Graduate recruitment can be a successful and proving strategy for any firm seeking a competitive advantage, in particular for start-ups.

Graduates can bring a lot of valuable qualities to a role. As a start-up it is understandable that you may be slightly apprehensive about hiring someone straight out of university, however all hires have an element of risk to them and there are a lot of advantages of hiring graduates. Graduates have been previously drawn to larger organisations but in the past few years, start-ups have seized the attention of graduates.

Below are our top 5 reasons why you should hire graduates at your start-up:

1. They are enthusiastic and eager to learn – graduates bring bounds of energy and enthusiasm to the workplace and this is something that you are likely to not get from an employee in the later stages of their career. Studies have shown that millennials want to climb the career ladder much faster than previous generations. Hiring graduates can bring a sense of urgency and eagerness within your start-up.

2. It isn’t costly – graduates won’t be expecting an extortionately high salary, but once employed they can be trained into effective members of your team. For the most part, graduates have been living on minimal loans and weekend jobs, so any annual income will be a step up. A typical graduate level salary ranges from £19,000 - £23,000.

3. Bring a fresh perspective – graduates will bring a fresh set of eyes to your start-up and also add a new opinion for you to consider when making business decisions, if required. They have spent the last 3-4 years learning various critical thinking skills and can be quite inquisitive. Furthermore, as a start-up, having younger staff can be advantageous when trying to keep up with current cultural trends.

4. They are tech savvy – today’s graduates have grown up surrounded by technology and developed the ability to pick up new tools quickly. This puts them in a great position to learn how to use new software quickly. Furthermore, they are likely to have a proficient understanding of social media, which can boost your company’s presence; this is significant for start-ups.

5. They are a ‘blank canvas’ – straight out of university, with minimal work experience, graduates are like sponges who will absorb all of the new information that you feed them. With a range of transferrable skills under their belt, paired with continuous development and training provided by the company, graduates can be moulded towards future managerial roles within your start-up. This means that as your business grows, they can grow with it.

If you are looking to hire a top calibre graduate then please visit www.thegraduateproject.co.uk and get in touch via 0207 043 4629 or recruitment@thegraduateproject.co.uk and one of our specialist consultants will be happy to help. If you are a graduate looking for your breakthrough role, then please take a look at the available positions we are currently recruiting for on our website.

By Anirudh Nair

For the past 12 months or so, organisations have been adapting to, creating and solidifying their remote work polices for the post-COVID-19 era. However, there are concerns that productivity and preferences of newer and younger employees are leaving some businesses to consider enforcing different rules for junior employees.

The changes in lifestyle the pandemic have sparked extend far beyond frantic efforts to look presentable for a morning Zoom meeting. As the pandemic has rendered offices unsafe, the traditional career path a fresh graduate takes have suffered slightly. Young workers have learned to temper their expectations, while companies have been forced to foster the development of greener employees without the convenience of human contact. 

A recent survey has suggested that younger employees indicated a preference for in-person work. A study conducted by PwC shows that 34% of workers aged 18-24 would prefer working remotely one day a week or less. On the other hand, 82% of upper-level employees say working remotely has been far better and more productive than expected.

However, there are positives that younger employees can take from working from home, such as:

• Custom environment – as a new employee, it can be difficult settling into a new office and a new environment, especially with no previous familiarity with your colleagues. By being in a familiar, comfortable environment, you should feel some of the pressure off your shoulders.
• Saving money – junior employees and recent graduates aren’t exactly in the best financial situation; by working from home, you can save money spent on travel, food and other expenses you might find when working in an office, which is especially handy when you are paying back student loans.
• Flexible schedule – as a junior employee, you might feel slightly more apprehensive when asking to take breaks. However, when working from home, you can take breaks at any moment and work to a schedule that is more suited to you.

While there are positives to remote working for junior employees, organisations such as Facebook are trying their best to get younger employees back into the office, as to not miss out on valuable networking and mentorship opportunities.

There are also valid reasons to why younger employees are probably the ones most likely to benefit from being in the office and are in favour of working in-office. For one, the coaching they can receive would be highly beneficial, and is not the same as being mentored over a video call. Furthermore, the social interactions have a lot more value than recognised, but it isn’t present when working from home. Both the employers and the employees would benefit from an initial, in-person onboarding phase.

What are your thoughts on remote-working? If you are a junior employee, do you find that remote-working is the most beneficial path for you?

We have an array of positions on our website, so please visit  www.thegraduateproject.co.uk and get in touch via 0207 043 4629 or recruitment@thegraduateproject.co.uk and one of our specialist consultants will be happy to help.

