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Case Study
Wates
How we attracted and engaged a wider range of candidates to feel represented and welcome in the male-dominated construction industry.
Applications
7918
Candidates Assessed
343
Offers Made
117
The challenge
The way the construction industry comes across to audiences has barely changed in years. Hard-hats, high-vis and solid steel beams rather than more inclusive stories around innovation, collaboration and opportunity.
So, when Wates wanted to recruit 81 trainees across 21 roles and 28 locations, the most important thing for us was to really stand out and cut through the noise.
It’s a fantastic organisation, underpinned by innovative technology, solutions and consideration for its impact on the environment. But there was a distinct lack of brand awareness of Wates and its 125-year-old legacy.
Our objectives? Raise overall awareness of the organisation, encourage a shift in industry perception and attract a more broadly diverse range of candidates.
The solution
These roles were categorised as ‘hard to fill’ and located across the country. So we needed to ensure our platform and media delivery would accurately target the right people in the right areas. Based on insight, we created four distinct audience personas that embodied the demographic we were targeting. This informed our channel strategy and creative approach.
Authentic messaging – We started with a new message. One that lent itself to an intriguing, simple and authentic execution that brought together everything the organisation stood for: Creating tomorrow together. Headlines embodied the core values of the organisation. They spoke directly to the impact each individual has on the Wates legacy, and highlighted the key benefits of working there.
An unexpected, distinct visual style – It made sense to create bold, vibrantly colourful, visuals that stood out. We also wanted to show how each colleague’s professional life was interwoven with their personal one. By expressing both in the same frame we would bring the concept of great work/life balance and inclusivity to the creative. A photoshoot allowed us to not just capture but meet colleagues and gather stories to inform a bespoke set of illustrations.
An inclusive, rigorous assessment process – We redesigned the video interview, to ensure it was accessible for all candidates. Every candidate followed the same process. However, each individual role/REQ had to be manually shortlisted, based on the top scorers against each of the 21 roles. With 343 candidates invited for assessment, we held virtual assessment centres over 3 weeks. Each day was dedicated to a specific role.
What we delivered
This campaign delivered high engagement from audiences and led to:
- 518k impressions (40% of these impressions coming from TikTok).
- 7,918 applications
- 2,022 candidates invited to video interview
- 343 candidates invited to assessment centre
- 30% female split at application and a 34% split at offer – the gender split increased through the process
- 117 offers made
We’re delighted with the quality of candidate applications, and how much the collaborative work ethic stood out.
Annette, Wates
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