Fresh Graduates enter the workforce year after year: interns and fresh graduates, young talents who just finished their studies and are entering the workplace for the first time. They are valued enough by some organizations to be given priority when hiring them. Others prefer candidates who have at least one year of experience.
No matter what, new graduates pose challenges when it comes to hiring and retaining employees. They are hard to distinguish. Their technical skill sets are largely similar. They can be distinguished by their academic performance, which is not always a good indicator of work performance. Most of their professional skills will be basic. Their non-academic skills are largely rudimentary. How can recruiters and hiring managers make the right choice among this vast array of candidates?
They can be assessed by their soft skills and cultural fit
Recruitment professionals, HR leaders, and hiring managers all agree that it is important to be more open-minded when evaluating graduate candidates, even if they don't have professional experience. Three areas can be used to determine if someone is a good candidate: culture fit, soft skills, and potential growth.
First, candidates' non-academic performance can be assessed. This includes volunteering, co-curricular activities, and involvement in extra-curricular activities. These are opportunities for candidates who have demonstrated communication, teamwork, and leadership skills.
Second, interviewers can gain a better understanding of the candidates' attitudes and behavioral characteristics by asking them situational questions. You should look for the ability to work well with others, a willingness to learn, adaptability to different environments, flexibility when circumstances change, and a good sense of judgment. These are all important characteristics that will determine if the candidate is a good fit for the organization's culture.
These are the ones you should consider
Fresh graduates won't have any track records of past workplace performance so it is better to assess their potential to perform in the role, the group, or the organization as a whole.
KC Wai is the Head of People at Deliveroo Hong Kong. He told People Matters that he considers these factors: "Can the candidates assume the role independently or rise up the ranks? Would you be willing to have a drink with this person after work? Work is no longer purely transactional or individualistic to me. It is important to consider the potential for teamwork in applicants and not just the hours they work.
The hiring manager must forecast how the candidate will do in six months. This requires that HR leaders have a system and structure for career development. They should also be able to adjust expectations and benchmarks to accommodate candidates without previous work experience.
Training them in workplace norms
Managers and HR leaders need to be aware that a new graduate entering the workforce for the first time is likely to not know the norms of the workplace and may not be able to assess whether the environment, interactions with other employees, or their performance are normal.
Second, new graduates might lack the confidence and self-assurance to ask for help or offer their ideas to the team. Thirdly, new graduates may not be aware of the importance and value of activities that are not directly related to work such as mentorship or networking.
This means that managers will need to spend more effort and time integrating new employees into the team and organizational culture. Managers will have to be more attentive to the needs of the new hire, perhaps by scheduling regular one-on-1 meetings to provide feedback, build relationships, and offer to coach until they are settled in. They may also need to train other members of the team how to deal with the new hire, if necessary.
According to many HR leaders, a structured program is the best for this. Sally Elson is the Head of People Advisory & Talent for MYOB. She stated that "the essential elements of a good early career program are to give them a feeling of belonging, to help them feel confident enough to ask questions, and to be clear about what they can expect from their program."
Don't tell them what to ask
In addition to integrating them into the organization, Fresh Graduate training and development of fresh graduates should aim to fill in gaps in their knowledge. This is something that may not be obvious to more experienced individuals.
These include an understanding and ability to use the workplace tools provided to them; a working knowledge of the organization's structure and reporting lines; the ability and the ability to communicate with others outside the company and industry.
COVID-19, in addition to these shortcomings, has placed a variety of disadvantages on first-time employees within the last few years. Many new graduates have lost the chance to learn from their coworkers. The intangible skills that can be shared in a physical environment by way of example and feedback are not possible in a virtual setting. It is also difficult to build and maintain relationships and networks when people are unable to meet face-to-face in a more informal setting.
Those responsible for developing, retaining, and recruiting this population must adjust their expectations to meet the needs of these employees and young candidates. You must see them through the eyes of their potential, not their past performance. This means that you need to help them grow and succeed and, most importantly, show extra patience and empathy when necessary. The tone must be set by HR leaders; managers and recruiters must follow it. The challenges and limitations will soon be overcome. If the young employee is treated well and integrated into the organization, retention will be much less of an issue.
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