of what it takes and are going for it.

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Building a Better You (EY)

At EY we have a stated purpose to build a better working world, and we demonstrate our purpose in everything we do.

We recognised that lockdown is a challenging time, and to help students across South Africa with their wellbeing, we launched a series of live
events, called Building a Better You.

Building a Better You liveevents provided students with resources and tools to take care of their mental and emotional wellbeing.

Covering topics such as:
• Coping with Cabin Fever
•Emotional Intelligence
•Leveraging Personal Energy
•Optimizing your Potential Through Technology
•Dealing with Adversities
•Virtual Interviews

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Bowmans Break: Virtual Vacation Programme (Winter 2021)

At Bowmans, the Vacation Work Programes grants an opportunity to participants to meet some of the firms’ top lawyers, and gain insights on some of the top legal work while enjoying the collegial culture. These are not only important to us but are equally important to an aspiring attorney who aspire to join Bowmans and experience the firms’ values, culture, and the type of work practice on a day-to-day basis.

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Information Sharing Webinar (AGSA)

With limited face to face interaction at Universities – students seemed to be more anxious about the fate of their futures. There was an increase of students signing more than one contract in an attempt to ensure that they receive employment.
The anxiety was primarily caused by the unavailability of face to face interactions with forms/ organisations and the clarity that is provided through interaction, with many students having brief online interactions at career fairs or online interviews.
The AGSA introduced ‘the webinar’ for all candidates that have applied – it compromised of an hour session that had the objective of providing detail to students; who were they applying to, the vision, mission and values of the organisation, the auditees, the programme they had applied to, an introduction of the office team members, a chance to ask any questions.
The webinar provided candidates with the opportunity to get to know the organisation without committing to anything or being a part of a formal interview. The value add has been phenomenal thus far and provided the candidates with a much required interaction.

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#ChooseAGSA

The #ChooseAGSA campaign has the objective of reaching as many students with a message that compromises of 4 integral components that would make the AGSA an employer of choice:
Meaningful Work Opportunities
Competitive rewards
Nurture Homegrown Talent
Compelling Reputation promise

These components are further broken down by providing the purpose of the organization, its Auditees, Exposure, Involvement, Salary and Rewards, opportunities etc.

The #ChooseAGSA campaign has been flighted across various platforms and mediums to ensure a maximum reach.

The attached presentation provides more depth and detail of the #ChooseAGSA

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Human Chemistry #Werksmansitsaboutchemistry (Werksmans Attorneys)

The Human Chemistry graduate campaign uses the periodic table to communicate that there are several elements and aspects of character that are sought after at Werksmans. The award entry will focus on the roll out of the Human Chemistry campaign between 2019 and 2021, providing a perspective on pre and current COVID-19 pandemic campaign roll out.

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Creating Together: Virtual Recruitment Campaign (PwC)

Graduate Recruitment in South Africa has always been competitive and with the global pandemic, this added to the already challenging landscape.

The pandemic forced us to look beyond the traditional approach, to make an impact on students across the country and spark an entirely reimagined way of communicating. Alongside the PwC values and our mission statement to build trust in society, we embarked on a virtual journey, eager to challenge the norms.

Under the banner of creating together- Our new recruitment campaign was anchored on various webinars, direct mails as well as social media. Our agility, flexibility and creativity was tested and from that stemmed an innovative, engaging and interactive national campaign. By leveraging technology we were able to create the same impact with students that we would’ve had prior to Covid-19.

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Dream. Do (Standard Bank)

Africa is our home; we drive her growth.

This is what Standard Bank represents; this is the cornerstone of their business ethos and the root of their purpose.

2021 saw the bank working to continue to land their Dream.Do. proposition where a robust always-on strategy was created to engage with Africa’s young talent and demonstrate their brand promise of finding new ways to make dreams possible.

We ran a focused campaign targeting ambitious, talented youth who were looking for access to quality education, career growth and advancement opportunities at the bank. Our aim was to inspire, connect and build relationships with Africa’s young talent.

