Graduating from university is an exciting time for individuals, graduates are joining the world of work and most of them are eager to get started as soon as term ends. Companies find there is a sudden influx in graduate applications every year leading up to summer months, and so I have included some tips to ensure you hire the best graduates to join your company.
Contact Universities
Get in touch with career services within different universities, as this can be a huge help for finding talented graduates. Every career department in a university has various job boards, career and networking events and always welcome the help and support from their student’s potential employers. Once you have built up a good relationship with the university, they can help you find candidates best suited to your company.
Try to maintain a graduate hiring routine. Make sure to familiarise yourself with the academic calendars of universities, months such as January or February are common times to start the hiring process for graduates.
Increase your Social Media Presence
In a world full of digital natives, it’s important to make your presence known on social media. Facebook, Twitter and the professional networking site, LinkedIn, are all good ways to increase your publicity and post job advertisements. This will increase the number of candidates applying for the position, therefore giving you more choice to choose the most suitable candidate from. When someone grabs your interest, you can instantly get a feel for their work ethic through their online profiles.
Most graduates will be hungry for success and will have high expectations when starting a new job, with most looking for quick promotion opportunities. Advertising chances for promotion will attract the best candidates to your company.
Knowledge and skill are important characteristics in graduates, however you should also look for those that are energetic and determined, and for people who want to succeed and produce their best work for their employer. Interviews are just as important as the candidates’ classification as it helps you get an indication of how they will get on with your other employees which is important for a positive office environment. Don’t be swayed by an impressive contact or grade, but ensure the individual believes in your company’s vision and will contribute to helping you get there.
Offer Work Experience
It’s a good idea to offer internships to students during their summer off or a placement year while studying for their degree. This will give you an insight as to whether they are a good fit for your business, helping you to differentiate the candidates who are all talk from the ones who get the work done, at a high quality.
Make your Company Stand Out
Just like graduates compete to get the best job, businesses are in competition to hire the best graduates. Organising challenges for graduates where they have to solve a hypothetical problem or identify an industry trend and create a marketing proposal will give you a good insight into how they work under pressure and which person has the most creativity. It is also a good idea to have the candidates work in teams to see how well they work with other people.
Taking these steps will help you make the right choice when employing a graduate, ensuring that you are taking on an employee who, along with the rest of your team, will help make a positive difference to your company.
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