Innovative Ways to Attract Graduates

Every summer a new class of graduates hit the job market, eager to impress and start their careers. Top graduates are a valuable commodity in today’s ultra-competitive job market, offering digitally-savvy skills and first-job eagerness that can be worth just as much to a business as years of experience and knowledge in the field.

Having an attractive graduate proposition can be a great way to get the brightest young talent through the door. However, with such strong competition to secure the top talent, you need to know how to recruit graduates in the best possible way.

Here are a few innovative tips and tricks to consider when trying to entice top graduate talent to your organisation.

Foster a range of skills

Graduates are eager to learn and develop a range of skills that they can use throughout their career. Putting together a graduate scheme that nurtures different talents and introduces new hires to a variety of business areas is a great way to engage candidates.

Few people want to be restricted to unchallenging admin tasks, so showcase how you’ll challenge your hires by exposing them to various business roles – whether that’s hitting the phones to hunt down new leads or trying their hand at client-facing presentations. Not only will you be aiding their personal development, you may uncover a few hidden talents in the process.

Be clear about your ethos

In today’s world, your business image is more important than ever. Many jobseekers, millennials especially, are keen to work for businesses that innovate, push boundaries and work towards a higher cause. Having a clear ethos, giving back to the community and valuing staff members and the local area are all important factors that many graduates will consider when hunting for new roles. Set yourself up for success by having a clear and defined message and strategy when it comes to your business purpose.

Look at the competition

It’s important that businesses move with the times, from installing the latest IT equipment to evolving and innovating lead generation processes. The same maxim applies to attracting graduates.

A fine balance between work and life is increasingly important to millennial jobseekers in today’s fast-paced economy. Putting together a hiring offer that reflects this can help you attract, and keep, the top young talent on the market. Graduates are looking for businesses that will support them, as much as businesses are chasing hires that will improve and innovate their practices.

Perks such as flexible working hours, a supportive pension scheme and a strong social environment are part of an overall offering that can prove a deciding factor when graduates are mulling over multiple offers.

Incentivise location

Rising rental prices have been well documented in the nation’s media recently. In fact, such inflated costs may have contributed to a fall in the number of young graduates willing to relocate in recent years. Though it’s likely to be a big financial consideration for most SMEs, making relocating for a graduate job a lot easier can be a factor that sets you apart when trying to attract top talent from across the nation.

Financial incentives through higher wage offerings can help, but the benefits don’t always have to have a monetary focus – more time to move before a start date can help with a smoother transition. By considering such perks as part of your recruitment process, you can open yourself up to a much wider pool of talent than may be available in your local area.

Attracting the brightest graduate talent can help reinvigorate your business, bringing fresh ideas and a new outlook to the table. Pareto can help with sourcing the best young talent and finding those new graduates with the ability to shape the future for your organisation. Pareto graduates are well-placed to make an immediate impact in a business role, matching enthusiasm and eagerness with the transferable digital and personal skills to succeed in a dynamic, target-driven working environment.

Realise the potential of your team with a Pareto graduate

Due to a rigorous selection process and training scheme, Pareto graduates are well-equipped to hit the ground running when it comes to business ROI. 93% of our delegates have reported significant improvements in their sales performance after undertaking one of our training courses focussed on improving productivity and ROI – skills that could help you reinvigorate and realise the potential of your own sales team.

 If you require further information, guidance or assistance with Graduate recruitment, we'd love to help. Contact a member of the UK's largest assessment and training provider here.