How has the recruitment process changed for graduates?

As we move through the academic year, many students are preparing to graduate and enter the world of work. These future workers will be entering into a working environment unlike any other we’ve experienced. The changes within these new working environments have accelerated over the past few years, mainly because of the impact of COVID-19. Although there are new behaviours starting to appear that will shape our future understanding of the norm.

As graduates are becoming more comfortable with digital and remote hiring techniques, we'll explore why digitalising your graduate recruitment processes will make your business more attractive to graduates and put you ahead of the competition.

Quite simply, they are used to it

To put it simply, any recent graduate will have had their studies impacted by COVID-19. For many, the preconceived ideas of university life were challenged as almost every University across the UK adopted some form of online lectures, workshops or digital exams. Students and graduates had to quickly adapt and become accustomed to these new systems, especially if they wanted to maintain high-performance across both assignments and exams.

The result of this is that many graduates have become confident using online meeting and assessment tools. With this newfound confidence and familiarity, graduates are in the perfect position to perform at their best in your business's digital recruitment campaigns.

It allows for more flexibility

Being a flexible employer is a big priority for many new graduates, with around 89% of employees considering flexible working to be a key motivator (CIPD, 2018) ^[1]. It shows that as an employer, you trust your graduates to do their job and respect the other priorities they may have in their lives. This flexibility should be instantly clear to a candidate, even before applying to one of your vacancies.

As many graduates are now searching for job roles that offer remote or hybrid working, your recruitment strategy must align with this. Remote or hybrid vacancies should utilise a recruitment strategy that supports similar conditions to the role itself. Employers must also be prepared for candidates to be asking questions that once felt taboo, such as the amount of paid time off, flexible working arrangements, and how the company helps employees avoid burnout.

They feel more comfortable

To get the best out of your recruitment process, you need to ensure that potential candidates are comfortable. Offering your prospects the choice to take part in video interviews or assessment centres remotely can go a long way in helping your business to attract top talent.

Remote interviews give graduate candidates opportunities to be flexible with their other commitments whilst simultaneously preparing themselves to conduct the task in the correct frame of mind. Because we all know that agitated or stressed candidates may not always live up to the potential you see in them, particularly during testing situations.  

For many graduates, being able to take part in a video interview or situational judgement test at a time or location that suits them is a big plus. It also makes your vacancy more attractive when compared to another that requires various in-person interviews.  

Digital assessment tools are free for graduates to use

The average debt among graduates in England, who completed their courses in 2021 was £45,000 (Parliament.uk, 2022) ^[2]. Therefore, it’s not difficult to understand why finances are a high priority when applying for a graduate role and any recruiter advertising a graduate vacancy, should keep this in mind.  

To give some perspective, around 21% of graduate applicants are likely to  pass up on applying for a role if it does not list salary information. In comparison, only 12% of graduates said they would not apply for a job based on a company's reputation (Smith, 2021) ^[3]. Whilst a good salary can be an attractive component of your recruitment campaign, graduates will also consider the theoretical cost of obtaining the role.  

As an example, if your company requires the candidate to attend multiple in-person interviews, they will likely have to pay for their travel and accommodation to attend. Offering online or digital interviews and assessment tools can help save candidates money whilst making your vacancy more desirable to applicants.

If you're looking for a practical way to implement effective digital assessment tools for your latest graduate recruitment drive, look no further than Tazio. We can help to design an all-in-one package that enables you to take control of your graduate recruitment strategy.

To learn more, get in touch with one of our friendly experts today.