Gen Z is increasingly becoming a substantial part of the workforce, with a fresh group of new college graduates looking to launch their careers every year. As an employer, it’s common to have concerns about bringing new grads on board, as many have little to no direct experience in your industry or the field related to the role.
However, today’s recent college graduates bring far more to the table than employers usually expect. As a result, they’re an excellent segment of the workforce to target when recruiting. Here’s a look at the benefits of hiring recent college graduates.
The Value in Hiring Today’s Recent College Graduates
Candidates with Potential
Recent college graduates are often brimming with professional potential. Most know they’ve still got a lot to learn about their fields, so they’re open to any guidance an employer may provide. Plus, since they’ve only recently completed their education, most know exactly what it takes to learn efficiently and grow. As a result, they’re often primed to make relatively large strides in fairly short order.
Expanded Talent Pool
In many cases, focusing on recent college graduates expands your talent pool far more than you’d expect. It’s not uncommon for employers to concentrate on candidates with job experience, even when they’re filling entry-level positions. As a result, many companies either overlook or outright discard new grads.
The attitude other employers may take about recent college grads works in your favor. There’s less competition for top-level talent among new graduates, and that can broaden your talent pool dramatically. Plus, recruiting them may be easier since there aren’t as many doors open to them, which can incidentally shorten your time-to-hire.
Highly Enthusiastic
New college graduates are focused on getting their careers off the ground. After all, they committed several years to their education, and they want to make sure that effort pays off in the form of a career-launching position.
Often, that enthusiasm becomes relevant in a few ways. Along with making them excited about your job opportunities, it usually means they’re striving to impress from the first day they begin in a new role. Their passion is typically evident, and most work diligently to show you that taking a risk on them was worth it. As a result, they can be surprisingly productive and incredibly open to any feedback or guidance that’s given.
Expecting Entry-Level
When you need to fill an entry-level position in your organization, recent college grads are often one of the best groups to target. While other professionals with some – but not a lot – of experience may apply, those candidates may have expectations beyond what an entry-level job typically offers. As a result, they may be reluctant to accept a job offer within the pay range you’re able to support or might become dissatisfied with the duties quicker than you hoped.
With new grads, the situation is different. They understand that they need an entry-level position to get their career started, and most are reasonably aware of what these jobs will or won’t offer. As a result, they’re often more flexible about compensation and duties, particularly if chances to learn and grow are part of the equation.
Tech-Savviness
As with Millennials before them, Gen Z (which makes up the bulk of recent college graduates) are digital natives. Technology has been a part of their everyday lives since childhood, making them extremely comfortable with a wide array of devices and applications. As a result, most don’t shy away from learning new technologies, and most can get a grip on them in far less time than you may expect.
Additionally, Gen Z members can potentially help others learn the various technologies since their familiarity gives them an advantage. As a result, adding a new grad to an existing team with many generations represented within it can be a boon, particularly for those who are less comfortable with tech and could use support.
Fresh Perspectives
During college, many students are exposed to emerging technologies, new concepts, and developing theories that may not end up on the radar of seasoned professionals. As a result, recent grads are an excellent resource when you need a fresh perspective, as they may be familiar with ideas that aren’t as commonly discussed outside of academic settings.
No Bad Habits
Once a professional starts working in their field, they typically develop habits based on their previous work experience. In some cases, those routines don’t translate well into a new environment. As a result, the new employer has to spend time breaking down those habits before they can expect the employee to use processes that their company prefers.
By hiring new college graduates, there aren’t any bad habits that need breaking. Instead, your company is the grad’s first work experience in the field, so your processes and preferences inherently serve as the foundation of any habits they form. Since that’s the case, they may adopt your procedures faster, making achieving full productivity in a shorter timeframe easier.
Age Diversity
You’re incorporating the newest working generation into your team by bringing recent Gen Z college graduates on board. This can enhance age diversity, and that comes with a variety of benefits.
Gen Z grads understand what’s appealing to younger adults, which can help ensure that any products or services developed by the company consider the needs of that group. Additionally, it can lead to valuable insights when it comes to marketing, company culture development, recruitment, and more, ensuring that the organization uses the right approach to connect with Gen Z.
Do You Need Top Talent for Your Open Jobs? Burnett Specialists Is Here to Help!
Whether you’re looking to hire recent college graduates or need seasoned professionals to fill your vacant positions, having access to skilled recruiters makes it easier. At Burnett Specialists, we know how to locate and engage with candidates of all skill levels, allowing us to reliably deliver exceptional results. Additionally, our recruitment strategy streamlines hiring processes, boosting candidate engagement and speeding up recruitment timelines.
If you need top-quality professionals or new grads for your open jobs, the experienced team at Burnett Specialists can help you find right-fit candidates quickly and efficiently. Request more information to see how the team at Burnett Specialists can help your organization achieve hiring success.
