The last minute reneging of job offers was a problem for graduate employers in 2016.
According to the Association of Graduate Recruiters 7.1% of job offers made last year were reneged on at the last minute causing disruption to hiring processes. In total, around 1,000 job offers were affected and over half of all businesses were also unable to fill all of their graduate jobs.
The problem is expected to increase this year due to the following:-
- A predicted rise in overall graduate vacancies of 5.4%. Retail, the public sector and engineering will collectively add 1,200 new jobs.
- One third of graduates expect less competition in their sector. As Brexit is expected to impact the availability of foreign graduates in areas such as tech, employers must continue to monitor and review key stages in their recruitment process to avoid those last minute rejected job offers.
The following strategies wlil help to minimise the problem of those last minute rejected job offers:-
Pay attention to onboarding
Engaging with your graduate hire from the time of acceptance to their official start date is vital to prevent your competitor stepping in with a better offer. Ongoing communication and updates preparing them for the start of their working life and what to expect from the first day build anticipation and maintain interest. Invite your graduate recruit to contribute to company blogs, meet other graduate hires or their new manager prior to their start date. Automating the basic elements of your onboarding process enables HR to invest time in making personal connections with your new graduate recruits.
Offer feedback
Graduate careers app Debut recently launched a national petition to request the introduction of new recruitment rules which legally require employers to share feedback with their candidates following an in-person interview. According to the company, over 80% of candidates have never received feedback. Irrespective of the outcome of this petition, over three quarters of people between the ages of 18-23 support this move. It is also supported by major employers including Fujitsu, Network Rail and O2. E-mail was the preferred method of communication for those surveyed. Implement formal feedback into your hiring process through your recruitment software.
….but make it the right feedback
Negative feedback at any stage of your hiring process damages your employer brand. A Tonbridge environmental services company was forced to apologise to a potential graduate recruit this week following the publication of inappropriate comments made by a member of HR which accompanied an invitation to interview. The use of branded, automated messages scheduled through your HR technology prevents your team from making the same mistake. As a further measure, a dedicated hiring portal enables your HR manager to monitor all correspondence and ensure a positive brand message.
Get involved in sector collaboration
Graduates in sectors affected by the skills shortage may feel pressured by competing employers eager to secure their acceptance of a job offer, contributing to the last minute change of mind seen last year. To alleviate this problem, the rural surveying sector has collectively agreed a Rural Charter. As part of this initiative, all businesses will issue their graduate job offers on the same day and allow their prospective hires a week to decide whether or not to accept.
Monitor your key hiring metrics
The candidate experience has a direct influence on your ideal hire's decision on whether to accept your job offer. Part of that is dependent on the efficiency of your recruitment process, including the time it takes for your business to make those hiring decisions. Last year KPMG significantly cut its candidate assessment time from several weeks to one day, with a decision on candidate selection made within two days. Ongoing monitoring of your key hiring metrics enables HR to make improvements to your graduate recruitment strategy and highlight problematic areas, including time to hire and that critical job offer to acceptance ratio among your graduate recruits.
Reduce the number of your last minute graduate rejections. Support your hiring process with world class recruitment software from Advorto.
Contact us today to find out more.
You might also like to read:-
3 Ways To Bridge The Graduate Tech Talent Gap
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