Abbie joined our peer panel last year after attending a focus group led by our interns at De Montfort University.

The peer panel of 18 to 30-year-olds make sure our work represents the views of young people.

Meet Abbie

Abbie is studying marketing and in her final year and has already been instrumental in reviewing employer websites for our latest report. 

Here are Abbie’s messages to employers:

1. Provide feedback after interviewing candidates

If a company invites a candidate for an interview, they should be able to access feedback after. Not only would this provide the candidate with a basis to evaluate what they could do better next time, but also identify any areas to work on. Without this, candidates are not able to identify where they are going wrong, continuing to not focus on particular areas or topics in further interviews.

2. Psychometric testing is not an accurate representation of a candidate

Whilst I understand the reasoning behind psychometric testing, it is not an accurate representation of a candidate. Some candidates may have the required skills and attributes for the job role, however, are not particularly good at math questions, meaning they will miss out on the opportunity to progress to the next stage.

3. Please provide us with updates about the process

When applying for jobs (in particular graduate jobs), it requires a large amount of time and thought. Application forms and standardised questions can take up a large proportion of time, especially when candidates are applying for multiple positions. Coupled with attending interviews and travelling to the company, this can be a lengthy process. Whilst I can appreciate this is a necessary process, companies must take this into account and respect candidates when notifying them of any updates. My message to employers is to be mindful of the time taken and interest in the company and be clear about the process and provide updates.

By young people, for young people

Since launching, we have listened to young people and shared valuable insights on their views with businesses.

More recently young people have designed, built and delivered assessments for businesses and contributed to our training events.

Now the peer panel will help us make our future vision a reality which is to have Access Generation run by young people, for young people.

The peer panel members represent the voice of young people, help us to validate our research findings and will soon run a campaign to promote our new accreditation.

For employers

Do you know how to meet and match young people’s expectations? Find out more about the accreditation here.