The Advancements in Graduate Recruitment in 2014 and Beyond

Graduate recruitment…. a phrase most at university dread the sound of as the years of education are left behind and the first steps onto the career ladder are tentatively taken. Despite uncertain times in recent years, things are finally starting to look up for the UK recruitment industry as unemployment levels start to fall and people affected by the recession are slowly but surely getting back into work.

With this, soon to be graduates readying themselves for the world of work should look on this prospect with fresh optimism, as the chances of finding a job are now more likely than for many in their position in recent years.

Things are changing though, and the tried and trusted methods of recruitment are evolving in line with innovations in technology. This applies to both the graduate looking for work and the recruiter in the way they advertise positions, as leading graduate recruitment agency GradWeb explore below;

Mobile Friendly Job Adverts

Almost everyone has a mobile phone with access to the internet and more people than ever are making the most of it. With internet connections available pretty much anywhere, those looking for work aren’t restricted to when they can look, so it is vitally important that those recruiting for positions make sure their websites are mobile responsive to make it as easy as possible for potential employees to get the details they require.

Whilst internet connection is available almost anywhere, a graduate looking for a role may have limited internet availability or bandwidth and will also be working from a smaller screen, so recruiters need to ensure all of the necessary information is easily accessible and can be taken on board without delay.

Social Media

Following on from the above point, social media is now and will continue to play a huge role in how positions are searched for and recruiters advertise.

For the graduate looking for positions, posts on the likes of Twitter and Facebook from employers enable direct access to information on the roles available, taking away the need to search through traditional job sites with jobs that may simply not be applicable.

When it comes to the recruiter, social media offers multiple benefits when advertising for new staff. You can get your job advert out to the masses through a simple update whilst also avoiding the costs associated with alternative forms of job advertising. There are some important considerations to make when advertising through social media though, as this post explains.

What’s more, applicants for positions can be handpicked if you see a profile of interest on the likes of LinkedIn, whilst additional research can be easily undertaken on any applicants who have applied for the position you have available ahead of an interview.

Video Interviewing

Video interviewing is very much in its infancy and is important to note that it is not the same as a conference call. A video interview can act as the first interview, however avoids the need to actually meet up with the candidate for the role at that stage. For those who have expressed an interest in the advertised role, a series of questions can then be send through by the recruiter for the applicant to film themselves answering.

For the recruiter, this avoids having to meet up with all candidates on the first occasion, especially if there has been significant interest registered. Furthermore, videos can be watched and reviewed as many times as is necessary and can also be distributed to others in the organisation to pass judgement ahead of making a decision on whether to invite them in or not.

When it comes to the graduate applying for the role, this can remove some of the nervous tension that comes with what is likely to be the first proper interview ever undertaken and also enables it to be completed at a time which best suits; all in all making the first interview stage considerably less stressful.

Gamification

This really is a growing recruitment trend and one which will most certainly appeal to the modern graduate. Recruiters are attracting the interest of potential new employees by creating game-like scenarios in non-game context to determine key skills of individuals as well as developing a fun and exciting way of putting forward your interest in a role.

There have been a number of examples of companies using this innovative gamification method of recruitment to great success and it seems like it is only going to become more popular in the years to come. Seen as an effective way of improving the efficiency of the whole recruitment process and almost hand picking the most suitable candidate based on the way they applied themselves in the gaming scenario, this truly is one of the most advanced methods of recruitment ever seen.

Graduate recruitment is evolving, both for the graduate and the recruiter, with these advancements being just a few of many more that are set to take hold throughout 2014 and beyond.

This post was written by Oliver Kyle in partnership with GradWeb; a recruitment agency tailoring graduates to their perfect first positions in the world of work.