Case Study – Delivering a Diverse Graduate Recruitment Solution for Aspen Insurance.

About The Client

Aspen Insurance is a leading speciality insurer and reinsurer based across the UK and the United States. They pride themselves on their expert, pragmatic and innovative approach to providing bespoke insurance solutions to complex needs.

The Challenge

Aspen Insurance needed to employ a cohort of graduates to support their business, including roles in underwriting, risk and compliance, and actuarial divisions.

The client initially requested ten graduates, however this number rose over time. With over 20 years’ experience in providing flexible staffing needs, Adecco were able to guarantee a flexible solution that could quickly adapt to the client’s needs at any point.

As part of the campaign, the client wanted to adhere to ED&I principles by attracting a more diverse range of applicants in a traditionally white male-dominated industry. Key to success would be increased application numbers from female candidates and minority ethnic groups.

The client partnered with Adecco’s Emerging Talent team to help them source and select ten graduates in line with their ED&I goals. This included a 60% target for female candidates to reach the assessment centre stage.

Our Solution

Adecco employed a dedicated account team of subject matter and delivery experts to deliver the recruitment campaign. This included responsibility for campaign technology and creating website copy and application pages to support the sourcing process.

We implemented positive ED&I measures throughout, including the use of inclusive language in our candidate communications. A key part of our approach to all parts of the process was to ensure no candidate would be disadvantaged because of their ethnicity, gender or neurodiverse affiliation.

One example of this was our approach to accommodating candidates who had indicated they were neurodiverse. By providing a ‘case worker’ for their application, we ensured candidates enjoyed a dedicated point of contact to proactively follow-up with them and make them aware of the support and adjustments available. This approach received positive feedback from candidates, who informed us it made them feel more confident to request accommodations to the hiring process.

To assist us in attracting a diverse pool of candidates, we:

• Worked with specialist third-party providers to find suitable candidates from diverse backgrounds and minority ethnic groups who met the client’s needs.
• Engaged with graduate platforms and job boards – including Bright Networks, Handshake, and Target Jobs – through networking and targeted advertising. We also promoted all job opportunities on female university and graduate forums.
• Created bespoke, branded sourcing and attraction content, including mailshots, LinkedIn posts, job site advertisements, and tailored career and application pages.
• Encourages candidate referrals from the client’s existing workforce.

Bespoke Assessment Solution

We also designed assessment criteria and materials tailored to the client’s values and behaviours. This included specialised candidate testing to measure cognitive and behavioural abilities in a bias-free manner.

We ensured each candidate competency was assessed twice, providing different scenarios for candidates such as both group and one-on-one tasks. This ensured candidates had a better chance of showcase their abilities in a way suited to different personal strengths.

To assist the client in assessing a wide range of candidates across both the UK and the US, we built a virtual assessment provision into the application platform, allowing top candidates to complete their assessments remotely. This system was also built to accommodate face-to-face assessments, including three activities designed to cover a wide scope of assessment criteria.

Previously, the client conducted assessments over an entire day. By working with the client to identify opportunities to optimise the process, we reduced the time required to three hours, freeing up the client’s hiring team to devote time to other business needs.

Overcoming Challenges

During the campaign, we received considerably more applications than anticipated. This meant we would have to conduct more video interviews to accommodate a higher number of candidates at the interview stage.

To overcome this, we employed our Adecco Career Centre to reinforce the team with two additional recruits. The existing team were able to provide specific training around the client and project needs, and the new team members were successfully deployed within 48 hours, enabling us to remain on schedule.

Continuous Improvement

Adecco have gone on to work with Aspen for over five years, providing a full end-to-end graduate management programme across the client’s London, New Jersey, Connecticut and Bermuda offices.

Through our commitment to continuous improvement and analysis of market insights, we have improved the end-to-end sourcing and attraction strategy. Results include a regular increase in applications and improved testing scores. This has led to more candidates reaching the assessment stage and increased subsequent assessment centre scores.

We also advised the client to change their minimum degree requirements from 2:1 to 2:2 (3.0 GPA in the US), resulting in increased applications while maintaining candidate quality through our preexisting processes.

Key Results

• 10% more female applications received through targeted advertising and networking.
• 67% of applications were from minority ethnic groups.
• 63% of offers made were to female candidates.
• Reduced time to hire by one month compared to the previous year.
• Reduced assessment timescale from one working day to three hours.
• 111% hiring ratio delivered.
• Adecco were employed on additional projects over five years, maintaining strong performance and delivery.

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