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Attracting Graduate Talent in a Tough Climate
As we enter the peak graduate recruitment season we are re-posting our top tips for securing a graduate from the class of '22.
Your job ad is competing with hundreds, and probably thousands, of others. Employment is at an all time high, skills shortages abound, and lots of potential candidates don’t feel secure enough to make the jump to a new job. Record numbers of graduates have opted for postgrad study and others are re-evaluating their life goals after two years of pandemic restrictions.
Many employers are reporting challenges with recruitment, and whilst we can’t wave a magic wand, we strongly recommend the following:
#1. Allow plenty of time for recruitment
We are finding that roles will fill, but much more slowly than before. Allow a minimum of 6 weeks to advertise your vacancy - and be prepared to extend if you need to. We offer 4 weeks as standard and will always extend free of charge on request.
#2. Offer hybrid working
Graduates used to look for salary, location and career progression. Now they look for hybrid working. Nearly every company offers this nowadays but it’s important to make it explicit in the job advert.
#3. Define the salary
Graduates are put off applying for roles that don’t state the salary - or at least the salary range. Rightly or wrongly “competitive” or “available on application” translates to candidates as rubbish pay and significantly decreases the number of applications.
#4. Allow candidates to apply direct
Sending candidates to your website to apply makes sense. But for reasons we don’t fully understand, it deters candidates from making an application. We appreciate that standard application forms are excellent for collecting the information you need in a consistent format, but in the current climate, to maximise applications, you may need to consider accepting CVs direct from the recruitment website.
These tips are written for recruitment in today’s climate. For more general advert tips, please see Creating Your Job Advert in our Graduate Recruitment Guide.
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