5 Tips for Attracting New Accounting and Finance Grads

College graduates have walked the stage and there is some great talent available. But the hiring and the working landscape have changed immeasurably over the last couple of years. Here are tips for attracting new grads.

Recruit graduates before they graduate:

With all the changes going on, grads are bracing themselves for a bumpy road upon looking for their first job. But in today’s tight market, students are fielding job offers well before graduation. If you want to get the best talent, you’ll want to start your recruitment efforts while they’re still in school. By partnering with universities in your area, your company can become visible to college students so that you’re top of mind when they begin considering employment opportunities. Get involved by giving a presentation in the classroom with current students. It’s hard to get college students to come to you unless you have an internship program, so instead, have your company go to them. When recruiting college students, it’s important to keep in mind that today’s finance and accounting graduates have different expectations for their work and career than the generations before them. The wide and shallow strategy for funneling a constant supply of CPAs and finance grads into your company won’t be as effective. Instead, engage students with personalized recruitment that allows you to discover what’s important to them. If their values and goals align with your company, you can then personalize your pitch to match your company.

Craft a current and strong job description:

If you’re not recruiting students right out of school, you’ll want to make sure that your job descriptions make your company, and the opportunity you’re hiring for, appealing to them. What appeals to them? Corporate responsibility and social outreach. A recent study found that 2022 applicants and Generation Z students cite volunteer work on their resumes 38% more often than Millennials, 140% more than Gen X, and 420% more than Baby Boomers. Of course, you want your job description to reflect the skill and experience requirements of the role, but a great job description should also promote why talent should want to join your company.

Branding is everything these days:

The young talent that belongs to today’s graduating classes has grown up in a post-social media world. They’re masters of the internet and utilize it as a primary source of information. When they’re conducting their due diligence while looking for jobs, they’re going to take a hard look at your employment brand. To appeal to young talent, you’ll want to take a hard look at your employment brand too and analyze what it says about working for your company. Don’t look at it through rose-colored glasses, you must realize that branding is everything and says a lot about your company. Update and engage on social channels, make sure the careers section of your website is the best it can be, tell a story about your company, and utilize job search engines.

Diversity is key:

The young graduating class of accounting and finance is a racially, ethnically, and culturally diverse generation that has experienced immense disruption in their relatively short life spans. They were born into a rapidly evolving digital world and are more apt to look for work cultures that match their personal diversity and values.

Remote working is here to stay:

Graduates have seen that remote working works! And companies have seen it too. If your company is still pushing back on making remote work a permanent thing, then you will lose out on top graduating talent. Graduates were forced to find balance in very difficult circumstances, we all were. They’ve seen that it can be done, as have most businesses. With that, it has emerged more so than ever before the importance of a greater work-life balance. One way to achieve this is to offer remote working options. This doesn’t have to be all or nothing, but at least offer partial remote workdays; young adults will appreciate greater flexibility in their required office hours.

Looking to hire great accounting and finance talent?

PrideStaff Financial has consistently won awards for exceptional client satisfaction. Our highly skilled staffing consultants will support your business needs and find you the right candidates for your company. Contact us today to learn more.