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Ready to go where no Bank has gone before? (FNB)

Wanted: Curious and Courageous Minds that Challenge Convention
At FNB, we’re always looking for graduates who are ready for the big world. Ready to make a difference. And ready to shape the organisation, the industry and the world. Because we’re driven to not only help customers, but also determined to create a better world.

We’re looking for the curious and the courageous, team players who are with mastery. Fresh minds that aren’t confined by convention, but ready to lead the pack, change the game, put Africa on the map, and create the future – for us, for banking, for the country, and for themselves.

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Your Future Starts Here (RCL Foods)

At RCL FOODS, we’re all about inspiring great people to achieve MORE and we believe we can do this by creating MORE IMPACT through what we do. That’s why our campaign this year was focused on our pin drop concept, because impact starts here, with us, right now. Supported by our statement, “Your Future Starts Here”, our campaign aimed to reaffirm that work must be more than a ‘9-5’, and can be the starting point to make a tangible difference for the greater good.

In executing this campaign message, everything from our online presence and strategy to recruit top talent to our offline presence at Career Fairs was about showing Graduates who RCL FOODS is: a group of inspired people driven to make a lasting change in the country. We also highlighted our key values of seeing & doing things differently, uncompromising integrity, acting responsibly and respect for people throughout the campaign to attract graduates who resonate with these values and inspire them to join the team in 2021.

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Your Future Starts Here (RCL Foods)

At RCL FOODS, we’re all about inspiring great people to achieve MORE and we believe we can do this by creating MORE IMPACT through what we do. That’s why our campaign this year was focused on our pin drop concept, because impact starts here, with us, right now. Supported by our statement, “Your Future Starts Here”, our campaign aimed to reaffirm that work must be more than a ‘9-5’, and can be the starting point to make a tangible difference for the greater good.

In executing this campaign message, everything from our online presence and strategy to recruit top talent to our offline presence at Career Fairs was about showing Graduates who RCL FOODS is: a group of inspired people driven to make a lasting change in the country. We also highlighted our key values of seeing & doing things differently, uncompromising integrity, acting responsibly and respect for people throughout the campaign to attract graduates who resonate with these values and inspire them to join the team in 2021.

Innovative flagging solution to enable client/candidate engagement at scale (Leaply in partnership with Absa)

Leaply, the official application platform for Absa’s GenA Graduate programme, was tasked by the bank to find a quicker, more automated way to engage with candidates at scale regarding any additional actions required during the early stages of their applications.

Background: Typically, with most applications systems, once a candidate has applied and uploaded the required information it is up to the client to review the application and check whether all the necessary information has been provided. In cases where a candidate’s information is outdated or missing, the client’s only resolve is to contact the candidate directly (either via email or mobile) and request that they provide the necessary information. Often, it is up to the client to manually supplement the application with the relevant information once received. Absa estimated that, depending on what information was missing, the responsiveness of candidates and the frequency of engagement with a specific candidate, it could take up to 20mins in total to resolve one query (or 4.2 business days for every 100 queries!).

Solution: Leaply, in partnership with Absa, developed a proprietary flagging system which allowed the bank to engage at scale with candidates about additional actions required on their applications. By simply selecting the relevant flag on a candidate’s online application, the client initiates an automated process whereby a candidate is notified of the action required and prompted to resolve same.

Results: Since introducing the feature at the end of 2020, a total of 1,371 flags have been submitted with 1,220 resolved without the client needing to contact the candidate directly (89% success rate). We estimate that to date the feature has saved clients up to 407 hours (or 51 business days) in screening time.

