With competition for talented graduates at an all-time high, it is up to companies to ensure that they are doing all they can to engage, connect and interact with young jobseekers, otherwise there is a risk that they can fall behind in their market.
New research, conducted by Magnet.me, has found that businesses looking to recruit graduates are failing to connect properly with them by sending out generic, mass messages. This has resulted in firms receiving lots of irrelevant applications, from those without the necessary skills.
For companies, this is leading to blurred and confused decision making, a negative impact on the employer brand and higher costs for the recruitment process as it lasts longer due to the increased number of applications.
If recruited well and given the right amount of support, many graduates possess the raw talent which can be used to shape them into focused and valuable employees who can make a long term contribution to the development of the company.
Operate with a focused approach
The same research also found that graduates are only aware of 27% of the opportunities that are available to them. This shows that employers are not interacting with graduates in the right way, which is making it increasingly difficult to find the right talent.
If companies can interact with a more focused approach, by using specialised job boards, improving job descriptions, and by implementing social media, then they will have a much better chance at finding the right candidate for the position.
Send a unique message
With many different companies looking to hire talented graduates, it can seem impossible to send a message that has never been heard before. However, given that young people are struggling to find their way through generic company messaging to find their way to the right job, it is absolutely essential to stand out.
Portraying the company’s culture, work ethic and values, alongside in-depth insight into their industry can all be great steps forward. Each business will have its own way of doing things, and it’s important that company correspondence reflects that. Authentic story telling is much more likely to attract the attention of a talented graduate than a generic insight into the organisation.
If organisations are going to send a more unique message, then they need a greater understanding of what type of person they are looking for and what skills and attributes are required to fill the role. Being vague may attract a greater number of applications, but being specific about the position and its requirements can make it a lot easier for a firm to find the right candidate, saving both time and money.
If you’re an employer looking to attract the best graduate talent, find out how Discovery Graduates can help.
