Get your selection right from the onset and give the graduates important tasks
There are few important things that are critical to the success of any organisation, and one of those is graduate recruitment. Finding valuable employees, who may become dedicated to your organisation, requires some knowledge and a bit of planning. Graduate recruitment gives business managers the opportunities to enlist potential workers with special skills and knowledge that can further grow the organisation in both the short, medium and long term.
Graduate training programmes are a way of bridging the gap for people with impressive academic ability but little or no work experience. They ease candidates into the world of work and give them the skills necessary to become part of the larger team. Programmes last for periods varying from six months to years, offering students the opportunity to experience several different areas of business before choosing a final career path within the company.
But the process of finding candidates is not as simple as one might expect. It is important to know how and where to go about finding the best candidates. Graduate recruitment is not a process that flows in one direction, for while potential candidates are being evaluated, they may also be savvy enough to evaluate your organisation to determine whether it is a suitable place to work, with a compatible environment or a culture with which they can identify or adapt.
A graduate is a different breed of an employee who has a few years experience under their belt. They're ambitious, carry little baggage and are eager to impress in their first role. However, they also think very highly of their knowledge and skills so will require an attractive package to entice them to your company.
Many graduates will have had some modicum of work experience, whether they interned at a competitor's firm or had a temp job as a waitron while they were studying. They will already have some idea of what they like and do not like within the world of work and will be able to evaluate the programme based on how it compares to the limited experience they have had. Employers should, therefore, remember that a new graduate is not just a worker that is being added to the company, but an asset with advanced skills that can be used to help the business grow. It's not only about money and a big brand name on their business card for career-savvy graduates. The opportunity for interesting and varied work is just as important to people at this stage in their careers so it is important to ensure that the programme keeps graduates stimulated.
There is also a high regard given to benefits such as health insurance, flexible working or holiday allowances and you can use these as sweeteners to make your offer stand out from the competition. The key is to offer something that you can realistically provide that will allow graduates to put their newly acquired qualifications into practice.
