As employers struggle to find ways to sift through increasing numbers of graduate applicants, they could be missing out on the most work-savvy candidates, according to Simon Reichwald, director of the UK's fastest growing student society, Bright Futures.

The number of UK firms recruiting graduates rose by twelve per cent over the last year, and would-be employers are constantly seeking more inventive and economical ways to tap into the massive graduate market. By harnessing automated methods, recruiters believe they are streamlining the process, but they are failing to recognise the true personality of potential employees.

Traditionally, employers initially sift by degree classification, which brings its own problems. How do you measure one degree discipline against another, for instance? And how does a 'red-brick' 2:2 stack up against an 'old poly' 2:1? But this is just the start; technological advances mean that other methods have now come into play, including psychometric testing, and more recently, search-engine screening.

The basis of any recruitment process should be to find the best candidates, but, faced with a daunting graduate pool, recruiters are sacrificing this basic principle, as Simon Reichwald explains:

"In this tech-dominated age, it's easy to see why recruiters are taking shortcuts. They are simply trying to make their lives easier, but there is a real danger that they are bypassing the real talent, by sifting it through the net.

I believe that the personality should be put back into recruitment, and that's what we're trying to do at Bright Futures. We offer a place of interaction, where employers and students get to try each other for size. There is a real opportunity, not just to select talent, but also to nurture it. The result is a much better fit for both graduate and employer, ultimately maximising return on investment."

Bright Futures corporate membership offers the chance for employers to engage with students way before graduation, and actively influence their development. By communicating online via the Bright Futures site, running on-campus, regional and national events, employers can interact with this unique talent pool, and work to prime their company's future talent.