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.
Students and graduates can’t avoid the huge graduate employers; not only do they have a high profile on campus, there are even books listing them. It can be very tough for small to medium sized businesses to make themselves known.
And as painful as it may be to hear, there is a big chance that graduates may not have heard of you at all. This does not mean they are not motivated, proactive, or interested; it’s just the way it is.
Most graduates I have placed over the years had not heard of the business when we first spoke- and many are now in senior positions with those businesses.
As an example, I recruited for a global business with over 1,000 staff, including nearly 200 in the UK. So a fairly big business, with a good name in their industry.
I ended up putting 6 graduates forward for the position, and all were selected for interview. Not one of them had heard of the business before I approached them.
Every day there are similar stories. It may seem like it should be easy to find a list of businesses to apply to, but it’s not. I do it myself as part of my job, and it is an art in itself.
Sometimes, when I particularly like a graduates profile I will prepare a list of businesses that may be of interest, and let them know about the graduate. When I run the list past the graduate initially it’s rare that they have heard of more than 1 or 2 out of around 10.
And there can also be issues with your job adverts. I use many different methods; each is responsible for a certain % of jobs that I fill. What works for one graduate may not work for another. And if you are putting adverts out, not all graduates will see them.
So, while you may strike lucky and find the perfect graduate for your vacancy, there is also a chance that they may not be aware of it at all.
I use time intensive, proactive methods to lessen the risk of this for my clients. And as the fee is only payable if one of my candidates joins you, it won’t cost you to find out.
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