Recruitment
Published: January 31, 2023 | Updated: 1st February 2023
A new project by researchers at Bournemouth University (BU) called ‘Love where you work’ aims to help local employers attract, recruit and retain young talent.
Funded by BCP Council, the research began last year.
It aims to:
Based on the findings of the research, a careers event is being organised to help address the challenges identified.
Called ‘Careers Expo – Love where you work,’ it takes place on Wednesday February 8 at the Hilton Bournemouth from 10am to 7pm.
Employers from six key sectors will be showcasing their companies and offering activities on the day including on-the-spot interviews.
Attendees will also gain an insight into the organisational structure of the companies and what a typical day feels like for those currently employed.
A stand will also be set up at the event to take professional photos of potential candidates that can be used on LinkedIn and other channels to help create a professional first impression.
Free tickets are available by clicking here.
The research project had two key stages.
The first involved ten semi-structured interviews between April and September 2022 with employers from the digital, construction, engineering and manufacturing and health and social care sectors.
Questions were asked based on the recruitment experience of the employers, any challenges they may have faced and the areas in which they would like to see improvements.
In the second stage, semi-structured interviews were held with BU alumni to understand any potential challenges they face when looking for jobs.
Alumni working outside the BCP area were also selected to understand their motivations behind moving away from the area after completing their degrees at BU.
They were interviewed about their current role, their motivation behind their jobs and any key points they looked for in an employer.
Dr Samreen Ashraf, Principal Academic in Marketing at BU Business School, pictured left, who led the research, said: “Through this project, we are hoping to address the challenges local employers have been facing in recruiting new talent in the Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole (BCP) area.
“This will help the local economy by bridging the gap in the local jobs market.
“There were several emerging themes from the alumni interviews.
“Some alumni cited the company’s culture as the most important factor in their work life.
“These participants wanted to know how their time will be spent at their job, if the company will take care of their wellbeing, whether there are any social events for the employees.
“They looked for these factors while searching for their jobs.”
Other findings from the research showed that alumni often used platforms such as LinkedIn, the company’s website and YouTube to research companies to target.
Dr Ashraf said: “In contrast when employers were asked about the same, some employers did not have a LinkedIn page, or their own website, and their main sources of advertising for their jobs were job advertisement websites.
“This was one of the biggest differences between the alumni and employers’ perspectives.
“Secondly, the BCP area was considered to be ‘too expensive to live for your first job’.
“Participants did not want to spend all their money on their accommodation and thus did not want to stay in the BCP area.”
BCP Council, funders of the project, has highlighted the importance of local employers offering incentives to young talent to retain them in the area.
Cllr Toby Johnson, pictured left, Lead Member for Levelling Up and Skills at BCP Council, said: “This research is key to us understanding the needs of young talent and what local employers can do to help in this process.
“The Career’s Expo – Love Where You Work is about bringing employers and prospective candidates together in one place and showing them why Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is an outstanding location to build a career.”
The research findings also highlighted the emerging themes from the employer interviews, with several parallels with the alumni interviews.
Dr Ashraf said: “Most of the employers were looking for experienced candidates, which links with the pressure expressed by some alumni participants who expressed concern that they lacked experience when applying for their first job.”
Other employers in the study expressed concern with the pool of technical skills candidates were offering.
In response, Dr Ashraf said: “This can also be considered as a recommendation to improve the skills gap in the BCP area.
“Not only to help the employers but also to improve the quality of workforce, which will ultimately bring economic benefit to the local economy.”
Sectors represented at ‘Careers Expo – Love where you work’ include:
