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GRAPE, Mediaset's Graduate Program Experience: how to identify and develop talented young people with an eye on future potential
With Skillvue, Mediaset standardised the pre-screening step across thousands of applications from junior profiles applying to Progetto GRAPE, building a structured dataset on the characteristics of every candidate to streamline the hiring process.
Mediaset
Media & Telecom
MFE-MEDIAFOREUROPE
~€4.03B
Hiring
"Skillvue's support ensured we could gather additional information, especially on behavioural style and the way people approach different types of situations."
Luca Villari
Head of Talent Acquisition and Talent Development, Mediaset
The Company and The Context
Mediaset, part of the MFE-MEDIAFOREUROPE group, is Italy's leading private commercial broadcaster and is undergoing an unprecedented phase of evolution. With the acquisition of ProSiebenSat.1 and a stake in Impresa, MFE-MEDIAFOREUROPE has become the first private broadcaster to control operations across three major European markets, reaching over 220 million people in six countries.
It is in this scenario of innovation and growth that Progetto GRAPE (Graduate Program Experience) was born: a hiring programme for recent graduates and junior profiles to be placed across various departments. In contexts like this, identifying talent predictively becomes a truly indispensable strategic lever for ensuring the success of the programme. But how to do it when you're receiving thousands of applications?
Thousands of candidates and CVs that alone revealed nothing about hidden potential
Progetto GRAPE generated over 3,000 applications. The dedicated HR team set a target of identifying, within six weeks, a significant number of qualified candidates to advance to the next stages of the process, while maintaining a high level of candidate experience and without compromising the depth of the assessment.
The group's expansion made building a talent pipeline urgent
MFE-MEDIAFOREUROPE is expanding its footprint across Europe. GRAPE is more than a hiring programme: it is a significant building block intended to contribute to identifying junior profiles who can grow with the Group and respond to its future needs.
Business needs were colliding with HR operational capacity
To maintain the target pace of evaluated profiles and keep up with onboarding timelines, a different type of filter, capable of operating at scale without sacrificing quality or letting high-potential profiles slip through unnoticed, was needed.
The chosen tool had to fit into a multi-phase ecosystem
The evaluation tool chosen to manage the initial phase of the programme had to produce auditable, comparable outputs usable in the subsequent stages of Progetto GRAPE.
The new approach to hiring was part of a wider cultural shift
The cultural transformation underway at Mediaset required HR to step up from the very first phase — Talent Attraction and Acquisition. Bringing the right people on board was becoming a truly strategic lever and a concrete measure of that change's success.
An evaluation model built around predictiveness was needed
Junior profiles placed in programmes like this often have largely similar CVs. Soft skills like problem solving, logical reasoning and motivation — the variables that predict true potential — needed to surface beyond the CV alone.
The first brand touchpoint had to reflect its identity and values
Mediaset is one of Italy's most recognisable brands and, in a market defined by intense competition with tech companies and digital platforms for the same profiles, places strong emphasis on employer branding throughout the attraction and hiring process.
What needed to change
Manage application volumes within business timelines — the goal was to identify, every week, a significant number of high-potential candidates, without losing quality in the evaluation.
Make soft skills visible from the first step — build a reliable mapping of candidate profiles, with objective data produced by AI and validated against the Mediaset model.
Ensure a candidate experience worthy of the brand — the first touchpoint with Mediaset had to be positive, intuitive and accessible, even for candidates who had never used this assessment format before.
Integrate the tool into the existing process — outputs had to be compatible with the multi-phase flow and usable as a benchmark for future development of the hiring strategy.
AI Pre-screening with Skillvue
Skillvue was integrated as the first filter of Progetto GRAPE, combining soft skill analysis, logical reasoning and general knowledge questions. The ranking is validated by the HR team on Mediaset's leadership model; suitable profiles advance to the next stages.
Soft skills — calibrated to Mediaset model
Logical reasoning — structured tests
Knowledge questions — role-relevant
Key Metrics & Impact
Skillvue was integrated as the first filter of Progetto GRAPE, combining soft skill analysis, logical reasoning and general knowledge questions. The ranking is validated by the HR team against the Mediaset skills model; suitable profiles advance to the next stages.
3,000+
applications processed
4/5
Candidate satisfaction
79%
Assessment conversion rate
Visibility into the potential of incoming junior profiles
Before Skillvue, decisions were based on the subjective assessment of individual recruiters; now the team works with shared, standardised parameters.
A more efficient hiring process, with qualified shortlists
The subsequent stages of the hiring process start from a solid information base. The result: a more efficient funnel and more informed, data-driven decisions at every step.
Assessments customised to Mediaset's actual needs
By building a collaborative relationship from the outset, Skillvue and Mediaset offered candidates assessments validated by the HR team and aligned with Mediaset's expectations.
"Skillvue's support ensured we could gather additional information, especially on behavioural style and the way people approach different types of situations."
Luca Villari
Head of Talent Acquisition and Talent Development, Mediaset