Nowadays most major organisations have an established annual intake process for hiring graduates from the ‘milk round’, often involving an assessment day, group exercises and/or team-building challenges in addition to a formal interview and HR onboarding etc.
But 85% of the UK economy is now represented by SMEs and smaller (micro) businesses. How do they approach the challenge of recruiting a fresh graduate?
Here is some basic guidance which may be helpful to you:
1 Leverage university resources. Partner with your local university and look to connect with their career service for free assistance. They will promote and advertise your vacancy and target your preferred audience.
2. Time your recruitment Targeting fresh graduates usually means hiring between June and September although the search and engagement process (advertising the role and pre-interviewing) often now begins as early as February or March. Don’t leave it too late!
3. Accurately define the role. Identifying the key tasks and responsibilities is critical for attracting the right calibre of candidate. Think about the knowledge, skills and experience you require. Seek examples and validation of suitability during the interview process (the candidate’s degree modules and dissertation?). Also think about how much responsibility you want the give the incumbent from the start. Some graduates are more ambitious and assertive than others. Some need to feel their career is progressing virtually as soon as it commences. Ensure the job title and job descriptions are written accurately as these are the key details they will pick up on.
4. Sell your company and the proposition – not just the role. Of course most students want to jump straight into work immediately they graduate, to earn a full-time income and start paying off that loan! But they are also savvy enough to know it’s not just about that first pay packet. They have studied for 3 or 4 years with a longer-term future in mind. So emphasise the wider benefits of the job and the company’s culture and ethos. Don’t forget to provide your fresh graduates with personal development, training and a career path. You will find that in return they reward you with loyalty and enthusiasm.
5. Offer competitive compensation. Research market rates and ensure the salary you are offering is competitive to attract top talent. Avoid unpaid internships – they are more appropriate for school-leavers or non-graduates. Any student who has worked hard and acquired significant debt to obtain a degree will not be impressed by – or ultimately loyal to – an employer who wants them to work unpaid.
6. Think laterally – be open to different degree subjects. In professional marketing the most prevalent degree qualifications these days are Marketing, Business Studies, Management and Digital Media. Meanwhile Communications, Public Relations and social sciences (especially English) are still the most common entry subjects into PR or corporate communications. But we are seeing a growing number of clients and hiring companies who rely less on the degree subject and more on personality profiling, attitude, wider ‘life skills’ and a candidate’s culture-fit. So think about the transferable skills you require and perhaps consider candidates with those core abilities allied to a positive attitude and personality, regardless of their degree subject.
7. Plan for employees who want to work from the office. Post-pandemic there was a huge shift to flexible hours and work-from-home which suited many millions of people. But statistics show that since early 2023 the trend has reversed, with employers – and many employees -preferring to return to the office. Companies are incentivising staff to come back.
For new graduates who have just come from a highly social and collaborative environment at university it can be very difficult to work from home, alone, in their first job. Many (most?) would prefer to be with and around people, learning from colleagues and developing their career skills.
So it is a good idea to specify your company’s location and accessibility (transport links etc). Make it clear you require office attendance and avoid building up expectations of long-term WFH. You need to concentrate the graduate’s mind. It will test how much they really want to work for you.
8. Promote work-life balance. Showcase company culture, highlight the company’s social activities and work-life balance initiatives. Offer meaningful benefits which may include, for example, free gym membership or perhaps an extra day’s holiday for their birthday. Funded or part-funded vocational qualifications (for marketers that means typically a CIM Professional Diploma, Digital Diploma or Certificate) are a great idea if your graduate has come from a different degree, because they benefit the employee AND their employer. It will secure them for your company for a year or two. But a post-grad’ in-job qualification should not be imposed on anybody and only supported if the employee really wants to do it.
9. Keep the application process simple. Depending on the role it’s often a good idea to just request CV and a cover letter. Focus on these essential documents for initial assessment. In particular, try to assess if the candidate has actually applied for your job or, instead, just sent you a spam application. Have they bothered to tailor the covering letter to your opportunity? Have they taken the trouble to highlight reasons you should invite them to interview?
Avoid unnecessary extra details in the first instance – those can always come at shortlist stage if you need a further insight before making a decision.
10. … and don’t hesitate! As an SME you have an advantage when hiring a graduate, compared to a large employer, because you will most likely have to negotiate far less internal red tape and bureaucracy in your hiring process. So ensure you take advantage of this flexibility. Good graduates will not be unemployed for long, so move quickly to beat the competition.
