Why You Can’t Afford Not to Hire College Graduates

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By Krista Williams | BLR

I have been working with college students … well, since I was in college. In most, if not all, of my positions I have had the fortune of working with interns, new graduates, placement offices, faculty, and students. My support has not only been to assist in job placement but also to support the transition of students from the life of ramen noodles and 10 a.m. classes to meeting the demands of a completely connected work environment with high expectations.

I enjoy the aspect of the students being full of life, holding huge aspirations, and having absolutely no idea how to get where they are trying to go. I have partnered with placement offices at several colleges and managed college hiring programs for several organizations. Over the years, some things have changed and some things haven’t at all. Here is what I have learned and what I would advise hiring managers to keep in mind:

Students have very limited views of the types of positions they can actually perform once they graduate.

They need to speak with a lot of people in various industries in order to be able to make an educated decision about where they should be focusing their career search efforts. There are several places that we are able to assist and make an impact on college graduate entry into our desired markets.

As a prospective employer, you can offer internship programs, volunteer to be a guest speaker, participate as a guest panelist, and/or sign up for career day involvement as a start.

Companies should hire for potential, not experience.

A pickle we often get in is that if we do have entry-level positions, we think we are too busy to slow down enough to train someone without experience. I disagree. This is an opportunity to take someone without any preconceived notions about what it is like to work for an employer—someone who has not developed any bad habits yet—and completely mold him or her into the type of worker we would like. This particularly helps in high production environments of companies with really elevated goal structures. If you are able to attract highly talented, motivated, bright, competitive staff, they will only have one another to compare themselves to—not a slower paced previous past place of employment.

Provide training and opportunity.

Whether it is on the desk or in the training room, make sure you are providing an environment where your eager, fresh graduates can continually learn. They are coming off many years of absorbing lots and lots of information and let’s face it, if you don’t use it, you lose it. Make sure that you keep your new hires challenged, interested, and involved.

Don’t worry about whatever path you thought was good enough for you or others several years ago. Allow effort, production, and results to speak for themselves and reward based on performance.

Although I will be the first to admit that sometimes time is the best teacher, as you get to experience lifecycles and events recurring, don’t let too much time go by and allow the next best opportunity to come from an outside employer. The first several moves or promotions for fresh graduates (once earned) should be made in shorter time intervals their first 2–5 years of work. Otherwise, you may stand to lose your rising leaders to competitors who may appear to value their worth sooner than you do. Stay abreast of talent, how marketable they are, and make sure they are rewarded appropriately.

There is a great amount of opportunity for everyone if we work together and have the right frame of mind. So, next time you think you must have 3–5 years’ experience in a hire, think again. And take a close look at the advantages of hiring a fresh college grad.

http://trendpersonnel.com/en/news/item/142-why-you-can-t-afford-not-to-hire-college-graduates

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6 Common Mistakes in Hiring Support Staff

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by Bob Brady | BLR 

Support staff are not interchangeable parts. Sidestep these 6 mistakes and you can hire and keep the best.

In the army, it’s the infantry; in the factory, the line workers; and in the office, the administrative staff. Every organization has its “troops”—the people who carry out the basic tasks of the business.

Think of these folks as interchangeable parts, however, and you could be making a big mistake, says the website, AllBusiness.com.

The site published a list of things to keep in mind and do in hiring support staff. The basic message: Put the same kind of care into hiring your “troops” as you would anyone else. Because any chain of command, whether it’s in the heat of battle or the heat of business competition, is only as strong as its weakest link.

We’ve paraphrased and condensed some of their advice.

Don’t rush.

Because support staff is often urgently needed and relatively cheap in payroll impact, it may be tempting to simply go out and hire the first candidates in the door. Not a good idea. Instead, make a list of the specific skills and characteristics you’re looking for, whether it’s proficiency in certain office systems or a cool attitude to fit in a pressure situation. Then make sure your job ad clearly projects your needs.

Screen, as you would for any job.

Who needs to spend time comparing resumés and calling references for a file clerk? You do! These screening steps are as essential for support jobs as for any other and will help you whittle down the field to the best candidates, without going through a lot of unproductive interviews.

Bring others in.

Support staff usually interact with a lot of people, so it’s wise to call on others and get their needs and preferences before hiring and to invite them to meet or even interview your top candidates. And don’t hesitate to test skills. If the skills are technical in nature, such as computer operations, have the testing done by the relevant manager.

Don’t overhire!

When things are piling up and everyone’s screaming for help, it may seem wise to hire as many support personnel as you can. Remember, though, that crunch time is the exception, not the rule. You can always bring in additional support staff (perhaps through temps). It’s a lot harder to let people go, or worse, to spend your time coming up with things for them to work on when things get slower.

Retention counts for support staff, too.

While you’re dreaming up uber-benefits to keep your CEO or CFO, don’t forget the folks who turn their grand plans into reality. Assemble the best benefits package you can for your top support staff, then use those perks as a recruitment and retention lure.

Don’t be stampeded by cries for help by your internal clients.

Sending them a bad hire is worse than sending them no hire. Work diligently to find the right candidates and those cries will soon turn to cheers.

 

http://trendpersonnel.com/en/news/item/131-6-common-mistakes-in-hiring-support-staff