Unusually I’m going out this evening to a work-related event in London – I don’t get out much.  The event is being run by the Bloomberg Institute as a celebration of this year’s BAT test, which I believe is a new(ish) product looking to secure itself a place in the very competitive psychometric testing market for university students.

The reason I mention this isn’t to commemorate my trip into the City, or to publicise the product, but because I think that the event is potentially a really interesting piece of marketing.  For a product like this to fly then it needs 3 players on side – students willing to take the test, employer’s willing to value the results and universities happy to host and promote the testing sessions.  This evening’s event brings together all 3 groups in a soiree (their word) that addresses careers in finance through a speaker & a panel session, with networking before and after.

I don’t know anything about how employers are being approached, but I think the organisers have been very canny in how they have invited the students – they have invited representatives of the University Finance and Business Societies.  This is much more likely to resonate with recruiters than random students, as nearly all recruiters think that running a Society implies employability skills, and these Societies also show interest in the industry – meaning that the students there tonight are prime targets for all of the firms.  It also has stickability with the student community, because whilst students are at Uni for 1 to 4 years the Societies continue year after year. Bloomberg is effectively partnering with all of them.

Observing the networking should be really interesting as both the students and the recruiters will want to talk to each other.  Us Careers Advisers can expect to be a bit like wallflowers though as I doubt that either of the other parties will be targetting us!