graduates

As of May 2021, about half of the students who graduated from college in 2020 were still looking for work. Then, a few months later, a whole new class of graduates joined them in their search for jobs. There are thousands of recent graduates trying to join the workforce. Meanwhile, millions of people have been on unemployment benefits and two-thirds of them were making more money than they were at their previous jobs. With a competitive job market, hiring college graduates can be a great way to get motivated employees for a lower salary than experienced workers. Here are a few tips for hiring college graduates in 2021.

Use Career Sites

With sophisticated algorithms matching companies to qualified employees, career sites are a great tool to find recent graduates. You can even input details about who your ideal candidate is. If you are looking for a newly graduated employee, simply put that information into the site and search for those who have applicable skills and education. Recently graduated students will use the internet to look for jobs, which makes it a great reason to utilize these platforms to find them.

Background Checks

Since they are newly graduated students, you might not think that you need to run a background check on them. This isn’t the case. Background checks are a great way to determine if the candidate is being trustworthy and honest. These background checks provide a way to verify their education and work experience, but they can also offer information on past names and addresses, traffic records, and more. A background check will give you a window into the character of the person because you’ll find out if they are being transparent about their experience, education, and history.

Social Media

Social media is a tool that shouldn’t be overlooked. First, you can use social media platforms to announce that you are hiring and looking for new candidates. You can broadcast that you are hiring recent graduates and tell them how to apply. Then, you can check the profiles of possible candidates to get a window into their character. LinkedIn will even help you find the prospective candidates. With the younger generation being so savvy with social media, your company should use it to take a look at potential employees and announce that you are hiring for specific positions.

Start Them at an Entry Level Position

Even if you can tell the candidate fits a particular position, you should think about starting recent graduates at an entry-level position. You will get to monitor them and see how they do. Furthermore, you can train them in the way that works for you. Bad habits come from previous training. With a recent graduate, you can train them exactly how you want to. It’s a great idea to start a recent graduate at an entry-level job, but you should also look for potential growth.

Look For Growth

Recent college graduates want to experience, but they also want to have room for growth. They will be motivated to work towards their dream job. If you are thinking about hiring recent college graduates, you should show them a path toward different opportunities and ways to grow. You should appeal to their interests and be mindful of their skills. Recent graduates are younger, with a different set of skills that will be useful to you. Their perspective is different and they will be able to think outside the box.

With the job market in flux, there are millions of people going back to work and thousands of college graduates looking for jobs. There is a lot of competition for jobs, providing a scenario that helps companies hire prospective employees who will work hard for a lower price. Recent graduates are motivated to get experience.

When you need new hard-working employees to hire for entry-level positions and want them to grow with the company, offer room for growth, opportunities to make more money, and the ability for them to thrive with the business. Whatever field your business is in, hiring college graduates can be very beneficial if you pay attention and look for the right skills, education, and character to cultivate the best team possible. 

College graduates stock photo by michaeljung/Shutterstock