Why Hire a Graduate?
They’re keen to learn and progress. Being new to the working world in means they will be eager to learn and take on information about their new environments. working hard to impress will be important to these employees as they’ve just left education and will keen to learn even more in order to succeed.
They have a different outlook. Younger generations will have different perspectives on life and will be able to contribute new, innovative and fresh ideas. Not to mention, they’re likely to be more in touch with current trends, and have different views, which will help to inject a younger voice into your organisation and increase diversity.
They’re willing to adapt. As this is their first job, they will want to impress. They may be open to extra hours, new opportunities, and helping out in as many ways as possible. Plus, due to a probable lack of home commitments in comparison to your more experienced colleagues, they may be more flexible with their free time and might be more able to attend an evening event at short notice or travel.
They’re a clean slate. It’s probably their first proper job and potentially their first experience of full-time office life. This means that you’re able to teach them from the get-go how to work, and how to approach company issues, rather than trying to mould someone with pre-existing habits. Graduates are often referred to as a “blank canvas”.
They’ll question the way things work. Fresh graduates are likely to be inquisitive, and with their university studies still fresh in their minds, they’ll be used to questioning how and why things work the way they do. This will push your company to question its existing and potentially outdated or inefficient approaches.
They’ll be more comfortable with technology. Millennials in general, especially recent graduates, will be more comfortable with technology due to the ubiquity of tech during their youth.
They’re probably used to multitasking. Social media and the multiple communication channels that graduates and students are used to mean they’re well-versed in multi-tasking. For example, my childhood involved: watching TV, chatting on MSN, playing games on my PC, “doing” homework and constantly updating my social media accounts – and mostly simultaneously. Want a multi-tasker? Hire a Millennial.
They have competitive and impressive backgrounds. A degree alone is no longer enough in today’s graduate market, so many students and graduates are building up their extra-curricular portfolio in order to stand out from the rest. If you choose to hire graduates and can offer an attractive job package, the candidates you hire will be very grateful for the work, and relieved to have found a job, especially a graduate one.