By Anirudh Nair

After applying for, what can feel like, hundreds of graduate jobs, you should hopefully find yourself with a number of interview opportunities. What remains, is to impress the interviewer enough to secure the role. A graduate interview is about more than just your skills – it’s about who you are as a person and how you come across. This will determine whether you are a good match for the role and the company.

There is of course a huge array of questions that can be asked, and many questions will likely be tailored to the industry and job. However, there are a set of stock questions that are commonly asked during graduate job interviews. Here is our list of the 10 most common questions, and how they should be answered.

1. Tell me about yourself

For employers, this is one of the most common interview questions to ask candidates - think of this as a refresher or overview of your key skills and experience, but be careful not to simply read from your CV. It can be helpful to pre-prepare a brief statement that indicates what in your recent past has led you to be sitting in front of them in your interview, but remember not to ramble on – the interviewer has already gone through your CV.

2. What are your hobbies and interests?

Employers ask this question, so they know you’re a well-rounded individual. No one wants to hire a workaholic that has nothing else going on in their lives except work, nor does an employer want to hire someone who is going to be coming in hungover most days. When answering this question, however, choose hobbies and interests that will promote your skills, such as team sports or activities that could be deemed as challenging.

3. Why do you want to work for us?

This is one of the graduate interview questions that requires some thought. The interviewer will want to know what your motivations are behind applying for the role. Try to avoid saying things like ‘because I live close by', ‘I want a graduate job' or ‘the salary appealed to me'. Check out the organisations values and goals and see how yours align.

4. What are your salary expectations?

This is very common but can be difficult for graduates making their first leap into the graduate job market to pinpoint. Salary is always an awkward topic to discuss, but you can use it to your advantage by showing the employer your worth and confidence. If asked, you should be ready to pick a figure that is towards the top end of what you are hoping for but to state that you are flexible or that you are focussed on finding the right role and don’t have a set salary in mind.

5. What is your biggest achievement whilst at University?

This question requires careful consideration, and it does not have to relate to your time in examination results – it can be a work-related achievement (even if it's not in the same industry) or it can be part of your extracurricular activities. Choose an achievement that you are genuinely proud of, so your enthusiasm shows.

6. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

While with interview questions it's best to be specific, with this question it's best to be a little vague. What the employer is looking for with this question is commitment, they want to have an idea of your long-term plans and how this role and organisation fit into it. Ambition is also another thing they are looking for; they want to know if you have the desire and drive to progress.

7. What do you like or dislike about your course?

The best way to answer this question is to go through what relevant aspects of the course you enjoyed. When it comes to the parts you didn’t enjoy, spin it in a positive way and say something that is relevant to the job. t is not advisable to state that the thing you disliked the most about your course was getting up early for 9 am lectures!

8. Give an example of your lateral thinking.

Lateral thinking is the ability to use your imagination to look at a problem in a fresh way and come up with a new solution. Companies prize employees with lateral thinking skills because without them, they can’t innovate and create new products. Think about times when you’ve been faced with real-life problems and have somehow managed to overcome them.

9. Why should we hire you?

This is where you really need to sell yourself to the hiring manager – tell them what you think you can bring to the team and be sure to mention the skills they require

10. Do you have questions for us?

Never say no. Even if the interviewer has covered off all the points you wanted to query, ask them to go into more detail about one of them. Otherwise, you’ll appear uninterested. So, avoid going in without having any questions prepared and listen carefully when the interview is speaking about the role.

We have an array of graduate roles available on our website, so please take a look and get applying, on www.thegraduateproject.co.uk.

By Anirudh Nair

The goal of every recruiter is to select and hire the best employees possible. However, recruitment decisions are often distorted by unconscious bias. These biases can be difficult to uncover and can lead to imbalances in the hiring process, resulting in uniformity in the workplace instead of diversity.

Diversity is important because not only does it enhance employee experience, but it is also beneficial to the business’ bottom line. A diverse workforce strengthens a company’s reputation as being a great place to work and evidence has shown that businesses with a diverse workforce are more likely to financially outperform their industry’s national average.

Here are 5 steps you can follow to reduce hiring bias:

1. Write inclusive job descriptions

Ask yourself – have you defined what the job role is and what skills are required? Could someone outside of your organisation easily understand what is expected?

All organisations inadvertently develop their own language. While it might make sense to everyone already working in the industry, if you want to attract people are different to the status quo, they need to understand what is expected from the beginning.

Make sure the criteria you set are clear and reflect the skills and competencies needed to do the job.

2. Inclusively design the application process

In your recruitment system, check that the messages and instructions displayed throughout the application form-filling process are friendly and inclusive. Design the application process in a simple way that does not confuse or frustrate applicants.

