KPMG Sheffield Hallam Early Careers.

Personal Brand Day

KPMG firms operate in 143 countries and territories, and in FY23 collectively employed over 270 thousand people to serve the needs of businesses, governments, public-sector agencies, not-for-profits and, through KPMG firms' audit and assurance practices, capital markets.

The challenge

Despite being one of the UK’s largest graduate employers, KPMG is often viewed as cold, corporate and formal. This perception makes it feel inaccessible to many students, especially across female, Black, and lower socio-economic populations.

So in 2024, we set out to:

Build quality, long-lasting awareness on a university campus we've never been to before.
Create meaningful experiences for audiences who have been previously ignored or under-represented.
Change their perception of KPMG from corporate and exclusive to inclusive and accessible.

The approach

In a digital age where graduate employers are churning out immersive online experiences and racing to show off their latest tech, we decided to listen to the needs of our audiences and meet our students in person, on campus.

74% of Gen Z think IRL (in real life) experiences are more important than digital (vs 66% of Millennials).
54% cite their favourite brands as those that make them feel part of a community, emphasising the importance of building meaningful connections and tangible experiences.

After evaluating hundreds of UK universities, we chose one that would prove the greatest challenge for us: a university with the highest proportion of students from underrepresented groups and a history of no successful KPMG applicants, in a region where KPMG struggled to fill grad roles - Sheffield Hallam.

We needed to let the students at Sheffield Hallam know that they belong at KPMG no matter who they are or where they come from. That they can be their true selves and actually thrive because of it. So we let them know, You belong here.

The solution

Over 1,000 minutes were spent providing bespoke CV consultations.

We delivered dozens of professional headshots for chemistry, business, history and criminology students.

More than 100 videos were produced on the day to be used for the more creative CVs.

Working alongside a professional stylist, students learnt where to find affordable workwear, how to express their personality, and even try on an outfit (or two) with over 200 style recommendations delivered.

They also discovered how they could shine in the workplace, with an interactive Future You quiz that matched their unique personality to a graduate programme at KPMG.

And we didn't stop there. Once Personal Brand Day was over, we used vox pops recorded with students on the day to launch a series of videos across socials where KPMG led the conversation around personal branding and bringing your true self to the workplace, helping shift perceptions of the firm in the process.

The results

With KPMG and other major employers hosting standard careers fairs events across universities in the region, Personal Brand Day highlighted just how important the quality of an experience is for students.