How to keep your graduate offers engaged until their start date
It’s January 2018 and many graduate and intern employers already have or will soon be sending out offers to their preferred candidates. Some of these students may have applied as early as September last year and have been in the pipeline for many months now. So, how do you keep students interested and engaged in your company all the way up until when they start in the summer/autumn? Here we explore 8 different ways you can keep your graduates champing at the bit throughout their finals.
Meet and greet events
By far the best way to keep your graduate and intern hires excited about joining your business is by giving them events to look forward to in the meantime. Meet the team events, company summer BBQs or even just an office tour followed by evening drinks can not only offer students the chance to meet new colleagues before they start, but also allow them to get used to the office and the surrounding location. If you have any no-shows on the day, or if any individuals fail to acknowledge the invite at all, you know you’ll need to investigate further.
Regular contact
It goes without saying that every company should keep in regular contact with their new employees until they start, but for smaller organisations or those with tight budgets and unable to hold events, this is even more important. We would recommend you alternate the contact method from time to time, don’t just plug away a monthly email, it’s all about the personal touch. Why not try phone calls, sending the odd text or some material in the post? You could ask about their holiday or birthday plans or see how they’re getting on finding a flat in the area and make sure you’re completing your half of the deal on time, such as sending out contracts and paying expenses.
Contract advice
Particularly around the offer and contract signing stage, not enough employers offer a friendly ‘how’s it going?’ advice chat when contracts aren’t returned on time. Many employers see this missed deadline as a candidate no longer being interested, but for many graduates signing a contract is just another intimidating phase of the hiring process. We have experienced graduates take as long as a month to return a contract, giving enough time for their mums/dads/uncles/former boss/family friend and the cat to have checked it over for them. During that time, we always have a candidate’s ear over many phone calls to go over any questions or reservations they may have, to help them over the line.
Training
Pre-start date training can help new recruits to feel prepared before they start their new role, so that they can get cracking on day 1. From hosting a full-on training day to supplying online training modules or a recommended reading list, some pre-start date training is a fantastic way to keep your students engaged and help them transition from university life into employment. If technical, on-the-job training is not relevant for your company or roles, why not create some online modules based around personal development, goal setting or career ambitions?
Pre-arrival welcome pack
To help students prepare for their first day, many employers send a pre-arrival pack, including the working hours, team profiles and a reminder of what to expect in week 1. However, what differentiates you as an employer is how much other, non-work-related advice you can offer to make their transition from university into working life as smooth as possible. Many students will be moving to a new city, leaving university and starting their first big job. This is both exciting and stressful so any extra help you can offer will only pay dividends in retaining your talent for the long-term. Information on the best places to live in your city or local transport deals to keep costs down, for example, are all friendly tips that will make your graduates feel at ease.
A Buddy System
Buddies, different to career mentors or line managers, are usually recent or former graduates who have experienced what it’s like to join your company fresh out of university. They know what stages they found difficult or daunting and can provide that extra, personal support to a new joiner throughout their time at the company. Many universities nowadays offer peer support systems, such as a ‘college mum/dad’, and so this concept will be familiar and welcomed by most graduates.
Graduate Programme/Internship Outline
By knowing in advance of joining what they can expect at each stage of the programme, graduates will feel much more relaxed about what the future at your company holds for them. Even a rough guide of when they’ll be rotating into a different team or how frequently they’ll be having appraisals and performance reviews will make them feel much more settled before they arrive. It also allows them to get ahead of the game and start thinking about which teams they may or may not be interested in for rotations.
Graduate drinks
It’s always a good idea to get your latest cohort of students to bond before they start work. Often, they will organise houses together and ask one another those awkward ‘I-should-have-written-this-down’ questions. If an event isn’t possible, you could always create a Facebook group and encourage them via email to join it.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of all the different things you can do to keep your graduates and interns engaged in the roles you’ve offered them until they start. If you’d like to discuss how you can better retain your hired talent, please do not hesitate to drop me a line at: constance@sanctuarygraduates.co.uk. We consult over 100 companies, delivering on their graduate attraction, and we’re always happy to share our knowledge.
