How to recruit graduates: 13 ideas to power up your graduate recruitment strategy
Unlike some recruiters who don’t believe in the power of freshers, you are sold on the idea of recruiting graduates. You think they bring fresh perspectives, are eager to learn the ropes of the trade, and are oh-so-tech-savvy. Now the only obstacle is – how do you go about the process of recruiting graduates? Fret not, dear recruiter, we have lined up some ideas to help you add young talent to your workforce.
13 ideas you can use to recruit graduates
1. Create an internship program – Through an internship program, both you and the intern will get an insight into the role and your organisation before they become a full-time employee. Moreover, it can also reduce turnover as the job expectations would be set during the internship period, and there will be fewer surprises down the road.
To learn how you can create an effective internship program, read A complete guide to hiring interns for your startup.
If you are wondering where you can find interns, you can try posting an internship on Internshala.
2. Organise hackathons competitions – Competitions can help you evaluate candidates based on their ability to perform a task rather than what’s written on their resume.
For instance, if you are looking for tech candidates, hackathons can be a great way to find candidates with the right skill set. A hackathon will not only test their technical skills but also soft skills like teamwork and communication, which are crucial in a work environment. Make sure that you market the event on your social media channels and connect with universities and colleges.
This recruiting technique is used by many companies to find tech talent. For example, last year, IBM hosted a virtual hackathon wherein any engineering student from the country could participate. One of the prizes included the chance to land an internship at IBM.
Source: Life at IBM
The above image is one of the social media posts that IBM shared to spread the word about the hackathon. Similarly, you can explore various social media channels and connect with universities and colleges so that the right candidates know about the competition. Once the event is over, you can also post pictures and experiences of participants. This will help you showcase yourself as an active employer in the graduate recruitment space.
3. Offer the right benefits – While a paycheck is the first thing that most employees seek in a job, benefits are also one of the deciding factors when choosing a job. Here are the most valued job benefits that Gen Z and millennials seek in a job:
I) Health insurance
II) Pension plans
III) Learning and development opportunities
IV) Flexible working hours and option of remote working
V) Paid leaves
Remember to mention these benefits in the job description and your careers page.
4. Explore social media – Given that Gen Z spends 2 hours 55 minutes every day on social media, it can be an excellent way to attract and find freshers. At the basic level, you can post jobs and use the right hashtags so that aspiring candidates can discover them. For e.g. #wearehiring, #microsoftlife, and so on. Besides posting jobs, use social media to give the users a glimpse into your work culture. It could be about the different roles in your company, events at your workplace, and even the benefits you offer. For instance, mailchimp created an Instagram post about a summer break at the company.
5. Show them that they have a future with you – Career growth is one of the top things graduates look for in jobs. Entry-level hires want to strengthen their skills and move ahead in their careers. Hence, mentoring and training opportunities are important.
6. Create a strong employer brand – An employer brand refers to how you are perceived as an employer by your current employees and prospective candidates. A few things that comprise your employer brand include:
I) The ratings and reviews you receive on sites such as Glassdoor and AmbitionBox
II) Your careers page
III) Employee Value Proposition
IV) Company culture and mission
V) Social media presence
Since 75% of candidates take an employer’s brand into consideration, strengthening your brand should be a part of your graduate recruitment strategy.
7. Set clear job expectations – Unrealistic or unclear job expectations can lead to a high turnover rate among graduates. However, it can be avoided if you set clear expectations about the job from the get-go. Conduct a job analysis before writing a job description and clearly state the job responsibilities while making the job offer.
8. Try Fresher Jobs on Internshala – Fresher Jobs on Internshala is a recruitment platform dedicated to hiring freshers only. To make hiring easy for you, our AI-powered recommendation system will send you the best candidate profiles for your job opening. You can then invite these candidates to be a part of your recruitment process.
9. Look beyond top colleges – Even if top colleges are your first choice for hiring freshers, you should not neglect the pool of candidates from other colleges. With 2020 being a year of upskilling, graduates from any college will bring more to the table than ever before.
10. Optimise your careers page – Your career page is the platform to tell your story to prospective candidates and show them why they should work for you. The best part about this is that the narrative is totally under your control, unlike social media and third-party review sites, so why not make the most out of it? Here are some things that other companies are trying out to attract talent through their career pages:
I) Describe your company culture and the core values
II) Highlight your benefits
III) Mention employee stories or testimonials
IV) Include videos of ‘day in the life of’
V) Show how you are valuing diversity and inclusion
VI) Mention the interview process and how they can prepare
VII) Create landing pages for entry-level candidates
Source: KPMG
11. Deliver a great candidate experience – Regardless of whether you hire a candidate or not, make sure that they have a good experience throughout their journey with you. While it is simply the right way to treat your candidates, it can also do wonders for your recruitment process as candidates who have a good recruiting experience are more likely to refer your company to family and friends or reapply for future opportunities. This can help you build a talent pipeline and bolster your talent acquisition efforts.
12. Create a diverse and inclusive workplace – As per a Deloitte study, both Gen Z and Gen Y tend to be more engaged in diverse and inclusive workplaces. It goes on to show how much the youngest generations in the workforce care about diversity and inclusion. In addition to helping you recruit graduates, diversity and inclusion can come with several other advantages for your workplace such as more innovation, higher revenue, and increased retention.
13. Ensure a good onboarding experience – Make sure that you have a proper onboarding process in place for graduates. It can include regular catch-ups wherein both you and the new hire can share feedback, introductions to other teams, small tasks that give them a sense of accomplishment in the first few weeks, and discussion around culture values and the company’s mission. A good onboarding experience will ensure that they feel engaged with their work and company.
Image credits: <a href=’https://www.freepik.com/vectors/certificate’>Certificate vector created by pch.vector – www.freepik.com</a>
If you are looking for a job board to recruit graduates for your team, check out Fresher Jobs on Internshala.
