Employers risk overlooking talented young people by relying too heavily on CV screening at a time when graduates are facing one of the toughest job markets in years, a Scottish recruitment specialist has warned.
C&P Recruitment, which works across the construction, property and engineering sectors, is calling on employers to put human conversation back into entry-level hiring, warning that young people are increasingly being screened out before anyone has actually spoken to them.
Competition for graduate opportunities is at historic levels. *Employers receive an average of 140 applications for every graduate vacancy, according to the Institute of Student Employers, the highest level recorded since it began collecting the data in 1991.
Meanwhile, research from *High Fliers shows graduate recruitment among the UK’s leading employers has fallen 24.5 per cent since 2022, a steeper decline than during either the pandemic or the 2008-09 recession.
C&P Permanent Recruitment Director Nicola Monro believes employers understandably need ways to manage huge volumes of applications, but warns that an increasing reliance on CV screening risks filtering out the very qualities they want from young recruits.
She said: “These are candidates who haven’t yet had the chance to build up years of experience, so what an employer is really assessing is attitude and potential, and that is very difficult to judge on paper. Will this person listen? Will they learn? Will they be enthusiastic? Can you see them developing over the next few years? In my experience, you usually only find that out by having a conversation with someone.
“When competition is this intense, I completely understand why employers need to manage applications efficiently, but we can’t let streamlining become another barrier for young people trying to get their first opportunity. If we’re screening people out purely on paper, we risk losing candidates who could have impressed within five minutes of walking through the door.”
Monro, who has previously delivered CV and interview sessions in schools, says C&P is regularly approached by young people looking for advice on how to secure their first role, including graduates unsure how to break into professions such as quantity surveying.
She added: “We speak to bright, enthusiastic graduates who simply don’t know how to get that first opportunity. Someone might not have the perfect CV, but that doesn’t mean they won’t become an excellent quantity surveyor, project manager or estimator. There is a danger we create a system where the people who are best at applying for jobs get through, rather than those who could actually be best at doing them.
“We’re not suggesting employers interview hundreds of applicants. A short introductory call before making a final shortlist, or giving a proportion of applicants the chance to speak to someone, could make a real difference.
“If businesses are serious about tackling skills shortages and attracting the next generation, we need to give young people an opportunity to show us who they are, not just what they can fit onto a CV. Sometimes all it takes is a conversation.”
