Hiring entry-level talent is one of the most exciting opportunities for any business. These are the future leaders, innovators and culture-builders who will shape the direction of your company for years to come. For large organisations, however, early-career hiring is rarely straightforward.
On paper, big employers should have it easy. Their brand recognition attracts thousands of applicants, their HR teams are well-resourced, and they can offer training and development opportunities that smaller companies often can’t match. Yet the reality is very different. Oversubscription, irrelevant CVs, a lack of time, plus the challenge of verifying skills at scale, all stand in the way of hiring the right talent.
The good news? These challenges can be solved with the right approach. At Day One, we work with employers to reimagine early-career hiring, making it faster, fairer and more focused on skills. Here’s a closer look at the biggest challenges big companies face and how to overcome them.
1. Oversubscription and overapplication
When a global brand opens applications for graduate schemes or entry-level roles, it isn’t unusual to receive thousands of applications within days. For example, a major consultancy firm in the UK reported more than 20,000 applications for just a few hundred graduate spots. While it’s encouraging to see so much interest, the sheer volume can overwhelm even the most experienced recruitment teams.
The problem with oversubscription is twofold. First, recruiters spend valuable time filtering through applicants who may not have the right skills, motivation or eligibility. Second, the candidate experience suffers. Applicants are often left waiting months for a response, or worse, they never hear back at all. This can harm the employer brand, especially with younger candidates who value transparency and speed.
How to overcome it:
One of the most effective ways to address oversubscription is to introduce early-stage filters that focus on skills rather than just application volume. At Day One, we help companies build skills-based assessments directly into the application process, so you can quickly identify who has the potential to succeed in the role. This not only cuts down admin but ensures that only the most relevant candidates progress further.
2. Irrelevant CVs
CVs have long been the foundation of recruitment, but they were never designed for early-career hiring. Most entry-level candidates simply don’t have much work history to show. Instead, CVs are often filled with part-time jobs, extracurriculars or long lists of coursework that don’t clearly connect to the role at hand.
For recruiters, this creates a guessing game. Does the candidate who worked part-time in retail have the communication and problem-solving skills needed for a data analyst role? Does the graduate who studied English but has no internships have the analytical ability to succeed in a digital role? These are difficult questions to answer based on a CV alone.
How to overcome it:
Shift the emphasis from credentials to capabilities. Skills verification through assessments, scenario-based tasks, or structured interviews allows candidates to demonstrate what they can actually do.
That’s exactly why Day One’s assessments and structured interviews are built to test for real-world abilities in data, digital and technical roles. By replacing guesswork with clear, skills-based evidence, you’ll identify genuine potential faster, while opening up opportunities for candidates from non-traditional backgrounds.
3. Lack of time
Recruiters and hiring managers in large organisations already have packed schedules. Adding the complexity of managing thousands of early-career applications only increases the pressure. The result? Slow hiring timelines, overworked recruitment teams and decisions made in a rush.
The average hiring timeline for graduate roles in the UK is more than 12 weeks. In fast-moving industries, that’s simply too long. By the time a candidate receives an offer, they may already have accepted another role. Long processes also risk losing top talent, as younger candidates are increasingly unwilling to wait months for updates.
How to overcome it:
Time can be saved without cutting corners by introducing automation and structure. With Day One, skills-based screening is integrated into the process from the very start, helping to remove manual admin and reduce time-to-hire. Recruiters can focus their energy on the best candidates, rather than sifting through endless applications.
A faster, smoother process not only benefits recruiters but also enhances the candidate experience, ensuring your employer brand remains strong.
4. Verifying skills at scale
Even after shortlisting, many large organisations struggle with consistency in verifying skills. Different hiring managers may run interviews in different ways, ask different questions or place emphasis on different qualities. This lack of standardisation creates an uneven playing field and increases the risk of mis-hires.
The challenge grows when recruitment is happening across multiple departments, locations, or even countries. Ensuring fairness and consistency in how candidates are assessed becomes incredibly complex.
How to overcome it:
The solution is to embed skills verification into the process from the start. Day One’s verification tools are designed to give every candidate the same chance to showcase their ability. With structured interviews and role-relevant assessments, hiring becomes more consistent, more objective and ultimately more reliable.
By focusing on skills data rather than subjective impressions, big companies can make better decisions, reduce costly mis-hires and build a fairer, more inclusive process.
Final thoughts
Hiring entry-level talent will always come with challenges, especially for large companies. But those challenges aren’t insurmountable. By rethinking the process (reducing reliance on CVs, introducing skills verification, streamlining applications and building fairness into every stage) employers can transform the way they hire.
At Day One, we believe early-career hiring should be exciting, not exhausting. Our platform helps big companies verify skills, reduce oversubscription admin and make faster, fairer decisions. The result? Stronger teams and shorter timelines.
In a competitive talent market, companies that adapt their entry-level hiring processes will not only secure the best people today but also build a workforce ready for the challenges of tomorrow.
