The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has won an award for its original approach to recruiting graduates.
Its work with occupational psychology group Mendas was awarded the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) prize, Online Recruitment reports.
In response to the annual over-subscription of its popular graduate program, the FSA developed new recruitment techniques to ensure it chooses the right 40 candidates every year.
Working with Mendas, it developed a new scheme for assessing applicants, beginning with a structured competency-based telephone interview.
After this, candidates take part in two interactive exercises, a psychometric test and an interview, after which an occupational psychologist will offer in-depth applicant feedback to the FSA.
The whole thing is filmed discretely so that assessors are able to see what it going on, without distracting the jobseekers.
Hannah Longden from the FSA commented: "We undertook research which showed that assessors found it useful in being able to spot more behaviours and also to view the recording again at a later stage. Candidates also welcomed the videoing approach."
The organisation runs four graduate programs every year; the main one offers trainees the opportunity to work across the departments and takes on 40 people a year, while three smaller specialist schemes recruit a couple of people each.
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