Your organisation’s commitment to equal opportunities is something that really matters to diverse applicants – does your equality and diversity policy stand out the way it should?

3. Widen your search to include diverse groups

When considering your job advertisement, consider the following. Where are you placing the ad? And are you being mindful of different groups who may want to apply?

Nowadays, you can place your job ads on large recruitment websites, LinkedIn, or in a broadsheet newspaper, but you can also be imaginative. You could potentially use promoted social media posts or through various networking groups.

4. Make shortlisting fair

Assessing CVs without including any personal information is effective at removing any bias against diverse applicants. This involves getting a person not involved in the shortlisting process to make sure the panel does not see names, schools, locations, and date of birth, ensuring assessors’ decisions only account for the skills and experience of the candidate – the things that matter.

5. Prepare for an inclusive interview

The more preparation you do for the interview, the less the danger of making a biased decision and the greater the likelihood of making an evidence-based decision.  

Your planning will give you the time you need to concentrate on the things that really matter during the interview: setting the right tone, finding the best means for candidates to demonstrate their capabilities, asking questions, listening, writing notes. Now that many interviews are held online, you also need to include more time in interviews for screen freezing and any technical issues that might come up.

We have an array of positions on our website, so please do visit https://www.thegraduateproject.co.uk/jobs/search

By Anirudh Nair

Now that we again face weeks of lockdown and being stuck at home, this is the perfect opportunity to capitalise on this free time to improve valuable skills to succeed in any workplace. In the modern age, it has never been easier to self-develop skills from the comfort of your own home, and there are many free resources to use.

Online resources available

LinkedIn Learning has thousands of free and paid courses that range from focusing on improving your productivity, digital marketing, excel to coding skills. These qualities come highly regarded in the workplace and the initiative demonstrated to develop them independently will be viewed extremely positively by any potential employer, even if the skills are not directly related to your profession.

The London School of Economics offers more specialised courses developing skills and in-depth knowledge of focused areas such as negotiation and data analysis. These modules run over the course of several weeks but can be done at your own pace and in your own time, starting from just 6 hours a week necessary. The courses look particularly impressive coming from a highly prestigious and respected institution, vastly improving your employability making you significantly more competitive in an already cutthroat market.

Volunteering

In addition to industry skills, of late there is an abundance of volunteering opportunities that are just an impactful on your CV. For example becoming a volunteer vaccinator at St John Ambulance is the perfect way to demonstrate community responsibility and play an essential part in thousands of lives. Requiring only 16 hours a month commitment there are few better ways to use your time.

Many more volunteering opportunities can be found at Prospects that provide information of varied schemes and organisations that only survive thanks to the goodwill of volunteers. This demonstrates and develops your communication and team-work skills that are, of course, viewed favourably by employers.

Languages

The UK leads the way in learning foreign languages online with UK based users on the free app Duolingo rocketing by 132% in 2020. As well as being enjoyable, the ability to speak, read or write foreign languages adds an extra edge to your CV, it has also been shown to improve memory and decision making skills. The benefits of which therefore speak for themselves in how it beneficial it is to any worker and why it is so coveted by potential employers.

It is particularly important during this difficult time to utilise and organise your time at home responsibly, so looking at even one of these sources will be immeasurably beneficial to your career prospects and will embolden your employability, critically needed with many employers struggling in this environment.

If you are looking for employment, or are an employer seeking to hire, send us an email at recruitment@thegraduateproject.co.uk or give us a call at 02070434629, it is our absolute pleasure to be of any help.

Tyler Cairns

Our economy is changing daily, and with it, the talents, skills and experience needed to be a part of that growth cycle are too.

The job market is a competitive one and often presents a tough learning curve for recent graduates. When it comes to securing that all-important graduate job offer, it’s no longer enough to just have a good degree. Relevant work experience via an internship is now just as important as exam results to your future career and is a key sought after attribute.

What does an internship involve?

An internship is a period of work experience within an organisation or company, usually undertaken by university students or recent graduates. They can either be full time or part-time, paid or unpaid and can last from a week to a year.

The main focus is on providing training and work experience for yourself and internships give students real-life experience of the workplace and field they hope to break into.

What are the benefits of an internship?

1. Develop critical work skills

Probably the main benefit of doing an internship is that it will give you the chance to gain experience in a real workplace, allowing you to hone and enhance your soft skills such as teamwork and communication, as well as learning new skills such as using Excel or various computer software.

2. Networking

One of the major benefits of undertaking an internship is that opportunity to build connections with professionals in the field you are trying to break into. Perform well and impress, and these connections can help you in a multitude of ways, from keeping you in mind for future opportunities to providing an important reference or letter.

