Employee retention is incredibly important for any company, as it saves the business time and money. If you find a strong employee, it’s vital that you keep them as part of your team for as long as possible, as they will act as an asset to the company. Similarly, you won’t have to spend time searching for replacements and training them in the various processes that are involved in your business. All the top graduate recruiters in the UK are well-equipped in retaining an employee’s interest.

Recruit through an agency

One of the most valuable pieces of graduate recruitment advice is to recruit through an agency (like us!). We know exactly how to appropriately vet graduates and can even run virtual assessment days. Bringing one of the top graduate recruitment agencies in the UK on board is the ideal way to remove the stress of recruitment from your hands.

Meet candidates face-to-face

When it comes to recruiting graduates, it’s likely that you’ll encounter their CV before anything else. On paper, a candidate may seem like the perfect fit; however, this may not be the case when it comes to personal interaction. Although meeting every individual candidate face-to-face can be a time-consuming process, it’s certainly worth it as it allows you to select the best fit.

Allow for independence

Although recruiting new graduates can be considered a risk, nothing facilitates growth like providing employees with independence. This gives them a sense of confidence in what they’re doing, which will reflect well in their performance. Similarly, they will feel in control of their position and feel as though they’re able to learn from their mistakes, and this is incredibly valuable to an employee’s development. Despite this, you must always be sure to offer support where necessary so that a graduate doesn’t feel overwhelmed or unable to complete their day-to-day tasks.

Enable development

Recruitment agencies for fresh graduates understand the importance of career development for these individuals. As a result, we suggest offering a one-month, three-month, six-month, and one-year review. This way, the employee will be familiar with their personal goals, progress, challenges, and any potential issues. Consequently, they’ll be able to move forward in the best way and eventually achieve their long-term objectives.

Keep promises

It’s absolutely imperative that recruitment agencies specialising in graduates are able to deliver on promises. You should always ensure that a graduate is doing the job that was advertised to them; otherwise, they’ll feel misled and eventually tire of the role. This misleading nature can lead to the isolation of the candidate, as well as a lack of trust in the employer. Consequently, it’s vital that a role meets the expectations of the graduate, as this will encourage them to stay with the company on a long-term basis.

Create a personal experience

Finally, a business must recognise that there is no one way to recruit a candidate, as it’s an incredibly personalised experience. In order to effectively recruit graduates, you should focus on personality and attitude, as the candidate won’t have heaps of experience that can be assessed.

As previously mentioned, the perfect candidate on paper may not be the ideal employee in practice, which is why it’s so important to prioritise attitude above all else. Graduates are still finding their feet in the professional world, which is why you must do all you can to welcome them with open arms and provide them with a foundation to prove themselves. Ultimately, graduates are much more mouldable than seasoned professionals, and this can be incredibly beneficial when it comes to optimising your team.

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