A survey of over 400 of this summer’s new graduates, conducted by KPMG and independent market research company High Fliers Research, asked them about their experience of applying for a graduate job at UK businesses. 

A third reported feeling frustrated by lengthy recruitment processes (34%) and delayed or poor communication from their potential employer (43%), with over half complaining they never received any feedback when applying for a role (55%).

The firm says this frustration could impact big businesses’ future ability to attract talent, with graduates opting out of traditional job schemes in favour of roles in smaller companies, which are more in line with their personal passions and interests and offer a faster and simpler recruitment process.

KPMG has introduced Launch Pad, a new streamlined approach which combines the traditional three stages of first interview, assessment centre and final interview into a single day. Students will also get the chance to gain new skills, network with existing KPMG staff and partners, as well as their peers. 

Applicants can apply via the KPMG Careers website and assessment centres will be taking place in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and Glasgow from October. KPMG’s graduate scheme is one of the most popular in the UK: the firm received 28,000 applications for some 1,000 positions in 2015.

Simon Collins, chairman of KPMG in the UK, said: ‘Millennials don’t want to navigate a cumbersome and convoluted recruitment process when applying for a job and this is something we as business leaders need to understand and address.

‘Our own graduates have given us some hard hitting, but really useful feedback and we’re using this to overhaul how we recruit. From now on a candidate’s final interviews and assessments will take place over the course of just one day and we will make them an offer or give feedback explaining why they were not successful within two working days.’