Internships provide a great environment to meet professionals in the career field you want to pursue, as well as other interns who have similar interests.

3. Gain a competitive edge

Recruiters and hiring manager will be impressed to see you have gone the extra mile and have the passion and drive to acquire skills and experiences outside of the classroom.

To combat this, many clued-up graduates are undertaking not just one but multiple internships, giving them a wide range of skills and experience of multiple companies and departments, all of which appeals to potential recruiters.

4. Learn how a professional workplace operates

Nothing compares to living the actual experience. Internships help students learn all about workplace culture, employee relations, and leadership structure, which should help them onboard in their first professional job with more ease than if they haven’t had professional experience.

5. Explore unexpected avenues

There are internships in every industry imaginable, from HR to investment banking. If you’re undecided on the field you want to enter, internships can give you the chance to try out roles, departments and industries you’ve never considered, which may help narrow down your options, or even open up a whole new career path.  

6. Earn as you learn

Although unpaid internships remain a topic of much debate, paid internships do exist – and many internships simply offer an untaxed training allowance that cover expenses such as travel and food.

While every job offers transferable skills such as teamwork, problem-solving etc. paid internships give you the opportunity to earn money while learning vital skills for your future career.

We have an array of positions on our website, so please do visit https://www.thegraduateproject.co.uk/jobs/search

By Anirudh Nair

So, that’s it. After years of working towards your degree, university is over! The money is starting to run out and there aren’t any more student loans coming in to look forward to. So – you need a job.

Finding your first graduate job can be a daunting task, especially considering the present state of the global economy and current employment perspectives. This is why we have put together our 10 Survival Tips for New Graduates!

1. Don’t panic

The whole process of applying for jobs, writing your CV or going through multiple interviews on a daily basis may seem like more than you’re able to handle. Keep in mind that thousands of future professionals like you also experience high-stress levels while looking for their first jobs, so you’re not alone!

2. Start small

We would advise that you choose the three most critical tasks that you need to complete in the next few weeks. A strong start would be refining your CV to the type of jobs you’re applying too, write a motivating cover letter and choosing 5 companies you would like to work for.

A cover letter is essential – it’s your chance to put your personality across and tailor yourself to a specific role. Recruiters and hiring managers receive 100s of CV’s so a well set out cover letter can be a deciding factor.

3. Maintain your focus

Until you have secured a new position, looking for a job should be your full-time job. On average graduates allocate 2-3 hours a day to the task, hoping that this will get them there.

We think that you should be spending 40+ hours a week on sending application forms, looking for new openings, revising your CV and working on your interview skills.

4. Start building your network

Networking is an extremely important weapon in your arsenal. A social network can easily be transformed into a professional one if you maintain contact. A recent survey revealed that up to 85% of all jobs were filled through networking – strong connections in the industry are a must for your future career development.

5. Do your homework

It may seem obvious, but the more planning you do, the more it will benefit you in the long run. You can learn a lot about a company just from visiting their website and doing some research.

The more you do, the more you can make your CV and cover letter more relevant to the company and position they are hiring for – for example: you can use value statements to match yourself to their mission statement and goals.

6. Get yourself a hobby

Have a think about how to make you stand out from the thousands of other graduates looking for jobs at the moment. On your CV, include any relevant units or subjects you’ve studies which may make you an ideal candidate.

Have you done any voluntary work? Undertaken any relevant courses? If not, this would be a good time to do so.

The same goes for hobbies. Make the most of your new-found free time and do something which sets you apart from other candidates.

7. Get some experience

To get into your desired field or dream job, you will need experience. This could be at a basic entry level or even unpaid – many companies provide internships or graduate work experience opportunities.

8. Consider all the options

You might find that after your graduation you have absolutely no idea what kind of jobs you’re qualified for. Make sure you know all the options before you start writing yourself off.

Sometimes your degree can open more doors than you realise and take your career in a completely different direction – all for the better!

9. Don’t take it personally

Between April and September there were over 300,000 new graduates looking for jobs, it is inevitable that you will face rejection somewhere along the line.

If you’ve applied for some positions but not heard back, get in touch. Persevere and find out why, so you can improve for the next one.

10. Be confident, stay positive

This applies, not only to your attitude, but also to your language. When writing your CV, avoid common mistakes such as ‘I feel I have…’ or ‘I can be good at…’

Remember: you’re selling yourself to the employer. A little confidence can go a long way.

Recruiters seldom see ‘the perfect candidate’. Focus on what you can offer them, rather than what you can’t.

