How to recruit the next generation in media
Career Leaders
NABS’ senior project manager shares early-career recruitment lessons from appointing the charity’s inaugural Next Gen Board.
Designing recruitment for the next generation of talent takes real thought — something I’ve been exploring first-hand through the launch of NABS’ first Next Gen Board.
We recruited 19 talented people, aged 30 and under, from across the industry to help NABS shape the future of mental wellness at work. This was a voluntary position, and one we worked hard to make equitable: candidates will benefit from exposure to industry leaders and career-enhancing opportunities.
We endeavoured to create a recruitment process that worked for this cohort, and the process revealed lessons that are highly relevant to any business looking to attract, support and retain early-career talent.
As part of shaping the board, we also connected with others in the industry who had built similar initiatives. What stood out was how generously people shared their experience and whose perspective added useful context to our thinking. This, coupled with people, companies and inclusive groups that championed it, speaks to a wider shared commitment to supporting early careers.
Much of what makes recruitment better is not new—be clear, be transparent, be thoughtful, be inclusive. But what this process brought home to me is how much more powerful those basics become when applied with real care and intent to early-career talent.
Recruitment is not just about assessment. It is where trust begins.
From the outset, we wanted our candidates to feel that the process had been designed with care. We were clear in our communications, thoughtful about what we asked of people, and conscious that this might be one of their first meaningful interactions with NABS. In return, candidates trusted us with their experiences, ambitions and concerns. They opened up — and we listened.
Candidates form a view of your organisation long before they join it. Every email, every deadline, every interview instruction and every conversation tells them something about how they might be treated if they became part of your workplace.
That is why clarity is so important.
One thing I was struck by was how many candidates seemed to feel they should already have a roadmap for the industry: how to progress, how to speak up, how to build confidence, and what is expected of them. Too often, we expect early-career talent to work this out by osmosis.
Recruitment can start to create that roadmap. Don’t assume that your applicants know what they need to do, and when they need to do it, to shine. Be explicit about timelines, expectations, preparation and support. This makes the process smoother and, crucially, supports candidates to show up at their best.
Indeed, recruitment and onboarding should not just assess confidence; they should help build it.
That means being clear about what the role involves, what the process will ask of candidates, and, where possible, what salary or reward is attached. It also means designing a process that feels proportionate.
For early-career roles, lengthy or multi-stage interviews are often unnecessary and can add pressure for candidates entering the industry or already balancing busy workloads. A more focused, streamlined approach not only creates a better experience for candidates but also helps businesses move faster, reduce drop-off, and identify potential candidates more effectively.
It also means thinking carefully about the behaviours we model from the outset. If early-career talent feel they need to overextend themselves just to prove their value, we are reinforcing the wrong message before they have even joined.
Recruitment is an opportunity to model something healthier: clarity, boundaries, support, and permission to ask questions. All of which support mental wellness.
This matters because the next generation is entering the industry with energy and ambition, but also with pressure. Some are still learning how to say no. Some are still building the confidence to ask for support. Some are trying to understand rules that have never been made explicit to them.
We all have a role in making those rules clearer
Inclusion is part of that responsibility. This cohort cares deeply about DEI, and they can recognise when inclusion is performative.
If you are using diversity monitoring, as we did, be clear about why you are collecting that data, how it will be used, and how it will be kept separate from assessment. This is deeply personal information, and candidates need to trust that it will be handled sensitively and used with intent.
To make sure that you’re recruiting in the most inclusive way possible, do your research. Many organisations offer practical resources to support inclusive and responsible recruitment processes, and desk research can also help guide you.
What also became clear through this process is that inclusion often comes down to the details.
Sharing themes or topics for discussion in advance can support neurodivergent candidates. Be clear about whether an interview will be formal or informal, who will be in the room, and what candidates can expect: this can help to remove unnecessary uncertainty. These may sound like small things, but they are often what allow people to perform at their best.
The same is true of the interview panel itself. True inclusion matters to this cohort. A panel can help a candidate picture themselves in your organisation, but only if what you show them reflects reality. Early-career talent can quickly spot when what is presented does not align with the wider culture, which can undermine trust from the outset.
Honesty matters not just for attraction, but for retention
It is far more powerful to be honest about where you are today. If your workforce is not yet where you want it to be, say that — and explain what you are doing about it. Clear, tangible action builds credibility.
Honesty matters not just for attraction, but for retention; people are more likely to stay where they feel they have been told the truth.
The other thing that stayed with me, and this was particularly inspiring, was how deeply mental wellness matters to this generation. They want to get involved with NABS’ vital cause, to support the industry as a whole.
We attracted nearly 200 high-quality candidates, many of whom were motivated not only by their own experiences but also by a desire to improve things for the people coming after them. Their generosity really struck me. So many wanted to give their time and talent to NABS because they care deeply about making the industry better for others.
This cohort expects workplaces to take mental wellness seriously. Not as an add-on, not as a campaign, but as something reflected in everyday working life: whether people feel able to ask for help, set boundaries, say no when needed, and work in a sustainable way. That matters because this generation has so much to offer.
AI is at the front of many industry conversations, and rightly so. It brings brilliant innovation. But it cannot replace the lived experience, creativity and emotional intelligence we saw throughout this process.
I was struck by the freshness of this cohort’s thinking. They are entering the industry shaped by a very different world: navigating COVID during formative years, beginning careers through uncertainty, and building confidence in a workplace defined by constant change. That experience gives them a distinct perspective. It shows up in how they think, what they question, and the audiences they understand.
But that insight will only fully surface if we create environments where people feel safe enough and trust each other to share it. That starts at the very beginning, so collectively let’s design recruitment to support early cohorts in being at their best.
Eleanor Singh is the senior project manager at NABS