

Essence
Industry: Marketing & Advertising
Headquarters: San Francisco
No of employees: 1,600
Essence, part of GroupM, is a global data and measurement-driven agency whose mission is to make advertising more valuable to the world.
In numbers
18
Attendees
50%
STEM degree
80%
From socially mobile background
7
Hires
Essence client include Google, Flipkart, Nando’s and the Financial Times. The agency is more than 1,600 people strong, manages over $3.6B in annualised media spend and deploys campaigns in 71 markets via its global offices throughout North America, EMEA and APAC.
The opportunity
Essence wanted to attract a diverse candidate pool and get their brand in front of students and graduates who might not actively look for a career in advertising and media.
Using Debut’s app, Essence targeted candidates from a variety of degrees and backgrounds to attend one-to-one calls to learn more about Essence’s EMERGE rotational programme. Candidates that performed well on the call were invited to an assessment centre.
Success metrics
Essence invited 18 Debut users to the assessment centre, resulting in seven hires within one month.