We have an array of positions on our website, so please do visit https://www.thegraduateproject.co.uk/jobs/search

By Anirudh Nair

From professional networking sites and job boards to online applicant systems, technology has revolutionised recruitment, profoundly changing how employers and recruiters find potential candidates. Here, we go over some of the most important ways technology has changed the way recruitment works today.

While applicant tracking systems might be the most obvious way technology has impacted recruitment, it has changed far more behind the scenes. Here are four ways technology has changed recruitment forever, and how the industry has had to adapt. 

Globalisation – global reach to find the candidates

Technology hasn't just made it easier to apply to jobs, it has also made it easier for businesses to find qualified candidates anywhere in the world. Recruiters can now scan job boards and professional network sites, like LinkedIn, for qualified candidates with the right skills - without the limits of geography.

Currently, almost every potential candidate is looking to work remotely, it makes it easier for recruiters to reach out to candidates they may have overlooked due to location. And it opens a recruiter's reach to find professionals with a specific skill set that they can't find locally.

Reduced bias – or increased?

Unconscious bias can skew the recruitment process, even if undertaken by fair and unbiased hiring staff. New technology has been developed to remove unconscious bias in the recruitment process.

"No matter how much a recruiter or HR rep tries to be unbiased and balanced, there often is some level of selection bias present. The AI-based systems, assuming there are no biases in the algorithm of course, doesn't suffer from the same tendencies.”

More flexibility – at the expense of control

Companies that can get comfortable with the new digital workforce stand to gain more in employee engagement. Allowing employees, the freedom to work however they work best - whether from home, in an office or from a coffee shop - creates a shift where employees start working from a position of desired duty instead of required duty.

Technology presents endless tools and resources for HR, and the best way to figure out how they can improve your hiring process is through trial and error.

This flexibility creates an overall sense of ownership; employees feel like they own their own career paths.

Data overload in Recruitment

Businesses can't get enough of big data - and it's certainly valuable in recruitment - but there is such a thing as too much data. 

More data means more confusion, allowing tiny details to skew process and drive people to take action on things that don't matter, while ignoring the real underlying problems with the recruiting function.

As these systems grow and evolve into more sophisticated platforms, they're only getting more complex to maintain. Top performing companies can explore hiring a data scientist or analyst to help make sense of the information, and to maintain the software and hardware used to collect and store the data. 

We have an array of positions on our website, so please do visit https://www.thegraduateproject.co.uk/jobs/search

By Anirudh Nair 

With the second lockdown already upon us, it presents uncertain times for us all, and with more than nine million of us expected to be placed on temporary leave or 'furloughed' due to COVID-19, this may create even greater challenges in relation to your mental health. 

It is important to take care of your wellbeing during this time with support from your employer.

What impact could being furloughed have on your wellbeing?

Being furloughed might represent an opportunity for taking a break from working in challenging conditions – but you may also face some challenges during this time.

The most common of these being feeling that daily life lacks structure or a routine – often which you would find while being at work. This could potentially lead to a decrease in your levels of self-esteem. In the short-term, you may have financial concerns due to your income being reduced or longer-term fears of being redundant.

Having too much time to think about the current situation may increase feelings of isolation and loneliness and may trigger new mental health problems or make existing ones worse.

Here are some steps you can take to cope with these potential changes:

1. Establish a routine/timetable

This is something that your employer may also be able to help you with – creating a routine plan or timetable can help plan your time while on furlough and provide structure to your work week. This well help you from feeling lost through the day and help you focus on any goals that you have.

2. Focus on your personal development

Online training courses to achieve personal goals or reach new heights professionally can help you feel more motivated and boost your self-esteem. There is an array of sources available for personal development online, such as YouTube, ‘The Skills Toolkit’ and ‘The Open University’ offers hundreds of free courses.

3. Collaborate with colleagues

Keeping in touch with your colleagues can help you feel more connected and less isolated. Having the same goals and working as a team can help build the sense of community with your colleagues as well as being fun to occupy your time. Think about setting a creative or physical challenge or starting a virtual book or film club.

4. Create a budget

Consider creating a budget, particularly if being furloughed means you have taken a cut in pay.

Financial concerns can seriously affect your mental health so a budget may enable you to manage both your money and your wellbeing.

5. Seek support from your employer

Your employer can help you stay connected to the organisation and support your wellbeing while you are furloughed. Consider asking about:

• Regular wellbeing check ins (1-1)
• Keeping you informed of any company developments
• Being available to discuss any work related concerns you may have.

We have an array of positions on our website, so please do visit https://www.thegraduateproject.co.uk/jobs/search

Written by Anirudh Nair