Many SMEs are unsure when the best time is to recruit a graduate. But while it is nice to be able to plan this, it will not always be possible for many SMEs. There are many factors that can affect when they are ready to recruit.
In theory, a start date around June to August or so would be ideal; there should be more graduates who are actively looking, but haven’t yet found work.
Some employers assume that they have missed the boat if they don’t advertise their job then. But that’s not the case; I have filed graduate jobs in every month of the year.
Yes it can make it harder: there may not be as many suitable graduates as at other times, and the right ones can take a bit of finding. But it can be done.
And recruiting at the optimum times wouldn’t in itself guarantee that the best person for your specific opportunity would be available. That can be down to timing (and yes, sometimes luck of the draw).
Finding the right graduates can be tricky. An advert may not be enough, as you are relying on them seeing it, and you could miss out if they don’t. A lot of proactive work can be needed; something that not all SMEs have the time or tools for. This is where a good recruiter can help.
Of course, SMEs don’t always have the luxury of being able to plan ahead, and may only recruit when they need someone; perhaps due to a project, a new bit of business, or someone being promoted.
This presents a difficulty, as the huge graduate employers have often snapped up a lot of graduates months before they have even finished their studies. It’s easier for them, as they have a set date when they take graduates on. So they can work towards it; advertise a specific job or training scheme, and start the recruitment earlier. And the bigger employers have a much higher profile in general. From an early stage, students are seeing things like the ‘Times top 100’ book of graduate employers.
And many graduates will only want to work with these bigger employers, who are able to cherry pick a lot of graduates.
This can often have a knock-on effect on things like diversity; many big employers have diversity initiatives, for example focusing on black students, or women engineers. And while anything that helps with diversity is to be applauded, it can raise issues for smaller employers in some industry sectors, who can find it more difficult to embrace diversity.
So, what can SMEs do?
In theory, there are things SMEs can do to raise the profile of the business with students and graduates. But it’s not easy, especially without a specific job to work towards.
Some SMEs do set up a graduate scheme, and this can be effective as you will be able to get in at an early stage, and advertise your specific role. But you will be going toe-to-toe with those huge employers; many of them often have higher salaries and a much more visible profile. Some are able to do this, but it’s not easy, and will require a lot of investment in time (usually from staff who have their own ‘day jobs’ to be getting on with). And if you are not able to plan ahead then this would not be feasible anyway.
There are ways to develop a talent pipeline, which can help; but until you have an actual job there is always a risk of losing them.
In general, I would say that there are a number of graduates who will realistically never be available to most SMEs. They may just want to work for a large corporate (so wouldn’t be the right fit anyway); or maybe they would rather get something sorted early, rather than take the risk of waiting for when a SME may have something coming up.
These graduates have gone, and would probably never have been an option. It is what it is, and there is no point in worrying about it. Instead, focus on the many graduates who are available.
Please don’t assume that these are second best. For various reasons, not all will have got through the selection processes for the big graduate schemes; these often have an initial focus on trimming down the large number of applications, causing a lot of very strong candidates to fall by the wayside. Or perhaps they just weren’t right for a bigger employer, and they are more suited to a smaller business. Or they may just not have been ready to start looking when the big schemes opened. And many would rather work for a SME anyway, instead of a large corporate.
Having said that, certain industry sectors do have big problems, especially in some niche areas; there are so few graduates available with specific skills and certain degree subjects, and big employers often do monopolise the graduate market.
So sometimes a creative solution is needed: for example streamlining the essential requirements, and focusing on training anything that is missing. Or looking at international graduates. Many will even have a Masters in something related to the niche area. They will be able to work with you for 2 years, then you will need to arrange sponsorship; it’s an added complication, but not as difficult as it may sound.
One employer I helped recently was really struggling to get someone for a niche role. They had already been looking for some time. I then did an extensive search, which confirmed that there really weren’t a lot of available graduates fitting the bill. But there was a very strong international graduate, with excellent communication skills; she even had some relevant experience. They appointed her and she’s thriving in her new job. There are many other similar examples.
If you would like to discuss anything related to graduate employment please do get in touch.
Matthew Parry
Director. SME Graduate Employment
Email: matthew@sme-graduates.co.uk Telephone: 0370 7749500
The specialist graduate recruitment agency for SMEs