Unseen Group

Category: Case Studies

  • Case Study: How National Grid streamlined their Early Careers assessment centres with TopScore

    Case Study: How National Grid streamlined their Early Careers assessment centres with TopScore

    Client logo
    TopScore logo
    Utilities & Energy

    How National Grid streamlined their Early Careers assessment centres with TopScore

    Supporting graduate, apprenticeship and social mobility assessment centres with a simpler, more consistent digital assessment experience.

    About the Customer

    Organisation

    National Grid

    Industry

    Utilities & Energy

    Use Case

    Graduate, apprenticeship and social mobility assessment centres

    Scale

    80+ assessment centres delivered annually

    The Challenge

    National Grid’s Early Careers team manages a high volume of assessment centres each year to recruit graduates, apprentices and candidates through social mobility programmes.

    Prior to adopting TopScore, assessment activities were delivered virtually, with processes spread across multiple systems. As the team evolved and scaled, they needed a more structured and reliable way to manage assessment centres while maintaining a positive experience for both assessors and candidates.

    With up to 80 assessment centres delivered annually and multiple stakeholder groups involved in each event, efficiency, consistency and ease of administration became critical.

    “TopScore has just been easy. Easy to use, easy to set up, and easy to manage. It’s become a key part of how we run our assessment centres.”

    The Solution

    Having previously used TopScore in other organisations, members of the National Grid team were confident in its ability to support large-scale assessment delivery.

    Since implementing TopScore in 2023, National Grid has used the platform across:

    Programme

    Graduate assessment centres

    Programme

    Advanced and higher apprenticeship programmes

    Initiative

    Social mobility recruitment initiatives

    Delivery

    Virtual and in-person assessment events

    The team uses TopScore to manage scheduling, assessment scoring, assessor coordination and candidate evaluation, creating a single source of truth throughout the assessment process.

    “We rely on the assessors assessing effectively so it is great for us to have all of the assessor notes and scores in one place.”

    The Impact

    Since implementing TopScore, National Grid has streamlined its assessment centre delivery, reducing administrative complexity and creating a simpler experience for everyone involved.

    The platform has supported improvements across usability, collaboration, scheduling and candidate experience.

    A Simpler Way to Run Assessment Centres

    For National Grid, one of the biggest benefits of TopScore has been ease of use.

    The platform enables assessors and administrators to quickly access schedules, record scores and manage assessment activities without extensive training or technical expertise.

    “It’s just a simple tool that is easy to use. You don’t need too much brain power to be able to use it.”

    Everything in One Place

    Before TopScore, assessment information was distributed across different systems and processes.

    Today, assessor notes, candidate scores and scheduling information are all stored centrally, giving the team confidence in their decision-making and reducing administrative overhead.

    The team uses assessor scores directly to inform hiring decisions, making consistency and visibility essential throughout the assessment process.

    “We don’t have a separate wash-up to calibrate the scores. We rely on the assessors assessing effectively so it is great for us to have all of the assessor notes and scores in one place.”

    Supporting High-Volume Hiring

    National Grid delivers a significant number of assessment centres every year, with volumes regularly reaching more than 80 events.

    TopScore’s scheduling capabilities have helped the team efficiently coordinate large numbers of assessors and candidates, while new functionality allowing multiple assessment centres to run within the same schedule has provided additional flexibility.

    “It’s easy to set up schedules. It’s easy to create new schedules. And now that we have multiple assessment centres that can be done on the same day in the same schedule, that has been great for us this year.”

    Positive Assessor & Candidate Experience

    The majority of National Grid’s assessors are internal stakeholders, making usability particularly important.

    According to the team, assessors have responded positively to the platform and find it straightforward to use during assessment events.

    Assessors have also benefited from TopScore’s accessibility features, language options and digital assessment delivery capabilities.

    “TopScore in terms of its usability for the candidates has been great. You’ve got the accessibility function and the option to where you can change the written and audio language.”

    A Reliable Partner for Assessment Delivery

    Since implementation, National Grid has experienced a smooth rollout and ongoing success with the platform.

    The team continues to use TopScore as a core part of its assessment strategy and recommends it to other organisations looking to improve the efficiency and consistency of their assessment centres.

    “I would definitely recommend it as a tool for any organisation to use.”

    Key Results

    Through implementing TopScore, National Grid has created a more efficient, consistent and scalable assessment process.

    80+ Assessment Centres

    Supporting graduate, apprenticeship and social mobility assessment centres annually.

    One Central Platform

    Scheduling, scoring, assessor collaboration and candidate evaluation managed in one place.

    Reduced Administration

    Less complexity by removing disconnected processes and bringing assessment data together.

    Positive User Experience

    Strong feedback from assessors and candidates using the platform during assessment events.

    Flexible Delivery

    Supporting both virtual and face-to-face assessment centres.

    Consistent Decisions

    Centralised scores and feedback helping teams make confident hiring decisions.

    “TopScore has just been easy. Easy to use, easy to set up, and easy to manage. It’s become a key part of how we run our assessment centres.”

    Conclusion

    Today, TopScore supports National Grid’s Early Careers assessment strategy by helping the team deliver consistent, efficient and candidate-focused assessment centres at scale.

    The platform has improved the way assessment activity is managed by reducing administration, bringing information into one place and creating a smoother experience for assessors, administrators and candidates.

    Through its ease of use, flexibility and ability to support large-scale assessment delivery, TopScore has become an important part of National Grid’s recruitment process.

    80+ Events Annually

    Supporting graduate, apprenticeship and social mobility assessment centres.

