Tips For Attracting And Hiring Recent College Graduates
A lot of companies look to recent college graduates as new hires. Recent grads can typically bring new, refreshing approaches to your projects and their knowledge surrounding your respective industry is fresh. However, you need to put in a little work to attract talented college graduates to your open positions. Here are some tips that will help.

4 Tips for Attracting and Hiring Recent College Graduates 

Benefits of Hiring Recent College Graduates

Although a recent college grad does not necessarily have the years of experience other candidates may have, there are plenty of benefits to hiring them. For instance, many recent graduates will have participated in volunteer opportunities and internships. They may have also been involved in leadership programs. All of this gives them some of the skills they need to be successful in the workplace.

On top of that, recent graduates are also usually ambitious and enthusiastic about their new jobs. They want to make a good impression with their new employer and they want to succeed at the job they are given to do. Employees who recently graduated from college are also more tech-savvy than older candidates. Nearly 75% of recent grads have taken some kind of coding or computer science courses. This expands the knowledge your team has under its belt.

You may find that recent grads are more willing to learn on the job, meaning you can continue to develop the talent on your team. Hiring recent graduates will also help you create a more diverse workspace. Businesses that have a more diverse workforce are 35% more likely to be financially successful. So, how do you attract college graduates to apply to your open positions?

Use Social Media

First and foremost, you should be using social media in your recruiting processes. Social media is a great way to get in touch with potential candidates, especially if you are interested in a younger market. Your organization should establish recruiting-focused social media pages on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Be sure to highlight the entry-level positions available within your company here to attract more recent grads.

Each social media channel also has special tools you can use to make your search more streamlined. Facebook, for instance, allows you to use a graph function to organize potential candidates by their education and skills. LinkedIn utilizes keywords in your job posting to put it in front of the right crowd. You can also post your job to certain alumni pages and university pages on LinkedIn. While Twitter limits the number of characters you can share, you can create video content to let potential candidates learn more about what your organization has to offer.

Personalize Your Interactions

Another way you can attract talented college graduated to apply to open positions with your company is by personalizing each interaction. Mobile recruiting has gained some steam in recent years. About 86% of recent college grads have positive thoughts surrounding text messages during the hiring process. You can use mobile recruiting to personalize the process more and keep them in the loop about new positions opening up with your company.

You can personalize your information to cater to recent graduates as well. Many organizations have put time into establishing career pages geared towards college grads. You can use this webpage to highlight alumni hires and experiences that other recent graduates have had. Utilize keywords to help recruiters and recent grads find the page with ease. It is also a good idea to implement some type of employer messaging on these pages to engage potential candidates as well.

Build Relationships With People On Campus

Having a relationship with people on campus will help you potentially establish relationships with upcoming graduates as well. Start by reaching out to the college’s career center. When you begin communicating with the career center, be sure to outline what your organization can offer the university. After you have established that relationship, you can begin getting involved in events on campus that are directly related to recruiting.

You may even consider sponsoring an event to gain more visibility. Sponsorship or hosting activities or events on campus can greatly help with the number of graduates interested in pursuing your company for employment. You should also try to engage in as many networking events on campus as you can. Other good ideas for attracting talented college grads include having on-site visits available to give people a chance to check out the work environment. You should also have current employees who were graduates of the university become ambassadors on campus.

Engage With Potential Applicants at College Career Fairs

Another on-campus activity you should look into is college career fairs. These events can be a great opportunity for current students to learn more about your organization. Put together a good team of employees to represent your company at each job fair. Be sure the team is diverse and truly represents the company culture.

Then, create a system for following up with students who showed interest in your organization. This could be through targeted emails or text messages. You should also provide students with a way to continue to engage with your company after the job fair has ended. Have an easy way for them to get contact information and links to career pages.

Looking to Hire Recent Graduates? We Can Help!

Staffing agencies are plugged into local colleges and have access to recent grads. Their recruiters can put you in touch with potential applicants who fit your needs. Ask Burnett Specialists for help finding talented college graduates to add to your team.

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