Advice for employers

“We received over 400 applications for this vacancy through a major job site, but the two candidates you recommended were the strongest we received.”

Succession planning is not an easy thing to get right; whether it be planning ahead for a retirement, bringing an outsourced function in-house, or planning for future growth.

Internships are a flexible way to tackle work your team may not have time or skills for (without committing to a permanent hire). Or if you just need extra support during busy periods.

There can be a misconception that all recruiters do for their money is go onto a database, pluck a few CVs out, send them and then move on to the next client. But there is a lot more to it than that.

Over the years I have worked with hundreds of employers, and the number of candidates that I have placed is well into 4 figures, so I’ve learned a lot about the different ways that SMEs handle graduate recruitment.

This is a follow up to this blog about the recruitment and interview process. Hopefully it will have gone well, and you will have a preferred candidate to make an offer to. If so, there are some things to be aware of:

Many employers will only look at graduates to apply directly to them; some feel that this shows proactivity and interest. But as I will explain, this will mean that you are ruling out some very strong candidates unnecessarily.

A recent study found that many students struggle to understand the language used in job adverts, and some are put off applying altogether.

A recent study by a leading University showed that if you rely on university job boards to attract graduates, you will only reach a small percentage of your potential audience.

The use of AI by candidates in job applications is rising. And recent UK data shows over 90% of undergraduates are already using AI tools in some form, so it’s perhaps in early career applications that it will be seen the most.

There has always been a risk that some graduates may try to fake qualifications, and the rise of AI will lead to more artificially generated applications, and sophisticated counterfeits

This is something I first heard suggested several years ago, and at the time many saw it as a progressive move. Some businesses have since adopted it, but it’s not taken off in a big way. And for various reasons, many businesses will not be doing it. You can see more of my thoughts below, together with those of Managers, Directors, and HR and Talent Acquisition professionals.