4 Tips for Hiring Recent College Grads

With summer around the corner, a new group of college graduates will be looking to join the workforce. Here are four tips for making informed hiring decisions:

1. Talk to local professors

If your company is facing a skills gap and your hiring team is looking for educated candidates, consider reaching out to local professors. You can ask them if they know of any students that have shown strong work ethic and topical knowledge related to your industry. This strategy works whether you’re looking for interns or new hires.

Professors may also be able to speak about student’s soft skills like written communication or collaboration. They’ve likely seen presentations and projects from the students, so they’ll be able to tell you about how they might fit into a corporate environment.

2. Create career road maps for every position

Coming from college, students are used to making progress in their studies and they’ll want to find a parallel in their work life. If your job openings look like dead ends to candidates, recent grads may pass them over for positions that can offer a clearer path forward.

HR leaders should sit down with department stakeholders to assess job descriptions and plan out potential career paths. This strategy has the extra benefit of supporting future hiring goals. When a higher-level position opens up, stakeholders will have a clear idea of where to draw candidates from internally.

3. Use content to show off your culture

Hiring managers can take a page out of the marketing department’s handbook by using content to visualize what it’s like to work for your company. Videos, brochures, social media posts and blogs can offer a window into your office. This transparency can help potential candidates decide if they’d be a good fit for your culture.

As a result, you may see an increase in the number of candidates who click with your existing culture. If there’s no information available about your company, you could end up with candidates who are technically qualified, but wouldn’t be a good fit for your office.

4. Streamline your application process

According to a report from Marketing Charts, 95% of people who have a negative customer service experience will tell others about it. At a basic level, customer service and hiring practices are very similar, and this data reveals that negative interactions with the public can lead to a drop in your brand’s reputation.

Auditing your company’s hiring process for roadblocks like accessibility issues, cumbersome forms and opaque communication channels will show you opportunities for improvement. For example, application software that can import a candidates LinkedIn profile can speed up the process and lead to a higher number of qualified candidates.

Takeaways

• Speak with local education leaders to learn about promising job candidates.
• Develop road maps for employee advancement within your organization.
• Help candidates visualize what it would be like to work for your company.
• Audit your hiring process for roadblocks that prevent qualified candidates from applying.

As the spring semester comes to an end, hiring managers can expect to see a fresh crop of resumes from recent college graduates. These candidates will expect intuitive applications and transparent hiring procedures. For more tips on optimizing your hiring process, check out a free demonstration of JazzHR today.