Attracting top graduate talent for your sales team

Graduates don’t have the same experience as senior sales executives. But, there are a variety of benefits to hiring graduate talent. They are enthusiastic, productive and tech-savvy. And due to their experience, they are cost-effective. Because of this, graduates can make a fantastic addition to your sales team. 

Of course, you need to hire top graduate talent for the best results. But, with those in this group showing the most potential, competition for talent is fierce. Below you will find a variety of steps you can take to stand out as a company and attract top graduate talent. 

Competitive salary and commission structure

Having left university, graduates are looking for great opportunities to start their careers. Many will begin the job-hunting process and try to build on the skills they gained at university. 

Part of this process, which is inescapable, is the salary. A variety of other factors contribute to how attractive a company is. Yet, you can’t escape the importance of receiving a competitive salary. In fact, in a recent poll, we found that fair pay was the biggest motivator for Gen Z respondents. 

It’s worth including the salary in the job description. Otherwise, there’s the risk that top graduate talent won’t apply. After all, job applications can be a time-consuming process. Top graduate talent will feel they can save time and apply for jobs which mention the salary.

Graduates are entering the workforce for the first time. But, they're doing this during economic uncertainty and a cost-of-living crisis. So, an excellent commission structure will go a long way in attracting top graduate talent. 

Build good relationships

Everyone wants to feel like they fit in, in the workplace. And how your employees feel at work will reflect their opinions of your company. Comfortable employees will be more confident and motivated at work. And they will recommend working for your company as a result. Remember, both past and present employees can dictate your company's reputation. So, it’s important to maintain a culture that’s accepting of everyone. 

Building strong relationships is key to attracting top graduate talent. Your company might run internships or work placements for university students. The impression you leave on these students can make a big impact. Students quite often have large social networks. As a result, it’s important to build strong relationships with these employees. Because, if one of your employees has a good experience, they will rave about your company to their peers. 

Promote benefits 

Providing an exciting benefits package is another way to attract top talent. Students often have extensive social lives. They might have been part of clubs and societies during their time at university. So, when they graduate, they will want to maintain a similar social life. That means hosting a variety of team-building activities throughout the year. This could be company incentive days or evenings out with the team. Either way, these events allow your sales team to bond, creating a fun environment to work in. 

You might be offering a similar salary and commission structure to your competitors. If you are, then you may lose top talent to competitors, who are providing better benefits. Some graduates will expect a generous annual leave allocation. But, others might want the opportunity to work from home at times. Remember, to attract top talent, you need to offer the benefits that graduates want.  

Be active on social media

Gen Z has been using social media for much of their lives now. They use these platforms to communicate, network, and catch up on the latest news. Many graduates are part of Gen Z and are entering the working world for the first time. Gen Z will make up around 30% of the workforce by 2030. Because of this, it’s wise to adapt your methods of communication to include social media.  

LinkedIn and Twitter are the obvious places you can engage with graduates. Here, you can post your blogs and feature pieces on outstanding employees. But, there are other platforms like Instagram and TikTok, which allow you to think outside the box. These interactive spaces mean you can show what your sales team get up to daily. 

Social media allows you to provide insight into what it’s like to work for your company. And this will attract top graduate talent to your sales team.  

Career development

Top graduate talent isn’t just looking for a job, they want to build a long-term career. That means aside from a good salary and benefits, you need to provide an enticing career path. It’s important to have a plan for graduate talent. What can they expect to learn within the first two years of their careers? And what will their responsibilities look like after five years with your company? You should aim to provide well-thought-out answers to these questions. This is what will give clarity to those concerned about their career trajectory. 

You should also outline the learning opportunities graduates will receive. And detail how you are best suited to support them through the challenges they are likely to face. To make more of an impact on graduates, you can provide examples of their potential career paths. You can highlight your senior employees who joined your company as graduates. You can write their stories into case studies, which can prove to be a useful marketing tool.

Diversity and inclusion

People graduating from university are forward thinkers. As a result, young people care about diversity and inclusion more than ever. In fact, younger generations often won’t buy from companies that don’t share the same values as them. And they maintain the same attitudes for the companies they choose to work for. Top graduate talent is likely to have interest elsewhere. So, to ensure they choose you, you should be clear on your company’s values. 

Having a diversity and inclusion policy is a good place to start. This should show you maintain a safe and inclusive space for your employees. This approach also attracts more people from diverse backgrounds to your company. With this, your sales team will be more diverse, which can lead to higher rates of productivity.

If you need help finding top graduate talent we can help. We have over 25 years of experience in graduate sales recruitment. Take a look at our website to find out how we can find top graduate talent for your sales team.