Top recruitment priorities revealed

Employer engagement and candidate experience are the top recruitment priorities for graduates in 2018, according to two industry leaders.

Software provider WCN and branding firm Universum conducted a global study on job applications and responses from business students to provide insights into why attraction and engagement are key to hiring the best future leaders.

Based on WCN’s report, the following conclusions can be reached:

• Fallout rates are big, so engagement is king – A universal finding is that from the thousands applying, the decline, withdraw and renege rates are consistently in the hundreds. This is proof of the high level of competition in graduate hiring and the need to work harder in engagement and hosting events
• Diversity continues to be a big challenge in student hiring – Male applicants outnumber female applicants, but females receive more offers. Research shows that more can be done to help recruiters understand how to break unconscious bias traits
• Immigration is a booming area amongst graduates – An increasing number of students are applying for roles overseas to gain work experience and nurture their desire to travel etc
• Gaps in ethnicity still exist – There is a gap in roles being filled by minority races across all regions. This could be eased by a greater focus on diversity, particularly in the US and UK

“Things that, until very recently, were key advantages in the race to attract top talent, such as dynamic work environments and the provision of quality L&D opportunities – these things are now more level between best-in-class employers,” said Mike Parsons, Universum’s marketing director and head of activation solutions, Asia Pacific (APAC).

“To really compete for top talent, employers now need to think more like brands. They need to understand what their target talent is seeking from an employer and their career, and become excellent at communicating their employer brand.”

Universum’s data revealed insights into what students expect in an ideal employer:

• 48% of students would not choose an unfamiliar employer
• In every country profiled, having a work/life balance and offering security/stability in jobs were ranked as the top two career goals for business students
• Working in a friendly work environment was the top attraction preference for students in APAC; high future earnings was the most important in the UK; while leaders who support personal development was the top choice for US graduates