    Multiple Programmes

    Used across early careers recruitment initiatives and assessment formats.

    Improved Experience

    Providing a simpler journey for assessors and candidates alike.

    “TopScore has just been easy. Easy to use, easy to set up, and easy to manage. It’s become a key part of how we run our assessment centres.”

    Demo TopScore’s full range of features

    Chat to our team to book your bespoke demo of Unseen’s digital assessment centre platform, TopScore, to see its full range of features and how it can streamline your assessment centres.

  • Case Study: Strengthening Hiring Outcomes for Cooper Parry

    Case Study: Strengthening Hiring Outcomes for Cooper Parry

    Client logo
    TopScore logo
    Financial Services

    Strengthening Hiring Outcomes for Cooper Parry

    In 2024, Cooper Parry implemented TopScore, transforming its early careers assessment centres from a manual, paper-based process into a fully digital, data-driven, and sustainable experience.

    This initiative was driven by a clear ambition: to improve decision quality, enhance candidate experience, reduce administrative burden, and align recruitment practices with B Corp values.

    TopScore was successfully embedded across assessment centres in our professional services teams, delivering measurable impact across efficiency, sustainability, and hiring outcomes.

    About the Customer

    Organisation

    Cooper Parry

    Industry

    Financial Services

    Use Case

    Managing assessment centres end-to-end

    Scale

    Annual efficiency gain of 106 hours of assessor time saved

    The Challenge

    Prior to implementation of Topscore, the assessment centre model was:

    – Heavily paper-based, creating operational inefficiencies and environmental impact

    – Admin-intensive, placing significant strain on recruiters and assessors

    – Inconsistent in evaluation, with decisions often influenced by opinion rather than structured scoring

    – Slow in feedback turnaround, negatively impacting candidate experience

    – Time-heavy, with wash-up sessions taking up to 3 hours

    As early careers hiring scaled, this approach became unsustainable and misaligned with the organisation’s ambition to deliver a modern, inclusive, and high-performing recruitment experience.

    “We didn’t stop recruiting during COVID, but we couldn’t do face-to-face assessment centres.”

    The Solution

    TopScore was introduced as a centralised digital platform to manage assessment centres end-to-end.

    The solution enabled:

    – Real-time scoring and feedback capture in one place

    – Structured, competency-based assessment, improving objectivity and consistency

    – Streamlined wash-up discussions, supported by clear data

    – Removal of paper-based processes, supporting sustainability goals

    – Improved collaboration between assessors, driving better decision-making

    The technology was implemented alongside a broader redesign of the early careers process, ensuring it enhanced both efficiency and experience.

    Impact

    Dramatic Time Savings & Efficiency Gains

    – Wash-up sessions reduced from ~3 hours to 30–60 minutes

    – Post-assessment admin reduced from 2 hours to 40 minutes per assessor

    – Annual efficiency gain of 106 hours of assessor time saved

    This has enabled recruiters and hiring managers to focus on higher-value activity, including candidate engagement and hiring decisions.

    Significant Sustainability Improvements

    – Elimination of paper-based processes saved ~4,000 sheets annually

    – Introduction of digital scoring and reusable materials significantly reduced waste

    These changes directly support the organisation’s B Corp commitments, embedding sustainability into recruitment operations.

    Enhanced Candidate Experience

    – Candidate satisfaction increased to from 4.2 to 4.81/5

    – Faster feedback turnaround and more engaging, structured assessment experience

    – Improved inclusivity, enabling candidates to perform at their best

    The new process has created a more transparent, supportive, and candidate-focused journey.

    Stronger Hiring Outcomes

    – Offer acceptance increased from 86.6% to 92%

    – Assessment centre-to-offer conversion improved to 48%

    – Early careers retention improved to 92% (up from 81%)

    The shift to structured, data-driven assessment has significantly improved both hiring quality and long-term success.

    Strategic Impact

    This initiative has delivered more than operational improvements it has driven a step change in how early careers recruitment is delivered.

    – Decision-making has moved from subjective judgement to data-led assessment, improving fairness and consistency

    – Assessors are more engaged and accountable, with clearer evaluation frameworks

    – Recruitment processes are now fully aligned to organisational values, particularly sustainability and inclusion

    – The model is now scalable and future-ready, capable of supporting continued business growth

    The implementation of TopScore has contributed to the evolution of Talent Acquisition into a modern, insight-led, and high-impact function.

    Why This Deserves Recognition

    This initiative demonstrates how technology, when implemented with clear purpose and strong execution, can transform Talent Acquisition outcomes.

    The impact is clear:

    – Significant time and efficiency gains

    – Meaningful environmental impact

    – Improved candidate experience and engagement

    – Stronger quality of hire and retention

    Most importantly, it has created a sustainable, scalable, and high-quality early careers hiring model, positioning Cooper Parry as a leader in innovative, values-driven recruitment.

    Demo TopScore’s full range of features

    Chat to our team to book your bespoke demo of Unseen’s digital assessment centre platform, TopScore.
    Test its full range of features and see how it can streamline your assessment centres.

  • Case Study: How British Airways supported 300 candidates with TopScore

    Case Study: How British Airways supported 300 candidates with TopScore

    How British Airways supported 300 candidates with TopScore

    About the Customer

    Organisation

    British Airways is the United Kingdom’s flag-carrier airline and the largest UK-based carrier by international fleet and destination size.

    Focus Area

    The organisation recruits a significant volume of emerging talent each year across graduate, apprenticeship, engineering, head office, customer operations and regional programmes.

