ARU have a dedicated Employability Service who not only add value to the student experience by providing guidance on all aspects of careers, employability and job searching, we also offer expert advice to the business community.
In a series of blogs we will deliver essential assistance to anyone attempting to navigate the student or graduate recruitment landscape, build a talent pipeline, raise brand awareness, close skills gaps or upskill your workforce.
The second instalment in the series will focus on:
CANDIDATE ATTRACTION
Job adverts
A well-presented job advert can make the difference between no applications (or unsuitable ones) and finding the dream candidate. Taking the time to get this right will pay dividends. Use clear headings to section off information and put the most important stuff first and in bold:
Salary or pay rate:
Location:
Hours:
Term:
Don’t shy away from being very clear about the salary or pay rate for your role. If you don’t include it at this initial advert stage you risk candidates applying elsewhere to more candid adverts. It will also, almost certainly be the first question they ask you so why not just get it out of the way? If you’re unsure about how much you should be pitching your student or graduate position, look out for our blog containing graduate labour market info on salaries coming soon.
‘About us’ - Start with a brief but descriptive synopsis of your company that concisely details what you do and why, who your clients are and what industries/geographical locations you operate in. You could also include any highlights such as recent accolades, high profile clients or contracts, how long you’ve been successfully trading or anything else that makes you proud to work there.
‘Job description’ - Be clear about what you need. Your job advert might be your dream student/grad’s first experience of professional recruitment and a long list of wants can be intimidating. So be specific but concise and present duties in bullet point format for ease of reading. Where possible, ensure you include the hiring manager, a relevant HR colleague and the person already doing the role or closely linked with it to offer their thoughts on what the core responsibilities should be.
Along with the role specific knowledge and experience required, adverts should also detail the soft skills required:
'Person Spec'
- Confident communicator able to converse with all levels of a business and its stakeholders
- Self-starter and self-motivated
- Able to work autonomously with initiative
- Organised and efficient at prioritising own workload
- Proficient computer user with experience of [insert specific software requirements here]
- Comfortable with presenting ideas and opinions in a persuasive manner across various mediums e.g. virtual meetings, emails, phone calls
Providing clear timeframes in your advert is a considerate touch. Students and graduates need to organise their time effectively and coordinate the completion of studies and/or internship projects with the start of other opportunities. The best job adverts are explicit about the recruitment process and include details such as:
- How to apply – do you want a CV AND cover letter? Cover letters can be very useful but time consuming to read through, consider implementing a word limit.
- Application deadline date
- How many interview stages there are
- Proposed interview dates/times
- Ideal start date
Other things to include:
- Modes of working – remote, hybrid or onsite
Since the pandemic, remote or hybrid working has become common place and an excellent opportunity to reduce commuting pollution/traffic, offer a better work-life balance and increase your talent pool by considering applications from a wider geographical area.
Student and graduate recruits may need transitioning into this way of working because studying online is quite different to being a paid professional online. Consider updating your onboarding and induction process to recognise and address this, such as discussing meetings, messaging, email and phone call etiquette both internally and with external stakeholders.
Despite the fact that remote positions attract more applications than those based in one office location and even if the role can be achieved exclusively remotely, think about including compulsory onsite days particularly at the beginning of your new hire’s time with you. This can help less experienced candidates to meet and forge relationships with colleagues, build confidence to reach out for support later on and establish peer networks and their own profile within the business.
- Manage candidate expectations: "Thank you for your application. Please note that, due to the volume of applications received, we will only respond to successful candidates.”
Vacancy Promotion
There are a number of free online job boards including ARU’s Handshake facility which allows employers to create their own company profile and upload job vacancies direct to the student/graduate facing noticeboard. Free options include:
Use your own personal and professional network of contacts to get the word out – post on your socials, LinkedIn etc. Provide links to apply online through your company website or ask for individuals to reach out direct. Remember to be careful what you wish for, you may be inundated with calls!
Consider attending jobs fairs to promote your vacancies – local further and higher education institutions are likely to hold these regularly throughout the year. You can find out about all ARU’s student engagement events by contacting [email protected]. The Job Centre also arrange events to help introduce candidates to potential employers.
You can also opt to utilise paid for services – ARU Temps offer a suite of options dependent on your needs from student mail outs to social media campaigns and on-campus interview hosting whilst managing the recruitment yourself.
Look out for our next instalment in this blog series where we will offer advice on shortlisting applications, conducting interviews including competency and scenario based example questions.
Laura Kendrick, Business Development Manager