5 common pitfalls to hiring graduates
With New Zealand’s unemployment rate consistently under 5%, there is competition to attract quality talent. Hiring more graduates is one way to bridge the talent gap – but employers can be reluctant. Why is that? By identifying some common pitfalls and some ways to overcome them, we hope to increase the number of flourishing employer-graduate relationships.
Let’s look at some common challenges when hiring students and graduates:
1. Graduate-employer mismatch
Sometimes there is a mismatch between what graduates and employers are looking for. While employers may look for skills and experience, graduates’ priorities are likely to be to find a company with values that align with their own, a great culture, flexibility, and training opportunities.
How to tackle this challenge:
Instead of focusing on hands-on experience that is directly relevant, focus on transferable skills and look at what candidates do outside of studying. Internships, part-time jobs, extracurricular activities, and volunteering are all excellent examples of what you can look at to determine whether or not a candidate is a good fit for your organisation.
2. Being outflanked by the competition
It can sometimes seem candidates are in the position of power and finding new ways to attract top talent can be exhausting. But competing for talent is a fact of life in our strong employment market, so failing to invest time and energy positioning your organisation and effectively communicating your brand is a mistake that will play into the hands of your competitors.
How to tackle this challenge:
Today’s students and graduates are often mission-driven and want to find employers that align with their own core values. Tell your recruitment targets about your mission – the ‘why?’ behind what you do and the way you do it. You’ll attract the ones who believe in your brand and who want to get onboard.
3. Lack of commitment
It takes time and energy to develop a graduate into a fully-contributing professional – this can seem like too much of a commitment for some employers who want everybody contributing fully right from the start. On the other side, this perceived lack of commitment can be unappealing to graduates looking for learning and development opportunities.
How to tackle this challenge:
Dedicating time and resources to training your entry-level employees will show your potential interns and graduates that you’re interested in their development. Once onboard, teaching them the knowledge they need for your specific business will build their loyalty and help you capitalise on your investment. Offering promotions will help them recognise a career path within your business and, ideally, save you having to recruit higher up the ladder. A focus on professional development will give your business additional benefits, because they will be important for all your employees, not just your graduates.
Generate more commitment from your business by focussing on the case for diversity and inclusion, hot topics in workplaces of today. Employers who have worked out the cost-benefit analysis are in no doubt about the value of investing in this highly connected and technology-confident human resource.
4. Bad timing
Even with a great culture, commitment and brand, employers can be frustrated when great graduates don’t flock to join their mission. If your timing is off, for example you are recruiting at a time when most students and graduates are simply not looking, tied up in exams or already committed, it can feel like you’re shouting into an abyss.
How to tackle this challenge:
When hiring a student or graduate, it’s important to time it right. Look at whether your hiring calendar corresponds with the academic calendar, as this will impact the availability of new graduate talent or students looking for internship opportunities. See our helpful tips to getting your timing right.
Also, give yourself a generous lead time to find the right hire – because with time on your side, you’re more likely to end up with new talent that’s a good match for your business.
5. Bad aim
Attracting the right kind of applications by simply broadcasting your job ad is no longer a guaranteed thing. Looking for the student or graduate with the right skills, attitude and cultural fit for your team takes targeting. Don’t forget, being card-carrying members of today’s digitally native generation, they are accustomed to a personalised approach.
How to tackle this challenge:
Look in the right places and go straight to the source. Advertising widely or being at a career fair may not be enough if you may want to attract a pool of talent with direct knowledge of a specific set of subjects. The AUT talenthub recruitment team gets best results by using a range of direct methods to target students and graduates based on their mix of subjects and nearness to completion of study.
With a few changes to your approach, your business can tackle the common pitfalls and get all the benefits of hiring students and graduates.
Convinced?
Now’s a great time to talk to Rachel Shereef about your recruitment needs and let AUT talenthub find your student or graduate match!