    300

    candidates supported this year alone

    50%

    reduction in assessor time

    20-35

    assessment days annually

    The Challenge

    Prior to implementing TopScore, British Airways relied on a combination of Microsoft Teams, breakout rooms and spreadsheets to manage virtual assessment centres. While functional, the process was highly manual, time-consuming and difficult to scale. Assessors had to manage multiple systems simultaneously, creating additional administration and operational complexity.

    As assessment activity increased following the pandemic, the team recognised the need for a more streamlined, professional and scalable solution that could improve both operational efficiency and the candidate experience.

    British Airways needed a solution that would:

    • Reduce the administration and complexity associated with running assessment centres.
    • Improve the candidate experience through clearer communication and a more professional process.
    • Support high-volume emerging talent recruitment at scale.
    • Enable assessors to collaborate effectively and make informed hiring decisions.
    • Deliver a consistent experience across multiple business functions and locations.

    The challenge was significant. Each year the team runs approximately 20–35 assessment centre days, often operating both morning and afternoon sessions, with between 250–300 candidates invited through the process across multiple schemes.

    Our Solution

    British Airways uses TopScore to manage its emerging talent assessment centres across graduate and apprenticeship programmes.

    The platform supports a wide range of assessment activities, including:

    • Presentations
    • Group exercises
    • Role plays
    • Interviews
    • Technical and practical exercises for engineering candidates

    TopScore is used as the dedicated assessment centre platform alongside British Airways’ existing recruitment system, Manage My Recruitment, which manages applications and vacancy advertising. Once candidates reach assessment centre stage, TopScore becomes the central platform for assessors, scoring, feedback and candidate management.

    “TopScore has been a fantastic tool for our assessment centres at British Airways. The platform is incredibly user-friendly for both candidates and assessors, and the consistency it brings to scoring and wash-ups is invaluable. The ability to provide clear, structured feedback to candidates is a real standout feature and hugely enhances the overall candidate experience. On top of that, the support team is exceptionally responsive, making the whole process seamless from start to finish.”

    – Client feedback

    Scale of Usage

    The platform is used across British Airways’ entire emerging talent offering, including:

    • Head Office
    • Customer Operations
    • Engineering
    • Regional Operations
    • International locations

    Assessors from across the organisation use TopScore, including teams based in London, Glasgow, Cardiff and the United States.

    Implementation

    Implementation was rapid and seamless. Following procurement, British Airways was onboarded quickly and moved from contract signing to running live assessment centres within a matter of months.

    The organisation signed during the autumn renewal period and was successfully using the platform for live assessment centres by January.

    Results

    Impact of implementing TopScore

    One of the most significant benefits delivered by TopScore has been operational efficiency. By replacing manual administration, spreadsheets and complex Teams-based processes, the platform has enabled the recruitment team to manage large-scale assessment centres far more effectively. Assessors have access to one centralised platform for candidate evaluation, scoring and reporting, dramatically reducing coordination effort and administration time.

    “The real cost savings for us are efficiency and time.”

    – Joanne Walsh, Emerging Talent Recruitment Manager at British Airways

    Reduced assessor time by at least 50%

    Thanks to TopScore’s efficient and streamlined marking and feedback functionality. This allows our assessors to focus more on candidate interaction rather than administration.

    300 candidates supported

    Through using TopScore this year alone

    Sustainability benefits

    There are significant sustainability gains, as all assessment materials are hosted within TopScore. This removes the need for printed materials, reducing paper usage while also enhancing data security and confidentiality.

    Candidate Experience Improvements

    TopScore has significantly improved the candidate experience by creating a more professional, structured and supportive assessment journey.The professionalism of the platform, combined with clear communications and technical support, helped create a smoother and more engaging experience for candidates.

    British Airways particularly valued the ability to provide feedback reports to candidates, ensuring that even unsuccessful applicants received meaningful insight from the process.

    Specific Pain Points Solved:

    • Reduced administration and manual effort
    • Improved assessment centre organisation
    • Enhanced candidate communication
    • Delivered a more professional and branded experience
    • Simplified assessor scoring and collaboration
    • Provided responsive technical support
    • Enabled scalable delivery across multiple locations and business functions

    Sustainability & Hybrid Working

    The platform enabled British Airways to successfully transition from virtual assessment centres during and immediately after the pandemic while maintaining consistency and fairness in the assessment process.

    Even after returning to face-to-face assessment centres, British Airways continues to use TopScore for assessor scoring, evaluation and feedback reporting, demonstrating the long-term value of the platform beyond virtual delivery.

    “The ongoing support we receive as an organisation from the TopScore team is always above and beyond, with very quick turnaround times, helpful answers and solutions. Nothing is ever too much trouble.”

    – Joanne Walsh, Emerging Talent Recruitment Manager at British Airways

    Conclusion

    Today, TopScore supports hundreds of candidates and dozens of assessment centres annually, helping British Airways improve efficiency, enhance candidate experience and deliver consistent assessment outcomes across the organisation. The platform’s ease of use, flexibility and outstanding customer support have made it an integral part of the airline’s early careers recruitment strategy, as British Airways now uses TopScore to support:

    • 20–35 assessment centre days annually
    • Multiple assessment centre sessions each day
    • Approximately 250–300 emerging talent candidates per cycle
    • Assessment centres across numerous business functions and locations

    Demo TopScore’s full range of features

    Chat to our team to book in your bespoke demo of Unseen’s digital assessment centre platform, TopScore, to see its full range of features and how they can streamline your assessment centres.