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Nedbank CIB Graduate Programme Pre-Screening Tool

• Digitised prescreening application tool to engage with targeted ‘digital native’ candidates via an intuitive mobile-first interface; that guides them through the process to provide instant information to enable their decision-making process when choosing an employer of choice and receiving instant feedback if they qualify to apply
• Transparency on application process instantly whilst maintaining an uncomplicated and quick application process
• Create a digitised, seamless and cost-effective candidate experience by optimising the initial shortlisting process to reduce unqualified applicant pool

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The Bain Women Accelerate (BWA) Journey (Bain & Company)

Vision:

Bain & Company South Africa (Bain) identified a key recruiting challenge in recent years: a limited pipeline of high potential (HiPo) female talent, particularly from historically disadvantaged backgrounds
– Many candidates are unfamiliar with the consulting industry as well as the value proposition offered by a career in consulting
– Female – particularly historically disadvantaged – candidates tend to have limited industry knowledge and often lack exposure to networking opportunities when seeking management consulting roles
– Traditional recruitment processes don’t consistently provide sufficient support to effectively guide these candidates through the intensive process from identification to full-time employment

With these challenges in mind, Bain setout to develop a new recruiting approach to effectively address these challenges – the Bain Women Accelerate (BWA) journey was born.

To ensure the BWA journey was fit-for-purpose, the vision was to design it by leveraging input and best-practice learnings from our existing Women at Bain (WAB) affinity group. This group’s vision is to enable the delivery of outstanding client results by making Bain the long-term employer of choice for the best female talent in South Africa.

Description of the innovation:

The Bain Women Accelerate (BWA) journey is a sought-after programme to identify and recruit high-potential, diverse female students across South Africa. Crucially, this journey is centred around offering a supportive process, aimed at developing candidates’ skills and confidence – effectively equipping them to be successful through the recruiting process and beyond. In cases where candidates are not successful with their applications to Bain, the programme still drives positive outcomes:
– Creating informal student ambassadors for Bain as these women share their positive interactions and experiences with others
– Equipping candidates with relevant skills for job applications elsewhere, through improved critical thinking, problem structuring and problem solving

Women from various backgrounds (all degrees and disciplines) are invited to apply from 2nd year onwards across all national universities. The journey aims to empower young women, particularly women of colour (targeting >70% employment equity participation), with an introduction to management consulting, business strategy and case interview skills – opening the journey to a prestigious consulting career at a top global firm.

As part of the journey, BWA participants have the opportunity to network with fellow students from various universities as well as connect and engage with strong female role-models (the “Bain Wonder Women“)

The BWA journey highlights Bain’s inclusive, diverse and supportive culture by sharing advice and insights on issues many young women are often concerned about:
– Navigating their future career path as women
– Choosing the career path that is right for them
– Potential exposure to sexism and other forms of discrimination when entering the world of work

The BWA journey includes a wide array of content:
– In-depth networking between candidates (‘Gen Z Wonder Women’) and ‘Bain Wonder Women’
– Introduction to Bain, our culture and our perspectives on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in South Africa
– Discussions on thriving in the new world of work, with guidance and experience-share from the ‘Bain Wonder Women’
– Masterclass sessions on Bain’s approach to strategy, aimed at developing the structured and critical thinking skills that are essential for success in our case-based interview process

All ‘Gen Z Wonder Women’ are invited to interview for an Associate Consultant Intern (ACI) position in our Johannesburg office. During this process, they continue to receive in-depth support (e.g. assigned a ‘Bain Buddy’ to support them with interview preparation). Successful candidates then participate in the 4-week ACI programme which was voted Best Work Experience by SAGEA in 2017. Ultimately, strong-performing ACI’s are extended a full-time Associate Consultant offer.

The BWA programme effectively addresses the identified challenges by:
– Providing a channel to identify and build relationships with HiPo talent, much earlier in their university careers – creating time and space to build familiarity with the consulting value proposition, while also allowing us to cultivate in-depth candidate relationships ahead of our competitors
– Developing candidate skills and supporting their recruitment processes to maximise our pipeline of target talent
– Empowering future female leaders with problem solving and business skills for the world of work, creating lifelong Bain ambassadors at the same time

Stakeholder engagement:

The development and rollout of the BWA programme was led by our talent management team, in close consultation with the existing Woman at Bain (WAB) affinity group, including senior female leaders in our South African business. During the programme candidates (‘Gen Z Wonder Women’) are engaged by and receive support from a wide array of Bain employees:

– In-depth engagement with the “Bain Wonder Women”, including networking with senior leaders who share perspectives on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as well as their personal experiences navigating the workplace as a woman
– Robust interview support from an assigned Bain Buddy – offering support via mock interviews and frequent networking
– World-class training at the outset of the Associate Consultant Internship programme, with sessions led by a wide range of employees – from Consultants to senior functional leaders and client-facing Partners
– A unique professional development team assigned to each ACI, including a direct supervisor, case manager, mentor and Bain buddy

Beyond these interactions, participants completed an in-depth survey about their experiences, ensuring their views inform a continuous improvement process aimed at making positive changes to the programme for 2022.

In addition, the programme has highlighted several best practices that will being actively shared (and adopted) in other Bain offices globally.

Impact:

The BWA Journey proved to be an extraordinary success for Bain in achieving its vision to build a strong pipeline of female talent in South Africa:
– The BWA Journey received a 100% Net Promoter Score, i.e. all participants indicated that they would highly recommend the programme to a friend
– With 75% of our 2021 ACI class selected through the BWA journey, Bain hosted an all-female AC internship cohort in 2021, while achieving 75% employment equity! This highlights the impact the BWA journey has had in cultivating a pipeline of exceptional female talent
– The ACI programme ultimately resulted in full-time offers being extended to 75% of interns
– This talent innovation champions Bain’s commitment to attracting, supporting and recruiting high potential diverse female talent in a repeatable and scalable manner.

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The Vodacom Early Careers Expo 2021

Vodacom partnered with Student Village to create the second annual Early Careers Expo inviting students to apply for the Vodacom Discover Graduate Programme, Bursaries and Internships.

Students engaged with speakers virtually through an interactive specially designed virtual platform. Students could stream sessions, ask questions, participate in polls and chat directly to young change-makers, problem solvers and trailblazers.

For the first time, The Vodacom Early Careers Expo content was integrated into the Grade 12 School syllabus. Scholars got to learn careers in tech, monetizing gameplays, and more through their life orientation classes across 100 schools.

Just by staying inspired and engaging on the platform every 30mins Vodacom gave away super cool prizes. A total of 140+ instant vouchers were shared in real-time, with prizes such as Airtime & Data, Superbalist, Takealot, Yenza, Uber & UberEats vouchers.

Enjoy!

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The Vodacom Early Careers Expo 2021

Vodacom partnered with Student Village to create the second annual Early Careers Expo inviting students to apply for the Vodacom Discover Graduate Programme, Bursaries and Internships.

Students engaged with speakers virtually through an interactive specially designed virtual platform. Students could stream sessions, ask questions, participate in polls and chat directly to young change-makers, problem solvers and trailblazers.

For the first time, The Vodacom Early Careers Expo content was integrated into the Grade 12 School syllabus. Scholars got to learn careers in tech, monetizing gameplays, and more through their life orientation classes across 100 schools.

Just by staying inspired and engaging on the platform every 30mins Vodacom gave away super cool prizes. A total of 140+ instant vouchers were shared in real-time, with prizes such as Airtime & Data, Superbalist, Takealot, Yenza, Uber & UberEats vouchers.

Enjoy!

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Be a #YoungDifferenceMaker (Nedbank)

Nedbank’s purpose is to use our financial expertise to do good for individuals, families, businesses and society!

This purpose drives us to be impactful in society. We believe in being the difference that impacts
our world, and our graduates are our #YoungDifferenceMakers

With our purpose in mind, our intention is not only to attract high calibre students. No

Our intention is to attract high calibre students that want to use their financial expertise to do good
and make a difference in our world.

Our marketing position and strategy is anchored on this one intent: To seek out
#YoungDifferenceMakers

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#YoungDifferenceMakers (Nedbank)

Nedbank’s purpose is to use our financial expertise to do​ good for individuals, families, businesses and society!​
This purpose drives us to be impactful in society. We believe in​ being the difference that impacts our world, and our graduates are our #YoungDifferenceMakers

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