Ah, graduation day. Once all the mortarboards have all fallen to the ground, there’s a new challenge ahead of these recent grads: Finding what is possibly their first real-world job. Recent college graduates apply to more entry-level positions on LinkedIn in June than any other month.
If your HR department would love to have these fresh faces join your business, you’re not alone–83% of senior managers plan to hire people right out of college, according to a recent Robert Half study. At the same time, a March study found that grads are receiving fewer job offers.
The Wall Street Journal is also sending new grads a mixed message: Although Gen Zers are entering a great job market, much to the chagrin of some millennials that preceded them, they still shouldn’t expect their first job to be a cakewalk. While “entry-level” has always been somewhat a point of contention (with employers asking for a few years of experience and grads wondering how they can get the experience without an opportunity), they warn that entry-level jobs come with higher expectations.
Before going on the hunt for bright-eyed grads, there are a few things to consider, both from their point of view of what it means to be an attractive employer as well as how you can optimize your recruitment process.
Why you should rethink your approach
Although new grads may have had jobs here and there, chances are this is the first time they are seeking full-time employment. Even considering new grads’ low level of experience, however, it’s a tough job market for employers. This explains why many are taking the opportunity to seek careers in sectors like the arts and social services instead of business and finance.
Grads also know they’ve got a lot of opportunities on the horizon. For one thing, some Gen Zers show less commitment during the recruitment process and even once onboarded may be prone to quitting or ghosting if they are offered a better opportunity elsewhere–or find that the job requirements or company culture were different than advertised.
Our tips for creating a company culture and motivational system that results in increased retention apply here too!–with the additional caution that, because you may be providing grads’ first job experiences, it’s particularly important to ensure a positive process.
Be transparent in the job description
Transparency in your job ad and hiring process are key when recruiting candidates of all ages and experience levels. When it comes to new grads with a clean employment slate, however, the job ad should be written clearly enough for them to be able to match their degree, skills, and competencies to your requirements. In the long run, this will reduce time and confusion for both applicant and employer.
Managers say that attracting qualified candidates is their top hiring hurdle. When writing a job ad, you’ll want to spend more time thinking through and distinguishing non-negotiable credentials from the bonuses or “nice to have” ones. HR Dive finds that this is one of the biggest difficulties recruiters struggle with in addition to identifying necessary interpersonal and soft skills.
Although it takes more time at the outset, being clear about this will pay off. You’ll spend less time interviewing grads who don’t have the required degree or haven’t developed the essential soft skills (read on for more on this), and grads are more likely to come away with a positive experience even if they aren’t ultimately offered the job. That way, you can keep them in your talent pipeline for the future.
Do this by including straightforward details about the specific responsibilities and explicit skills needed. Avoid vague language and industry slang or buzzwords new grads may not be familiar with. Bonus points if you direct readers of the job ad to social media channels and other resources to learn more about your company culture.
Anticipate different expectations in the hiring process
Gen Z has different expectations for the hiring process than millennials or older generations do. While pre-hire assessments are becoming more common according to ThriveMap, employers aren’t optimizing them to compete successfully for the best talent.
For one thing, 71% of candidates don’t object to pre-hire assessments that are directly relevant to the job opening; however, they dislike long and irrelevant assessments. 47% dislike assessments because the process takes too long, 37% because it wasn’t made clear enough why they were taking the assessment, and 30% because the assessment didn’t relate to the job they applied to.
Gen Z has grown up in a world where personalization is increasingly common. They prefer face-to-face interactions with recruiters, and employers that focus on this–rather than a long online process or irrelevant assessments–are more likely to learn their attention. Accordingly, these new grads’ experience with recruiters is a significant deciding factor in whether they ultimately accept a job they are offered.
Take a wide view of tech skills
As tech becomes a bigger player in every sector, including how HR is increasingly leaning towards AI integration and automation, some believe that every company should consider themselves a tech company.
A unicorn–in this case, a new grad that comes pre-loaded with one to two years of work experience–is difficult or impossible to find. However, Gen Zers tend to be altogether more well-versed in computer technology. This is reflected in the 2018 Forbes list of industries that hired the highest percentages of new grads. The largest by far was Information Services at 60% (closely followed by Administrative Services at 49% and Wholesale Trade at 46%).
Overall, new grads bring previously unseen levels of tech skills to the table that can contribute to the success of your company in the modern era. LinkedIn has published findings that graduating Gen Zers are well-prepared for employment, having invested themselves in learning tech-related skills like data and artificial intelligence. According to these findings, their top five tech skills are data visualization, data modeling, Python, web analytics and databases.
Focus on diversity and inclusion
Not only are new grads growing up in an increasingly techie world, they’re also growing up in an increasingly culturally diverse reality. A larger percentage of new grads will come to the table embracing intersectional identities that define their experiences in and outside of work. Young people generally are much more likely to support companies that hire diverse employees (pertaining to ethnicity, gender, nationality, age, disability, sexual orientation, education, religion and more).
Here are just two ways diversity is good for business (and self-perpetuating!): It increases the diversity of ideas being thrown around your company and attracts a community of fresh, young, and diverse applicants. There are many ways you can work to share how diversity shapes your business. Show off mentoring or inclusion opportunities if you offer them. Above all, make it clear that you welcome diversity of identity and thought in recruiting and otherwise.
Rethink soft skills
New grads may not have the years of experience you’d prefer, but instead of considering what isn’t there, consider what is–namely, soft skills and capabilities coming from the experience they do have.
91% of talent professionals in LinkedIn’s Global Talent Trends 2019 report agree that soft skills are very important to the future of recruiting and HR. According to a poll of the most in-demand soft skills on employers’ “wish lists,” topping the list are listening skills (74%); attention to detail and attentiveness (70%); effective communication (69%); critical thinking (67%); interpersonal skills (65%); and active learning/learning new skills (65%). It would be a great idea to focus pre-hire assessments on your desired soft skills for maximum impact and relevance. (Bonus reading: Don’t assume that soft skills are universally understood! Schooling yourself on this will help you measure them most effectively.)
It may also be useful to think of candidates from talent rather than skill level: “Talent is a more sustainable recruitment practice because candidates can learn new skills and be successful for the long-term.”
Need a little help finding a fresh new graduate for your vacancy?
Check out our Finder’s Fee Program
Gone are the days when new grads were a shoo-in! You’re likely facing high competition for the fresh new faces of this year, including candidates with in-demand tech and soft skills.
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Reach out to a TDG representative today!