In an age of Web 2.0 speculation, the career aspirations and wants
of Generation Y are more traditional in focus than many realise.
Despite the Web 2.0 hype, in an independent survey of 2000
graduates, traditional influences, such as 'choosing an
organisation that was good for my career’ was seen as the most
important factor when making applications by 71% of respondents,
with 66% citing the ‘quality of an organisation’s people’ also
being important. For Oxbridge and London graduates, working
alongside the right people was the most important factor overall
according to 75%, and seen as a ‘deal making’ requirement. These
factors highlight a more strategic approach being taken by today’s
graduates than commentators suggest. But it is how these
traditional values of professionalism are communicated in a
Recruitment 2.0 environment that is making the difference.
Martin Cerullo, Director of Resourcing Communications at
Alexander Mann Solutions, comments, “There is a trend at present to
see graduates as a new, unknown entity. Like any demographic group,
they have similar characteristics, which need to be recognised, but
they also have expectations similar to previous generations when it
comes to work. Graduates today are tech-savvy and expect ongoing
communications at every level. But constant and consistent
communication must appear at each step of the recruitment process,
not just on a flashy website, if companies are to recruit the cream
of the crop. It is essential that more traditional elements, such
as the final interview, be presented in the same way if
organisations are to gain a competitive edge. Even in a downturn,
companies need to be thinking about how they attain the top talent
of tomorrow.”
Key findings from the research show:
Financial pull: This is no
longer a defining factor when its comes to choosing a job, with
respondents ranking pay and benefits (59%) lower down the list of
‘must haves’ than the calibre of colleagues.
Not all 2.0: Today’s
graduates expect face-to-face contact, plenty of feedback and the
opportunity to get under the skin of prospective employers, along
with instant 2.0 communications. 68% ranked the tangible aspects
such as the final round interview to have the biggest impact on
their overall perception of a company’s recruitment process,
compared to the online application experience with 39%.
Individualism: Most (63%)
rated the professionalism of an organisation or its caring culture
(62%) as its most important characteristics, while hot topics such
as a potential employer’s environmental or social responsibility
was of interest to under half (44%).
To gain the attention of high calibre graduates, these messages
need to be communicated in the right way. Containing both style and
substance, it has to be experience-led, brand-savvy and delivered
through multi-media channels. 81% cited the company website as the
primary channel for influencing the decision to submit an
application, compared with only 14% for a presentation and 23% for
a recruitment brochure. Graduates also listen to their friends with
70% being influenced by recommendations.
Cerullo, comments, “When assessing the effectiveness of its
graduate attraction strategy, an organisation needs to ask itself
what graduates are looking for, how are we perceived, how can we
differentiate ourselves and what are the most effective ways for
communicating – constantly benchmarking its entire recruitment
process.”
He continues, “Ultimately, to snap up the leading emerging
talent, organisations need to achieve a truly ‘joined-up’
recruitment process. This will be characterised by high-touch
candidate management and communication delivered with a consumer
edge and embracing Web 2.0. But it must also convey a company’s
level of professionalism throughout the recruitment process all the
way through to the final interview stage. If organisations are
looking to achieve a competitive edge, they must mix the more
traditional influences with recruitment 2.0.”