As thousands of graduates finally wrench themselves away from their student life at university; pick up their degrees and turn their attention to a life of work – there are lots of opportunities for businesses to take advantage of this influx of new, fresh talent into the jobs market.
Graduates invariably arrive in a business with little or no baggage – they have no pre-conceived ideas about how things should be. They can provide an enthusiastic and positive outlook to any business, if nurtured in the right way.
There is a desire to learn and discover new things but the workplace can be a big cultural shock to graduates, who have been more used to fewer constraints and more freedom. Office protocols can be challenging!
The younger generation have grown up in a digital world, embracing modern communications including social media. They are comfortable working online and embracing new opportunities. That knowledge can be invaluable to your business.
What the best graduates do
But the best graduates, are the ones who have a life story to tell. Faced with a handful of graduates to interview – what should you be looking for in your business? The starting point is to look for those who feel comfortable, confident and relaxed talking about their lives.
People who have got a cv with a range of part time jobs scattered throughout their lives since leaving school clearly have an appetite for work and a strong sense of independence.
Many companies will view Gap Years as holidays taken by lazy individuals who couldn’t be bothered to crack on with their studies. More enlightened businesses will explore what the individual did with that Gap Year to understand their motivation, exploring what they had learned from the experience.
Someone who has travelled extensively by themselves clearly has lots of confidence and wherewithal. Have they volunteered? Have they worked on their travels? Have they made new contacts? Has the experience shaped their view of the world? Has it matured them?
Our enhanced recruitment service
At Anne Corder Recruitment we run an enhanced graduate recruitment service, offering graduates access to expert advice from our recruitment partners; psychometric testing to highlight specialist skills and work style traits, insight into the jobs market in Peterborough; relevant skills assessments and training where upskilling is required, plus cv appraisal.
Acquiring a degree is excellent. But that in itself does not mean a passport to employment for today’s graduates. Employers should be looking for much more than that. It is the: What else have you done? question that will invariably lead you down the right path to finding the right graduate for your business.
