Pictured above: Lucy Cheatham, Marketing Director for Grad
Central
According to a local graduate recruitment specialist, the latest
Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures that revealed UK
unemployment has hit a 17-year high does not paint a true
reflection of the graduate jobs market in the West Midlands.
Grad Central say the war for graduate talent has never been
fought more aggressively, with strong candidates often being
battled over by numerous prospective employers across a spectrum of
industries.
Lucy Cheatham, Marketing Director at Grad Central, commented:
"In the current climate, there's no doubt that recruitment agencies
and internal HR departments are being inundated with candidates.
However, from our experience, top talent are not struggling to find
roles. In the majority of cases, good candidates are balancing
multiple offers, putting them in pole position to choose which
company they want to work for.
"For those businesses looking to take on the best graduates, it
is therefore essential they get their recruitment strategy right.
With more applicants per role than ever before, the screening and
referencing process is critical. Employers need to act decisively,
identify their chosen candidate or candidates effectively and get
them off the market sooner rather than later.
"Unfortunately though, there is some complacency. Major hurdles
are the time and resources businesses have to dedicate to search
for the talent they need. However, the risk of missing your chosen
candidate and having to compromise will only make this worse.
With clearly defined recruitment goals, businesses will be
better placed to combat this."
To help businesses implement a more effective recruitment
strategy, Grad Central has put together its top tips for a
successful recruitment campaign:
• Have a clear plan; closing date for CV's, confirmed
interview slots, confirmed second interview slots, maximum budget
in place and agreed.
• Revisit your job descriptions; make sure your standard
job specs are still fit for purpose, evaluate how the business has
evolved since you last recruited and consider which skills are key
- if time permits start with a blank piece of paper and build your
job profile again.
• Have a clearly defined sourcing strategy; depending on
the urgency of the role make use of your free channels first and
ONLY use agencies if you are sure that the role can't be sourced
internally or from existing networks. Make the sourcing strategy
multi-phased and only move through the stages if you really need to
- don't leave candidates waiting!
• If you are using agencies, ensure they have as much
information as possible, they can't do a great job with one arm
tied behind their backs - so be clear, open and honest - as you
would expect them to be with you.
For further information or to register your details with Grad
Central, visit www.grad-central.co.uk
or phone 01675 461500.