  • How Yodel cut time-to-hire by 38%

    How Yodel cut time-to-hire by 38%

    How Yodel cut time-to-hire by 38%

    About the Customer

    Organisation

    Yodel

    Technology used

    Candidate Experience Chatbot

    Focus areas

    Demystifying which Driver opportunity was the best fit for each candidate and automating elements of the recruitment process whilst measuring candidate experience throughout

    Client Quote

    “The exercise reminds us of the sheer amount of information candidates don’t know, that we assume they do know; we’ve now created a more thoughtful, richer candidate experience that we can build on and constantly improve.”

    197,700

    chatbot conversations in the first 2 years

    97% positive feedback

    from candidates undergoing the screening process delivered by the screening bot

    68,983 candidates

    screened by the screening bot

    The Challenge

    Yodel deliver millions of parcels a year, across 60 sites, to every UK postcode. The Yodel Resourcing team recruit over 4,500 Drivers annually and receive over 1,200 applications per week.

    This number increases to 5,500 applications per week as they hire additional resource for their peak delivery season covering Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas.

    This means that the team need to hire 3,500 new Drivers in just a few months. Yodel offer several different types of opportunity to those who want to become Drivers, including self-employed and employed roles. To attract the right numbers, Yodel also offer full-time and part-time opportunities.

    Whilst this means that all needs are catered for, those new to a Driver role could find the options overwhelming.

    Our Solution

    Meet & Engage ran a collaborative workshop with Yodel’s resourcing team with the purpose to:

    • Demystify which Driver opportunity was the best fit for each candidate
    • Measure candidate experience at several points and gather feedback to allow continuous improvement
    • Automate elements of the recruitment process

    The first initiative was to create three Candidate Experience Bots for each of the three key Driving opportunities that would sit on the relevant pages of the career’s website. Each Bot would have a dialogue with a candidate about that specific opportunity and serve them the relevant roles available.

    The second part of the plan included producing three Candidate Experience Bots that would be deployed to screen candidates once they had completed their online application via the ATS. The team believed that this would give candidates the flexibility to complete this stage of the process at a time to suit them and in a format they were familiar with. In addition, this would give the Resourcing Team more scope to focus on other candidate experience initiatives.

    Having mapped out these processes, Meet & Engage and the Yodel team worked on the Bot dialogue and assets required to create rich and relevant conversations with candidates. Meet & Engage worked closely with the Yodel ATS and creative partner (responsible for the careers website) to ensure relevant integrations could be put in place.

    Results

    Impact of the chatbots
    42% of bot chats

    took place outside of office hours, when recruiters would otherwise be unable to respond with a personalised candidate experience

    95-98

    Net Promoter Score indicated by candidate feedback

    38% reduction

    in the average time to hire

    Demo Meet & Engage’s full range of features

    Demo Unseen’s candidate experience and onboarding platform, Meet & Engage, to see its full range of features and how they can elevate your candidate experience.

  • Personalising onboarding for early careers and experienced hires with MBDA

    Personalising onboarding for early careers and experienced hires with MBDA

    How MBDA created a complete, personalised, online onboarding journey that’s engaging for both experienced and early career hires

    About the Customer

    Organisation

    MBDA

    Focus Area

    Creating a complete, personalised, online onboarding journey that’s engaging for both experienced and early career hires.

    Programme

    Inspire & Nurture, underpinned by MBDA’s Onboarding Portal.

    Outcome

    Strengthened candidate experience during onboarding with high engagement and strong feedback from candidates and hiring managers.

    32

    virtual events with an average Net Promoter Score of 90 (“World Class!”)

    94%

    registration for the Onboarding portal

    97%

    of Early Careers candidates say that the portal is easy to use

    The Challenge

    In a time of skills shortages in core STEM specialisms and fierce competition from other employers, candidate experience during the onboarding stage is a key priority. How can you ensure that candidates feel supported and begin to align themselves to the brand values, providing a tailored experience when operating at scale? That was the challenge MBDA faced.

    They understood the clear correlation between providing a great experience during the onboarding journey and the number of engaged hires who turned up on day one. They also understood that different audiences potentially have very different needs as they move through the process, and wanted to adopt a solution that would retain a strong element of personalisation in the candidate experience, whether candidates were fresh grads or niche hires.

    MBDA also wanted to be able to measure quantitative and qualitative candidate sentiment and capture a dataset that could be used to review and refresh their offering on an ongoing basis.

    Brand perceptions

    As a defence organisation, MBDA can fall prey to stereotypes about their culture and the type of candidates who will succeed in hiring processes. MBDA is making conscious efforts to tackle these misconceptions throughout their attraction and hiring journeys.

    Support & preparation

    It was important that, whatever their background or experience, all candidates were empowered to thrive in selection and leave the process with a consistent, positive view of MBDA’s brand values and a better understanding of what is a complex matrix organisation.

    Engagement

    Security restrictions imposed by the MOD mean all candidates must undergo vetting. This both limits the candidate pool (nationality), but also increases the time to hire significantly. This added time increases the risk of losing candidates in-process through lack of engagement, as recruiters do not have the resource to interact with all candidates as often as they would like.

    Our Solution

    The Meet & Engage technology used by MBDA includes live virtual recruiting events coupled with a fully-branded, social network style nurture journey.

    Meet & Engage, Unseen’s candidate experience and onboarding platform, underpins MBDA’s Onboarding Portal so candidates can access a complete, personalised online experience.

