Make Smarter Recruitment Marketing Decisions — Backed by Data, Not Guesswork
Flint & Steel helps organizations attract and retain the right talent through precision research. Our Candidate Preference & Insight Research is built on over 25 years of global experience and is trusted by leading brands across industries.
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Whether you're launching an EVP, entering a new market, or optimizing your campus strategy, we provide the data you need to lead.
Early Career & Student Candidate Insight for Campus Recruiting
Access Canada’s largest longitudinal student research study, developed in partnership with Brainstorm. Discover the motivations, aspirations, and employer brand preferences of your targeted early career candidates and graduates by discipline, region, DEI, geography, gender or field of study group.​
Use Cases:
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Campus strategy refinement
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EVP calibration for Gen Z
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Competitive benchmarking
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Top 100 Employer Award Success
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2025 Talent Preference Research
Download our free guide to attracting early career talent in 2025. Packed with research insights and employer best practice examples and includes:
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Segment-specific insights for Business, Engineering, Arts/Humanities, and Computer Science
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Best-practice examples from top employers—including IBM, Hatch, TD, and other industry leaders
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Insights on student communication preferences, remote work expectations, promotion timelines, loyalty strategies, and conversion tactics
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Actionable tips and recommendations to help you win on campus this year
Top Employer Awards
Each year, Canada’s top employer brand and campus recruiting leaders are honored in the Future Talent Awards. Conducted in partnership with Brainstorm Strategy Group —the awards have become the definitive national recognition for campus recruiting excellence as voted by 27,500+ students. Winners display the award to signal shared values with the talent they seek. The event also delivers exclusive insights into early-career preferences. The 2025 event takes place May 27.
Canada Needs Recruits. Gen Z Needs Purpose. We Just Released the Data Connecting Both.
With just 0.8% of students ranking the military as a top employer, this new report unpacks why—and how to fix it.
Canada’s push to meet NATO’s 2% defense target has sparked a major recruiting drive—but Gen Z isn’t signing up.
This new insight report—based on 25,000+ student responses—helps the Canadian military and other sectors understand:
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What Gen Z really wants in a career
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How to reposition service as purpose-driven work
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Data-backed strategies to improve recruitment
It’s essential reading for anyone facing early-career talent challenges in public sector, safety, or government roles.
Candidate Experience Benchmarking
Your Candidate Experience Is Your Employer Brand in Action
First impressions shape perceptions. Our Candidate Experience Benchmarking Service evaluates every stage of your hiring process—from application to onboarding—through the eyes of your target candidates.
We compare your candidate journey to top employers in your industry and segment, helping you uncover blind spots and make experience a competitive advantage.
What We Benchmark:
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Interview scheduling and communication clarity
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Recruiter responsiveness and personalization
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EVP messaging touchpoints
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Application friction and conversion drop-offs
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Use of content (videos, storytelling, personalization)
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Post-interview and onboarding experience
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Segment-specific gaps (e.g. DEI, early-career, tech talent)
Deliverables May Include:
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Role- and segment-specific experience ratings
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Side-by-side competitor comparisons
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Candidate journey mapping
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Scorecards by business unit, hiring team, or country
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Actionable recommendations to improve conversion
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Key messaging gaps & performance risks
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Optional employee experience overlay (internal lens)
Focus Groups, A/B Testing & Audience Panels
Go beyond surveys. We help you test, validate, and optimize through live feedback from current, potential, or look-alike candidates across key markets.
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Capabilities:
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Virtual and in-person focus groups
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Employer messaging and creative testing
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Persona refinement through qualitative panels
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Pulse check panels for fast iteration
Candidate Experience Dashboard
Monitor candidate satisfaction in real time.
