Leaving uni with the challenge of getting your first job after three years of fun and studying can be pretty daunting. Our client Barclays tasked us with creating a campaign that would highlight the benefits of their Graduate Additions account, including a continued interest free overdraft.
We wanted graduates to know that Barclays understands the challenges facing them today, and how tricky it can be to take that first step on to the career ladder.
We polled recent UK grads and found that it took on average 3.3 interviews to secure a first job after uni, and not only that, the cost of attending interviews really racked up.
Taking in to consideration the cost of travel, accommodation and clothing the average graduate spent over £500 just to get their first job. And what’s more, many didn’t have the funds to cover the cost and ended up asking parents for the cash, or even using a credit card.
The solution?
Barclays provided free accommodation for grads attending interviews in the most popular UK cities for grad jobs (Manchester, London and Birmingham).
Free for two night stays, the luxury apartments were open for fee for anyone interviewing with any company in November, so grads could just focus on their interview technique.
We released the news and the papers loved the story with coverage secured on the front page of City AM, as well as Independent (twice!), Daily Mirror, Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times (to name a few), with coverage due in The Sun later this month.
Even better, we’ve already helped a number of young graduates to attend interviews they otherwise couldn’t have afforded.
Job done.