    Inspire & Nurture

    The Meet & Engage technology used by MBDA includes:

    • Live virtual recruiting events couple with a fully-branded, social network style nurture journey
    • Take advantage of features like live streaming, content sharing and polling
    • Fully-concierged service by our team of experts
    • Fully-branded pre– and post–event comms and in-depth data including NPS

    Timeline for Onboarding

    • Automated candidate journey in a personalised social media style interface
    • Content shared by wall posts, videos and articles
    • Email and SMS nudges to see fresh content
    • Candidate experience pulse checks

    MBDA’s Onboarding Portal

    Once an offer has been accepted, candidates are invited via an integration between Meet & Engage and Workday (MBDA’s ATS) to register for their Onboarding Portal, through which automated yet tailored and timely content is served up, via a social-style platform.

    Content was designed to be shared over a series of weeks and months to match the candidate’s stage of their onboarding journey. The content themes include guidance and reminders about the induction process, videos about the business, employee testimonials, as well as scheduled messages to wish people a happy Diwali/Christmas/New Year.

    Through the Onboarding Portal, Channels enable candidates to chat amongst themselves within the professional, branded environment – to arrange house shares per location, for example. The portal was backed up by group and 121 chat events, where candidates could get answers to questions in real time and hear from a diverse range of employees about life at MBDA.

    Onboarding portals for different audiences

    Underpinning the post-offer experience is the onboarding portal which looks and feels like an MBDA social feed, with a focus on everything a candidate may need between offer and start. An integration with Workday (MBDA’s ATS) automates a registration invitation to candidates at point of offer.

    Once in, the portals are bespoke to the candidate’s entry route, with content either tailored to experienced hires or early careers. Further tailoring within that includes, for example, content specifically for graduates returning to employment at MBDA after completing their degree which included a placement with the company.

    Each feed shares videos, wall posts, images, social links and captures feedback. Each post on the feed is nominally posted by someone in the business, and hovering over their picture reveals their bio. Introducing colleagues-to-be in this way, MBDA provides rich insight into aspects of MBDA that candidates may not have appreciated, demystifies the organisation, supports D&I representation and brand values and draws candidates into the MBDA family early.

    The in-built feedback chatbot provides a chance to capture candidate sentiment at each stage and gives candidates a real say in the shape of the future process.

    The Chat Channels in the portal are set up for each MBDA UK site location (Bolton, Bristol, Stevenage) and offer a space for candidates to chat online with future colleagues. Examples include graduates arranging house-shares or asking about parking and facilities. Recruiters and MBDA ambassadors use Channels to post updates, photos and to get light-hearted conversations started, to begin fostering warm, professional relationships early.

    Employee stories and testimonials

    The MBDA team worked closely with the Meet & Engage team to plot out the content over the relevant time-period for each entry route. Experienced hire candidates have content fed over a few months while they go through security checks and notice periods, while Early Careers feeds include content tied to specific dates aligned with the annual recruitment cycles.

    The content is pre-defined, but released slowly to the candidate over their onboarding journey, with nudges by email/SMS when new content is released. This maximises candidate engagement and ensures that actionable content is highlighted in the feed for their attention the next time a candidate logs in.

    1-2-1 Live Chat

    A key challenge was the disparity of candidates’ onboarding timescales. Offers were being made from mid-September all the way through to early Spring for Early Careers and year-round for Experienced Hires; and a person’s onboarding period could range anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.

    For Experienced Hires, MBDA frontloaded the content so that candidates would see all of the important content initially, and then drip fed the less critical content over the course of their onboarding period.

    Throughout the process, recruiters hosted group and 1-2-1 live virtual chats for candidates, to help them feel comfortable about what was ahead as they went through the selection process and waited, sometimes many months, to join the business. All elements of the solution capture light-touch candidate feedback after each encounter.

    Results

    Impact of MBDA’s onboarding experience
    32

    virtual events, with an average Net Promoter Score of 90

    94%

    registration for Onboarding portal

    97%

    of Early Careers candidates say that the portal is easy to use

    100%

    of candidates say that their recruitment experience has been good

    100%

    of early career candidates felt more confident about joining

    ✓

    Hiring managers reported that new starters are better prepared for work

    The results of implementing solutions to strengthen MBDA’s candidate experience exceeded all expectations and have had a hugely positive impact on candidates. Overall, introducing the Meet & Engage platform has helped MBDA to keep candidates engaged in a number of ways that were previously unavailable.

    Participant Feedback

    “As it is such a long time between being offered the role & starting, the timeline has been brilliant for making me feel that I’ve not been forgotten about!”

    “This was a fantastic way to introduce me to MBDA – people, values, benefits. It was so helpful to learn about the company, and it made me feel included while I worked my notice in my current role. I am so looking forward to my first day.”

    “I found it all very welcoming and comforting, and, although I don’t feel 100% prepared (just my general anxieties!), I am excited about starting.”

    “Best ‘onboarding’ experience I’ve ever had, thank you.”

    Conclusion

    The MBDA team have already conducted in-depth analysis of the data emerging from the different onboarding journeys and tweaked the journey for returners, to include more fresh content in response to lower time-spent-engaging data.

    They will undertake a review of the content by type (video, wall posts, images, etc.) and by candidate engagement levels with individual pieces of content, as well as refreshing the Timeline with newly branded-elements and new polling tools.

    Candidate sentiment continues to be captured as they move through the portal and candidates are signposted towards the feedback chatbot, Debbie, to submit any feedback they’d like to provide. This feedback is regularly reported and provides opportunity for continuous improvements to the candidate experience at MBDA.

    Demo Meet & Engage’s full range of features

    Demo Meet & Engage’s full range of features and see how they could elevate your candidate experience.

    Meet & Engage is Unseen’s candidate experience and onboarding platform.

