Human resource departments in organisations are restricting how they are hiring new employees. This is due to the need for hiring more so-called “GenZ” employees who are entering the market. This age group tends to use internet technology more to perform their tasks, including finding work and internship opportunities.
Currently, HR departments in various industries are recruiting students. But, what is the best hiring procedure when you decide to hire students? If you need some tips on hiring students & graduates, read below 👇
To ensure that more students send applications for your open positions, you should consider writing a description that favours them. Students require a job that is flexible and allows them to work from anywhere. This gives them more autonomy, and allows them to choose spaces where they can concentrate and work professionally.
Many HR departments tend to consider high-performing students. But, are they up to the task to ensure they do your work well? Most recruiters tend to check for students who perform the best at their educational institutions, but that should not be a requirement for your company.
You can find an average-performing student who can work the best for your company, unlike a top performer who gives all they have to stay at the top of their class.
Before hiring a student, check instead if they have any work experience (holiday work, travel, internships or work in their gap year), and ask them about any self-motivated projects they’ve attempted (like creating an app, or charity initiatives, etc.). Asking these questions will enable you to see what kind of work ethic the student has, what their interests and skills are, as well as whether they are self-motivated and able to manage their time and resources.
More students tend to apply for jobs on freelance capacity. This means you can reach your suitable candidate via a global freelance platform like Fiverr, Shortlist, Upwork or Freelancer. Here you’ll find students that have the experience you’re looking for, at rates you can afford.
When you work with students from different parts of the world, you’ll also grow the diversity and collective skills of your workforce.
Use a communication method that students are familiar with when reaching out to them during the hiring process, for instance via the recruitment platform you’re using or via app messaging. This tends to make your company more accessible and friendly.
Additionally, it will build a solid and long-term relationship with potential employees on a personal level. So, make your communication pleasant and straightforward for your potential student employee to understand.
A vital requirement before hiring a student is to check their profiles. Check their social media profiles to know the student better. This will allow you to see if the student employee has good communication skills, a healthy lifestyle as well as whether they have a good rapport online.
You might be asking yourself as an HR professional, What are the advantages of hiring a student compared to someone more skilled or experienced?
I’ve listed a few of them for you below:
Students tend to adapt to a new working environment faster, because they are already in learning mode. Having fast learners at your company allows you to have an easy time monitoring the employee’s growth and helping them adjust their workflow where necessary. Students are also very keen to do their best and prove themselves (as long as it’s the kind of job they want in future!), so you can rely on great work being delivered.
Having a GenZ cohort at your workplace brings fresh perspectives, new working ethic and more knowledge to your company.
Digital transformation in every aspect of business is not a new phenomenon, but is rapidly taking place. The older generations are often not so well-versed in using tech and need more training and practice. However, GenZ — the generation who have grown up with the internet and mobile phones — will have an easy time using new technologies and need minimal training.
There’s no doubt that student talent can deliver ground-breaking work when their skills, values and experiences are harnessed properly. Therefore, HR departments should not only focus on recruitment, but also on retaining new employees. Moreover, these are aspects that should be addressed right from the beginning. Therefore, a solid process for both attracting & retaining this talent should be key. Here’s what you can do:
As a human resource department, hiring students is not easy. All you require is to follow these tips, and you should be well on your way to better recruitment of and working with students and interns.
Timothy Miller is an educational writer at Thesis Geek. He also authors in-depth guides on blog creation and the practices for ensuring optimal blog productivity. Also, Timothy helps businesses create engaging content in various fields, thus gaining quality traffic and cementing their online presence.
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