Top Tips to Keep Your New Graduates Engaged During the Acceptance to Start Date Lull from GradConnection
New graduate onboarding begins from the moment they accept your offer. Done well, and you can positively enhance your employer brand experience and employee engagement. Done poorly, and you might end up on the receiving end of a few reneged offers or find yourself battling disengagement and higher turnover.
Here are a few ideas to keep your new graduates engaged post acceptance.
The Trouble with Low (No) Grad Engagement
You might think that because 84% of your recruited graduates said ‘yes’ to your once-in-a-lifetime career proposal, they’re bonded to you for life. But – we wouldn’t bank on that!
Gen Z grads seek communicative and inclusive organisations. So, the more you can remain connected with them after the fuss of assessment centres and letters of agreement has settled – the more likely you’ll see bright, eager, and engaged grads report for duty in the new year.
Our Top Tips to Keep Your New Grad Engaged Post Assessment Centre
Employers have stated that more often than not, they made no effort to maintain contact with appointed graduates between the time of their acceptance and their start date. This lull period is the perfect opportunity for you to enhance your relationship with grads, strengthen their engagement with you, AND boost your employer brand.
Here are a few simple ideas to keep you connected:
1. Provide vacation work, casual, or part-time work
Some recruitment processes are finalised 6-months before the graduate’s official start date. Show them you love them by providing paid work experience in the interim. It doesn’t need to be in their graduate role or area of expertise – exposing them to the inner workings of your core operations provides an invaluable insight they can apply to their new role. Our director, Tony, spent 10 weeks working as a bank teller at his local Westpac branch – to equip him with industry and technical knowledge he could apply to his graduate IT role once the program started.
2. Assign them a special project
Depending how early you secure your graduate, you might have the option to get them in earlier to tackle a business project. Management team-assigned special projects provide students with practical work experience; A simple and effective strategy to gently introduce your grad to the organisation, your systems, people, and operations. You could also try an internship.
You can access a database of 12,000 active job-seeking-students by promoting your opportunities on sg.gradconnection.com.
3. Connect new graduates with existing cohorts, buddies, and mentors - early
Don’t wait until your new graduates commence work – connect them with former grad cohorts, buddies, and identified mentors as soon as they’ve signed on the dotted line. Create an exclusive email group, LinkedIn, or Facebook group, for them to introduce themselves, share their favourite program experiences and advice, or arrange social get-togethers to break through the awkwardness of work first-days.
4. Send newsletters or email communications
Regular communication from the graduate program or the graduate’s manager helps you connect new graduates to your business, early. Think about relevant (and public) company news, team updates and events, and helpful graduate program information that will keep them abreast of all the important stuff and help prepare them for their first day.
5. Go digital – virtual tours and apps
Again – it’s about providing useful information that helps your grads adjust to their new roles. Companies are getting creative and introducing customised apps that onboard talent, providing virtual office tours, program training schedules, and a company ‘welcome pack’ to cover off all those niggling frequently asked questions.
Continue the Graduate Conversation
Nothing is guaranteed in graduate recruitment until they step foot through your front door – but these five tips encourage ongoing conversations, so you can maintain their engagement and relationship with your brand. Continue the graduate conversation and keep your fresh new talent warm and engaged and excited about employment with you.
If you would like assistance with your graduate recruitment please get in touch with GradConnection today on [email protected].
