About the National Audit Office
The National Audit Office is an independent Parliamentary body in the United Kingdom which is responsible for auditing central government departments, government agencies and non-departmental public bodies. The NAO also carries out value-for-money audits into the administration of public policy. The National Audit Office made the decision to offer paid employment for their week’s work experience in October half term 2022. They work closely with Access Accountancy and were looking for students who may be looking for a career in Accountancy. The opportunity gives the successful students a chance to work alongside experienced auditors and teams, learning from them and gaining an understanding of what is required to become a Chartered Accountant and what a career in the accountancy profession might look like.
The process
The recruitment process included an application form, followed by a numerical reasoning test and finally, successful candidates were invited to a telephone interview.
Following the completion of this one-week work experience will result in the National Audit Office offering some students an Apprenticeship opportunity.
Cohesion built relationships with local schools to share the opportunity. We had a particular focus on schools with a high proportion of free school meals, as social mobility was an important consideration for NAO. We also encouraged staff to share the opportunity with their school networks.
Cohesion supported all applicants, ensuring all applications were acknowledged by the team within 24 hours. All candidates eligible for the final interview were given an extensive prep and coaching session beforehand.
Results
100% offer acceptance for both offices – London and Newcastle, with several reserve candidates available.
NAO’s aim was to recruit all candidates from social mobility and diverse backgrounds, and this was successfully completed.
NAO were really pleased with the candidates Cohesion had sourced. In order to support the candidates, and their commitment to social mobility, NAO offered all reserve candidates who just missed out on the chance to join the weeklong work experience, an insight afternoon at one of the offices.
Candidate feedback
“The whole application process was smooth and professional”
“I would not change or add anything to the recruitment process, I believe the recruitment process was very easy and accessible to everyone”
If you’d like to discuss how Cohesion can collaborate with you on a successful recruitment campaign, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with Deborah Edmondson at debbie.edmondson@cohesionrecruitment.com or on 0121 716 3977
Case Study
JM Finn – Apprenticeship Campaign 2024
Breedon – Apprentices in Rural Areas
National Audit Office – Work Experience Campaign
Bellway Homes – Graduate Campaign
JM Finn – Apprenticeship Campaign
Ofwat – Graduate Campaign
Kuehne + Nagel – Graduate Campaign
