Fresh Graduates’ Employer Preferences – What Should You Do as an Employer?

 

What Fresh Graduates Want from Employers in the Age of Great Resignation: Money is at the Center of It

 

Fresh graduates are still up in the air when it comes to their prospects. As unhappy professionals grow more and more vocal, it’s forcing businesses of many shapes to move towards real change.

Organizations that have maintained their unpleasant status quo are now getting serious about adopting the beloved leader behaviors many experienced and talented graduands are looking for.

From a study conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) that included 157 employers of fresh graduates, graduands are looking for employers with specific traits.

Here is what the study discovered in relation to what new graduates are looking for from their new employers.

 

What Do Fresh Graduates Want from Their Employers?

 

Transparency

 

For college graduates, salary ranges on job ads make them more likely to apply and less likely to switch jobs. From the study, more than half of graduates surveyed said they need to see salary ranges in a job ad in order to be enticed to apply. Meanwhile, 36% of them stated that they would like to see evidence of work-life balance. 37% of them indicated that they would also like to see opportunities for career advancement in the job ads.

Indicating salary ranges on the job advert is not a common practice among many employers. You may want to consider trying it out if you want to attract the best young talent among college graduands.

 

Diversity

 

Fresh graduates have a lot of options. They want to make sure that the people they work with represent different viewpoints and backgrounds. Often, graduates are less attracted to employers that show signs of any form of bias. This can include bias in terms of salaries paid, based on racial origins, gender, as well as physical attributes.

From the study, 33% of the interviewed graduate employees stated that they would turn down a job offer from a company that does not embrace diversity.

Additionally, 26% of the interviewed graduate participants indicated that they would not consider working with a company that does not acknowledge the leadership of women and marginalized groups in its top-tier leadership positions.

 

Psychological and Social Support

 

Many graduands also want to ensure that their employers are mindful and supportive of their mental health and well-being. They want to be sure that their employer can invest in their mental wellness. They want to freely speak about their mental health issues without ridicule.

From the study, 90% of college graduates said it’s important to discuss mental wellness in the workplace. 84% of them stated that they were looking for a company that would invest more in mental health support infrastructure.

From this study, it’s clear that these three factors are at the forefront of what employers should be doing when attracting and retaining new talents.  

Do you need more information on what you should be doing to attract and retain the best talent on your team? Consult with us today.