  • Increasing candidate engagement with the Ministry of Justice

    Increasing candidate engagement with the Ministry of Justice

    How the Ministry of Justice used chatbots to increase candidate engagement and arm candidates with the information they need to succeed

    About the Customer

    Organisation

    Ministry of Justice

    Partner

    SSCL and the Ministry of Justice

    Use Case

    Using chatbots to increase candidate engagement and arm candidates with the information they need to succeed.

    Outcome

    94% satisfaction rating and 234 days of human work time saved by the bot.

    The Challenge

    SSCL needed to find a way for their client, the Ministry of Justice, to engage with potential and in-process candidates in a valuable way that answered questions, provided valuable advice, sifted candidates for different jobs, while also improving time efficiency for recruiters.

    Our Solution

    Meet & Engage, Unseen’s candidate experience and onboarding platform, powers a chatbot that supports candidates and recruiters.

    A chatbot that answers FAQs, helps candidates self-sift for 7 different roles, and seamlessly hands over to live chat with a recruiter during office hours.

    Results

    Impact of the chatbot
    94%

    satisfaction rating

    234

    days of human work time saved by the bot

    7

    different roles candidates can self-sift for

    Demo Meet & Engage’s full range of features

    Demo Meet & Engage’s full range of features and see how they could elevate your candidate experience.

    Meet & Engage is Unseen’s candidate experience and onboarding platform.

  • Connecting Rolls-Royce with a diverse cohort of Early Talent candidates

    Connecting Rolls-Royce with a diverse cohort of Early Talent candidates

    How Rolls-Royce connected with a diverse cohort of early careers candidates through live events and nurture journeys

    About the Customer

    Organisation

    Rolls-Royce

    Focus Area

    Connecting with a diverse cohort of early careers candidates through live events and nurture journeys.

    Programme

    The Power Series; a program of 6 virtual events aimed at engaging candidates who may have considered a career with Rolls-Royce unattainable.

    Outcome

    More than doubled offers made to non-white candidates, with a substantial rise in both applications and offers to women and non-white candidates.

    6

    virtual events in The Power Series

    1,475

    attendees across all events

    1,605

    students engaged

    The Challenge

    Enable Rolls-Royce to engage with more diverse candidates and change perception of the accessibility of a career with them.

    The overriding purpose behind The Power Series was to engage with a more diverse audience, one that we were told felt a career with Rolls-Royce was out of reach, or not a realistic option. At the same time, Rolls-Royce still needed to appeal to graduates and students who were actively seeking career opportunities with the company. Landing this balance was central to our approach.

    Renowned as ‘pioneers of power’, Rolls-Royce has become synonymous with the word ‘power’, but we aimed to turn the meaning on its head with The Power Series.

    Objectives

    Key objectives of The Power Series
    Engage a more diverse audience

    The overriding purpose behind The Power Series was to engage with a more diverse audience, one that we were told felt a career with Rolls-Royce was out of reach, or not a realistic option.

    Appeal to existing talent

    At the same time, Rolls-Royce still needed to appeal to graduates and students who were actively seeking career opportunities with the company.

    Reframe ‘power’

    Renowned as ‘pioneers of power’, Rolls-Royce has become synonymous with the word ‘power’, but we aimed to turn the meaning on its head with The Power Series.

    Reflect brand values

    The traits were also chosen to reflect the Rolls-Royce brand values, i.e., be bold, be agile, be collaborative.

    Our Solution

    Rolls-Royce used Meet & Engage, Unseen’s candidate experience and onboarding platform, to deliver The Power Series; a program of 6 virtual events aimed at engaging candidates who may have considered a career with Rolls-Royce unattainable. Post-event, attendees were to be invited to access a bespoke nurture track, to support them through their entire application journey.

    Live Virtual Events

    The Meet & Engage technology used by Rolls-Royce includes:

    • Pre- and post-event automated email comms and registration
    • Branded pre- and post-event lobby areas
    • Content sharing via live stream, pre-recorded video, polls, slides
    • Fully moderated Q&A
    • NPS candidate experience data

    Automated Nurture Journey

    • Automated candidate journey in a personalized social-style interface
    • Content shared by wall posts, videos and articles
    • Email nudges to see fresh content
    • User candidate experience pulse checks

    Launch

    The Power Series launched in October 2021 with a brave decision to lead with ‘Courage’ – the event with a focus on neurodiversity. Although slightly smaller in number, the audience were so appreciative and engaged by the opportunity, hearing directly from interns, graduates and senior leaders about how they have adapted, been successful, and demonstrated to Rolls- Royce why neurodiverse people are so important to continued innovation and growth.

    Student feedback was very positive: “I found the networking and support for each other amazing”. We ran a Power Series event every three weeks, with the titles Belief, Wisdom, Collaboration, Imagination and Curiosity. Each event saw more attendees than the previous, as awareness and interest grew. Our nurture tracks also grew in numbers, particularly amongst the apprentice / school leaver audience.

    Results

    Applications, offers and experience
    34%

    increase in applications from female candidates

    43%

    increase in applications from diverse candidates

    ✓

    offers made to diverse candidates more than doubled

    85%

    Said their Power Series journey was “great”

    More than doubled offers made to non-white candidates, with a substantial rise in both applications and offers to women and non-white candidates. Glowing feedback from participants.

    Feedback

    Across all events, there were 1,475 attendees and engaged with 1,605 students. The average NPS score from those attending the events was 73% (world class!) and a third of attendees (Rolls-Royce’s benchmark) engaged with the nurture journeys. The nurture journeys featured smiley face feedback and Sukhy, a candidate experience bot.

