Graduate recruiters "must target diversity of talent"

Graduate recruiters "must target diversity of talent"

As the student population becomes more diverse and technologically more sophisticated, graduate recruiters striving to maximize their investment will need to adopt new approaches to selection and induction. This includes greater use of information technology, designing assessment methods that give graduates an insight into the job and reducing wastage by offering individually tailored psychological contracts and induction training. This was the message to employers attending a recruitment forum organized by occupational psychologists Pearn Kandola to present research published in The Graduate Recruitment Manual.

Binna Kandola, partner, said:

Organizations spend tens of thousands of pounds recruiting and training each graduate. Their return on investment is affected by poor decision-making or if they are not tapping into the whole of the student community, two-thirds of which is neither white nor male. Retention begins early in the recruitment process. Employers need to be sure about what they are looking for in terms of person-organization fit, but they should also be aware that brand management,mission, values and reputation influence who applies.

The research showed that students making career decisions were found to match themselves to an overall image of the organization, often formed by the media and use of the company's products and services. Equal opportunities were most important among ethnic minority and female students. Ethnic minority students placed most importance on newspaper and word of mouth reports and were put off organizations whose policies and actions diverged from the image portrayed in recruitment material. Acceptance rates were likely to be higher where realistic job previews were included in the assessment process. Giving students a flavour of the role and the company helped the sifting process (through self-selection)and in managing expectations. Using technology also created a positive impression with students, who without exception checked the Web sites of companies they were interested in.

The research revealed that employers could improve retention rates by tailoring the psychological contract to individual needs. Stimulating work,being able to balance work and home life and availability of training and development opportunities were considered as key motivators. The research recommended that induction should aim to deepen understanding of the organization (not only policies and procedures), make clear unwritten rules and let graduates know how and where they could make a valuable contribution.

The Graduate Recruitment Manual is published by Gower, costs £49.50 and is available from Bookpoint Limited on +44 1235 827730.