What You Should Consider in Hiring a New Graduate

While many businesses these days offer internships as part of a business curriculum; some still do not. With college commencement fast approaching, many fresh young faces will be entering the workforce and possibly knocking on your door. If you haven’t given much thought to the pros and cons of hiring a new graduate, now is the time. Because just as you have to “interview” a candidate; they too have to “interview” you. So what should you look for and what should you communicate when considering hiring a new grad? PrideStaff Financial has some tips for making that perfect connection.

Explain expectations early on.
Many students feel that getting to know their boss’s management style matters most in adjusting to that first job after graduation. This is important information to share during the interviews, and during onboarding upon your new grad’s arrival. Don’t wait until your new hire is six months in; communicate upfront how you operate, your work ethic, and how you evaluate. What sets you off, what you’re more casual about, and how do you feel about deadlines and mistakes? If you need help defining your key personality traits seek help from a close colleague, who will provide an honest assessment of your work style.

Explain office culture honestly.
Just as new grads need to understand and adapt to your management style, they need to fit in with the overall company culture as well. Culture drives how people act, speak and interact. You may not think twice about it, as the office culture may be second nature to you. But a new grad joining your company isn’t tuned in to the personality of your workplace. They have been navigating a college culture with dramatically different ground rules. Provide periodic coaching about how to successfully operate in support of the values, mission, ethics, goals and work environment that comprise your company’s culture. Extend that assignment to another member of your team who can be a trusted guide for everyday questions that arise, and make sure to build this into a new grad’s onboarding.

Foster Connections. 
Make the effort to introduce your new grad to others in the company. Connect them with your contacts on-site and in regional offices; this allows them to become familiar not only with your work style but with others as well. Opening doors for them to meet senior leaders, administrative assistants and associates from other departments give them a better sense of how the business operates. It also offers them on-site training without actually going through a “training program”. Introducing them to customers, suppliers and colleagues in professional organizations should be built into their onboarding experience as a method involving them in day-to-day operations. Networks matter to new grads, so if you’re considering hiring a new grad then networks should matter to you!

Make the most of the talent that new grads have to offer. Remember many have not yet held a full-time job; this means that potential “bad habits” from other jobs do not have to be broken. PrideStaff Financial wants you to get the most out of hiring a new graduate. Contact us to learn more.