    Smiley face feedback

    97%

    Are you enjoying the content we’re sharing so far? 97% positive

    100%

    Did you enjoy your Power Series journey? 100% positive

    100%

    Is the mix of content we are sharing valuable? 100% positive

    Participant Feedback

    ‘The panel was inspirational. It was an eye- opening experience for me to learn what work is like at Rolls-Royce as a black woman and the personal growth that can be achieved with hard work and determination ‘

    ‘Very insightful conversations on a variety of topics which is particularly important during the pandemic and remote working. Spot on!’

    ‘I am enjoying this series, it is so inspiring.’

    ‘Both the speakers answered not only my own, but the whole audience’s questions with great depth and breadth. The set up was engaging and the people monitoring the chat were very welcoming.’

    ‘This is a great platform for the new generation to contribute to the change transmission.’

    Conclusion

    The Power Series built on work carried out within assessment to address and remove barriers to entry, particularly the misconception that Rolls- Royce are only interested in certain demographics and backgrounds. This included removing degree classifications, changing from competency to behavioural assessment where possible, and removing any online testing which was potentially disadvantaging students from minority ethnic backgrounds, to provide equal opportunities at each stage.

    The Power Series helped develop focus on behaviours and values that are needed to lead Rolls-Royce into the future, and reinforced the desire to attract students from diverse backgrounds, which is one of their top priorities globally. Rolls-Royce have a hiring strategy centred around three focus areas: Outreach, Access, and Selection, underpinned by the ‘attract’ pillar from the group D&I strategy. The Power Series, as part of this, made sure they could reach, attract and select from the widest and deepest diverse talent pools.

    As with many other organisations, 2020-21 gave Rolls-Royce the opportunity to rethink, refresh, and reinvent how they attract and recruit diverse early careers talent, but mainly it accelerated plans to take student attraction virtual. Shifting to social media platforms, online events and creating useful digital content has helped Rolls-Royce to reach students they haven’t been able to engage with before. All of this has meant they are leading the way with digital attraction and assessment, transforming the traditional employer brand relationship.

    Book a consultation

    Meet & Engage is Unseen’s candidate experience and onboarding platform.

    To find out more about Meet & Engage and our suite of candidate engagement technology, book a demo here or email sales@unseen-group.com.

  • Powering authenticity at scale with Amazon

    Powering authenticity at scale with Amazon

    About the Customer

    Organisation

    Amazon

    Focus Area

    Employer brand and talent attraction

    Use Case

    Employee-generated storytelling and recruitment content

    Outcome

    Authentic employee content supporting large-scale hiring

    1M+

    employees across Amazon’s global workforce

    50

    countries where Amazon operates

    2018

    year Seenit was introduced by Amazon’s Employer Brand team

    The Challenge

    Amazon needed to hire at scale while competing with some of the world’s most recognised technology employers. At the same time, the business needed a more authentic way to showcase what it is really like to work at Amazon.

    Traditional job descriptions alone weren’t enough to explain complex roles or bring the organisation’s culture to life. To attract the next generation of candidates, Amazon needed to amplify employee voices and show genuine experiences from inside the company.

    The Employer Brand team also needed a way to create this content efficiently and consistently across a large global organisation.

    Objectives

    Key objectives of the brief
    Support high-volume hiring

    Help Amazon attract talent at scale while competing with leading technology companies.

    Build brand trust

    Amplify employee voices to showcase authentic culture and values.

    Humanise complex roles

    Make specialist roles easier to understand and more appealing to potential candidates.

    Create scalable content

    Enable teams to generate authentic employee stories quickly and consistently.

    Our Solution

    Seenit was introduced by Amazon’s Employer Brand team in the Retail division in 2018. The platform enables Amazon employees to capture and share video content that brings their experiences to life.

    By gathering stories directly from employees, Amazon can create authentic employer brand content that showcases career opportunities, culture and day-to-day experiences across the organisation.

    The content can then be used across the candidate journey, including careers pages, social media and recruitment campaigns.

    Results

    Over time, Amazon has used Seenit to build a large library of employee-generated video content that supports both employer branding and recruitment campaigns.

    Employee storytelling has helped Amazon increase engagement with employer brand content while giving candidates a clearer, more human view of what it is like to work at the organisation.

    Notable outcomes
    1,500+

    employee video uploads captured through Seenit

    15,000+

    pieces of content created using the platform

    2x

    increase in click-through rate to jobs pages

    +200%

    increase in careers site traffic

    Looking Ahead

    Amazon continues to use Seenit to create employee-generated video content that supports employer branding and recruitment campaigns. By putting real employee voices at the centre of its storytelling, the organisation can showcase culture, roles and opportunities in a way that resonates with candidates globally.

    “We were able to increase our careers site traffic by 200% and increase applications for quality candidates by 35%.”

    Matt Sharp, Global EB Lead, Amazon

    Bring employee stories to life

    Discover how employee-generated video can help you showcase authentic culture, engage talent and scale your employer brand.

  • How NatWest built a scalable skills framework with Evolve Assess

    How NatWest built a scalable skills framework with Evolve Assess

    About the Customer

    Organisation

    NatWest

    Focus Area

    Bank-wide skills & behaviour frameworks

    Use Case

    Skills baselining and colleague development

    Outcome

    Engaging assessment experience with enterprise-grade insight

    1

    bespoke tool built around NatWest’s framework, not retrofitted to software

    360°

    capability view, from colleague development to bank-level insight

    ✓

    governance-ready approach to data privacy and security requirements

    The Challenge

    NatWest had recently launched a new skills and behaviour framework and wanted to embed it across the bank in a way that felt practical for colleagues and valuable for leaders.

