Are you a graduate employer looking for the best new talent? With an increasingly competitive job market, it’s essential that your organisation stays up-to-date with the latest graduate recruitment trends. Not only will you be able to attract and retain the best fresh talent, but your recruitment teams will be more efficient and productive too.
We explore the top graduate recruitment trends employers need to know in 2023 and how they will affect the future of graduate recruitment.
5 Graduate Recruitment Trends You Need To Know In 2023
Are you a graduate employer? We explore 5 of the biggest trends in graduate recruitment in 2023, so you can make sure your recruitment efforts are delivering the desired results.
Trend 1. Virtual Recruitment
In recent years, the industry has seen a sharp rise in virtual recruitment. This is most likely a result of emerging technologies and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual recruitment uses new technologies, such as video conferencing and digital recruitment platforms to attract, vet, and select candidates.
Other examples of virtual recruitment include online job fairs, online skills assessments, and virtual onboarding.
The biggest advantage of the virtual recruitment trend is that employers can reach a wider talent pool, recruiting worldwide. As a result, they can reduce recruitment costs associated with travel and venue expenses. Recruiting virtually is also a huge timesaver for HR and recruitment teams, allowing them to streamline their workflows and free up more time for other tasks.
Perhaps the biggest downside of virtual recruitment is the lack of personal interaction, which can make it tougher for a candidate to connect with the interview team (and vice versa). Technical issues can also dampen the experience too.
Overall, virtual recruitment is a positive trend for employers and candidates alike. Graduates have more career opportunities at their fingertips and employers have access to a wider talent pool.
If your organisation hasn’t invested in technology that enables virtual recruitment, now is a good time to do so.
Trend 2. Prioritising soft skills
An increasing number of employers are putting a large focus on soft skills during graduate recruitment. It makes sense; soft skills are difficult to train and can be transferred to a wide range of roles and workplace scenarios.
Desirable soft skills include communication, collaboration, problem-solving, and adaptability. Graduates who possess these skills tend to be better prepared for success in the workplace because they can work well in a team, show resilience during times of change, and pivot when needed. As such, they ensure the future success of the business.
Thanks to this surge in demand for graduates with soft skills, we could see a shift in how graduate interviews are conducted. Here are some ways to test for soft skills during the interview process:
- Ask behavioural questions: This type of question requires graduates to provide specific examples of how they have showcased certain soft skills in the past. For example, “Describe a time when you had to adapt to a difficult situation at work?”
- Incorporate role-playing: Roleplaying common on-the-job scenarios gives valuable insight into candidates’ communication, leadership, and problem-solving skills. For instance, “If a customer was unhappy with the solution you provided, how would you handle the situation?”
- Include group interviews: If teamwork, collaboration, and problem-solving are critical soft skills for your organisation, group interviews are excellent for testing them. Group interviews require candidates to work together to solve problems and complete a task, showing you how they would work in a similar real-life context.
- Ask situational questions: Getting a clear understanding of graduates’ critical thinking skills can be extremely useful during the interview process. So, include situational questions to test their decision-making abilities. For example, “What would you do if you were working on a team project and one member isn’t pulling their weight?”
Trend 3. A bigger focus on diversity and inclusion
We’ll start by saying that diversity, equity, and inclusion is by no means a trend. That said, in recent years recruitment teams have recognised just how important diversity and inclusion are for graduate recruitment (and recruitment in general). There’s plenty of research to show that diverse teams are more creative, innovative, and better decision-makers. This is because diversity leads to a wider range of perspectives, ideas, and experiences. Companies that lack diversity and inclusion tend to experience higher staff turnover rates, lower employee satisfaction, and less successful employer branding efforts.
Making your graduate recruitment process more diverse starts with education. Every member of your HR and recruitment team should have access to unconscious bias and diversity and inclusion training. This type of training gives them the skills and know-how to recognise their own biases and address them.
Setting clear targets to increase the recruitment of diverse or underrepresented groups is another way to take clear action.
Finally, consider the messages you’re sending graduate jobseekers. Are your job descriptions written using inclusive language? Look at the qualifications and skills you are including on the job ad, does that exclude a specific group of people? If so, how can you address this?
When it comes to conducting the interviews, inviting existing employees from diverse backgrounds to participate in the process will create a welcoming and inclusive space for diverse graduates.
Additional reading: How to have a more diversity-friendly hiring process
Trend 4. A push on internships, apprenticeships, and work experience
Another one of the biggest graduate recruitment trends is the increase in popularity of hands-on work experience like internships, apprenticeships, and work placements. Of course, these aren’t new initiatives, but they have become bigger trends in graduate recruitment of late. Why?
Firstly, they give graduates hands-on experience in their target profession and industry, speeding up the learning curve and preparing them for the role.
What’s more, they’re excellent opportunities to network and make valuable connections in the industry. Not only does this open doors for graduates and boost their confidence, but it also build value soft skills.
Lastly, graduates who have already gained some experience in the field are more sure that it’s the career path for them. In turn, this makes them more motivated and less likely to quit to pursue a different profession.
It’s for these reasons that leading employers such as Google, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, and Barclays Bank offer a range of internship and work experience placements.
Trend 5. Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Recruitment
AI is no longer just something we see in sci-fi films. It’s now one of the major graduate recruitment trends in 2023. So how is AI being used in recruitment?
As we mentioned above, there’s been a notable shift to remove unconscious bias from the graduate recruitment process. AI tools are playing a big role in reducing bias by screening CVs, sourcing graduate candidates, and even conducting pre-interview assessments. The idea is that AI can identify candidates based solely on their experience and skills, removing social, economic, or racial prejudices.
While there’s still very much the need for human recruiters to oversee the process, AI has proven a useful tool in reducing biases and streamlining recruitment processes.
Recap: Keeping your finger on the pulse with the latest recruitment insights gives your organisation a competitive edge when it comes to employer branding. As such, you can leverage the best results, streamline recruitment workflows, and future-proof your business.
How We Can Help You Stay Updated On Graduate Recruitment Trends
Understanding the current trends will help you make informed decisions about the future of graduate recruitment in your organisation. That way, your company can attract and retain the top graduate talent and continue to optimise your recruitment efforts.
Need help? Our experts at Developing a Student can support you in staying on top of the latest graduate recruitment trends so you can build a diverse and talented workforce.
Here are just some of the services we offer:
- Advice and support – Our website is packed with guides for employers, including advice on attracting graduates and building a diverse work environment. Find the latest industry insights on our weekly blog.
- Attract graduate talent – Get in touch to advertise your roles on our dedicated graduate jobs board.
- Find diverse graduate talent – Our job advert inclusivity screening tests your ad against our “Inclusive Language Check-List” to remove potentially discriminatory language.
- Advertise your business – Our talented team of writers work with you to create a company profile that documents your efforts as a top graduate employer.
Call 03458724501 or email info@developingastudent.com to learn more about our bespoke packages.