    The team had already built an internal prototype tool. It was basic, but its early success proved there was real appetite for a more polished experience. To scale adoption and unlock meaningful insight, NatWest needed an external partner that could design and build something bespoke to their framework, with a strong focus on user experience.

    As a highly regulated organisation, data privacy and security were critical. Any supplier would need to meet stringent governance and supply chain requirements.

    Objectives

    Key objectives of the brief
    Embed the framework

    Give colleagues something tangible to guide development and build consistent capability language.

    Make it engaging

    The solution needed a strong focus on an engaging and innovative user experience.

    Unlock insight

    Enable flexible analysis and reporting to inform development activity at an aggregate level. Create a clear view of technical capability across the bank.

    Meet governance standards

    Ensure data privacy, security and supplier assurance requirements were fully satisfied.

    Our Solution

    NatWest partnered with Evolve Assess to build a simple, attractively designed assessment experience tailored to their frameworks, rather than adopting an off-the-shelf product and retrofitting the framework to match.

    Evolve worked closely with NatWest’s stakeholders, taking an open and collaborative approach to shaping the solution and suggesting alternative routes where needed to meet bespoke requirements.

    Throughout delivery, Evolve supported NatWest’s governance and supply chain processes, providing the assessments, certificates and evidence required to meet strict data privacy and security standards.

    Results

    The platform helped NatWest embed skills and behaviour frameworks across the bank, giving colleagues a practical tool to support development and enabling leaders to access stronger capability insight.

    The analysis centre in particular became a standout outcome, giving NatWest the ability to shape and cut skills data in the ways the business needed, and to use those insights to inform development activities at an organisational level.

    Notable outcomes
    Adoption

    Framework embedded via a tangible, colleague-friendly experience.

    Insight

    Aggregate capability data available to inform bank-wide development planning.

    Flexibility

    Analysis centre enabled data to be shaped and interrogated in multiple ways.

    Looking Ahead

    Following the success of the initial project and the strength of the working relationship, NatWest has since gone on to develop several additional tools with Evolve in this space.

    “Our dedicated relationship manager has been great, really responsive, just excellent at anticipating our needs.”

    Lucy Downs, Behavioural Science Manager, NatWest

    “If you are looking to build an engaging online assessment, I really recommend Evolve Assess. From design to delivery, they’ve been proactive, understood the business and the requirements, and helped build a really innovative solution going forward.”

    Preety Patel, Strategic Capability Partner, NatWest

    Build capability that scales

    See how Evolve Assess can help you embed frameworks, baseline skills, and turn assessment data into practical insight.

    Book a call

  • How Royal Mail Transformed Onboarding to Improve Engagement and Cut Attrition

    How Royal Mail Transformed Onboarding to Improve Engagement and Cut Attrition

    How Royal Mail Transformed Onboarding to Improve Engagement and Cut Attrition

    The role of a postie is physically demanding, requiring individuals to walk up to ten miles a day, five days a week, in varying weather conditions while carrying heavy loads. Early starts, shift work, and the occasional encounter with unfriendly dogs further contribute to the challenges of the job.

    Despite this, posties are seen as vital members of the community — familiar faces deeply rooted in the neighbourhoods they serve.

    Royal Mail Group, one of the UK’s largest employers, faced a pressing operational challenge: high drop-out and early attrition rates among newly hired postal workers. While applicant numbers were strong, many new hires didn’t fully grasp the realities of the role, leading to drop-outs between offer acceptance and Day 1.

    The Challenges

    • High renege rates (candidates accepting offers but not showing up)
    • Significant early attrition within the first 30 days
    • Inconsistent pre-start communication and engagement
    • Lack of a structured, scalable onboarding process
    • A requirement to recruit 250–300 new posties every week

    The Aims

    • Delivering a positive, engaging candidate experience
    • Reinforcing the realities of the role early
    • Reducing renege and attrition rates

    Meet & Engage’s Tailored Onboarding Experience

    To address these challenges, Royal Mail partnered with Meet & Engage, using their Timeline onboarding platform – a personalised, social-style digital portal designed to drive candidate engagement.

    Personalised Candidate Journeys
    Candidates who accepted offers were invited to register via a link in their offer email, unlocking a tailored onboarding journey from acceptance through to Day 1.

    Engaging Content in a Social Format
    Instead of static documents, candidates received social-style posts, videos, articles, and interactive content designed to reflect the real realities of the role.

    Automated Alerts and Nudges
    Email and SMS prompts reminded candidates to engage, with intelligent triggers nudging those who missed content back into the experience.

    Calibrated Content Flow
    Content was intentionally limited to around 15 posts across a short window, preventing overload while ensuring clarity.

    Mobile-First Design
    With many candidates accessing the platform via mobile, the experience was optimised for anytime, anywhere engagement.

    The Results: Strong Engagement and Reduced Attrition

    • Renege rates dropped from 35% to 12%
    • Early attrition halved from 32% to 16%
    • 96% candidate satisfaction among registered users
    17,800 Candidates invited to onboard
    49% Registration rate

    96% Felt more prepared for the role
    62% Accessed via mobile

    A Scalable, Engaging Onboarding Model

    Royal Mail’s collaboration with Meet & Engage demonstrates how digital, personalised onboarding can transform candidate experience at scale.

    By combining engaging content, thoughtful timing, and mobile-first access, the initiative helped new postal workers feel prepared, valued, and far more likely to stay.

    From first impression to first day, let’s build better hiring journeys together

    Book your personalised demo of the Meet&Engage platform today.

    Get in touch