Top tips for attracting talent
Working at the interface between students and employers puts us in a unique position; in particular, our individual careers work with students grants us an insight into how they job search and what motivates them to apply for specific companies and roles.
Read below our Ten Top Tips for attracting the best talent to your organisation and the results of a nationwide student survey, under What Students Want from an Employer.
We work with organisations of all sizes and across all sectors, including; large Irish and multinational firms, government departments, public sector bodies, professional bodies, SMEs, family businesses, start-ups, schools, hospitals charities, NGOs and EU Institutions.
No matter what size of an organisation you are, we hope you find our Top Tips for attracting talent useful!
Email us at careers@dcu.ie if you have any questions.
Most graduates start their job search by putting the word ‘Graduate’ in the search bar. Even though you may have posted an ‘Analyst’ role on a university jobs board, unless you specifically state the role is suitable for a graduate, they may not believe it is.
Be clear about the type of contract you are offering and to whom, e.g. if it is a fixed term contract include who your target audience is e.g. intern student or graduate.
Check that your closing date gives students/graduates enough time to view and apply for the role.
To help attract the right candidates be sure to provide details about what the job involves, i.e. state what the duties/ responsibilities are. If project work is part of the job, provide examples of previous projects. Be mindful that including perks and benefits without job details will not necessarily get you the right candidates!
Don’t just provide a link to your website, without some job role details, especially if your company is not well known.
Include your target degree disciplines and if you are open to all degree disciplines, do state this to attract more diverse candidates.
Many graduates don’t apply for a job they are perfectly capable of doing: sometimes this is because there are acronyms they don’t understand or there is ambiguous language. Make your advert and its language clear, concise and tailored to the sort of applicant you want to attract.
You may find these tips on recruiting neurodiverse talent helpful.
Be clear about your ability to take graduates on a visa or simply request that graduates state their eligibility to work in Ireland and their current visa status if applicable.
Mange candidates' expectations around what your recruitment process involves and the approximate timeline e.g. 'Candidates can expect to be contacted within approximately 2 weeks of the deadline for submitting their CV and cover letter. The next stage is a 20 minute telephone interview followed, a week later, by an in-person interview on our company premises at X location.'
Consider making direct asks in your adverts, around what you would like to see in a CV, e.g. a list of degree modules or details of projects. By directing candidates in this way, you could achieve responses that are more appropriate.
Graduates can be suspicious of unclear salaries. If you have a range in mind, make it a neat range, e.g. ’ €29,000- €32,500pa depending on your experience.’ Large salary ranges like €24,500- €34,500 could make them suspicious. They may read this as a lower start with impossible targets to meet.
Realism is always much more successful in attracting and keeping the right candidates.
Many graduates value training and learning opportunities. Portraying a sharing culture, with the chance of internal training and development can entice students to apply for a position within your company.
If you are an SME with little or no budget for any external training, then be sure to emphasize any internal training you offer and the learning support from a friendly and helpful team.
Give examples of growth and development that previous graduates or entry level recruits have had in your company.
Consider also offering a mentor, as this can be an attractive benefit.
Think about what makes your business different and attractive to prospective graduate applicants.
Research shows that there is a big interest in activism in this generation. In your job adverts, mention any: sustainability initiatives; company efforts to offset an environmental impact; charity partners and any volunteer days for staff.
Are you working with well-known, reputable businesses? Use other brands to attract graduate attention, give them confidence and loan credibility to your business from their perspective.
No matter where your company location is, be sure to promote the benefits of working in that area and the fantastic opportunities there - like yours!
For example; your company is near a particular Luas line or there are regular trains from points ABC to XYZ
Attractive and relevant content created on social media can have a positive impact in promoting your business. This can also be a great stretch project for creative students/graduates.
Rewards such as ‘refer a friend’ can encourage more word-of-mouth applications from your existing staff and/ or between graduate and student networks.
GTI conducted an Early Careers Student Survey on 18,994 Irish students (all year groups) in 30+ institutions in Ireland in autumn 2021.
The survey results below provide some good student insights which you may find useful when planning your recruitment campaigns and deciding on your assessment processes.
1. Internships
For 59% the top reason to do an internship is to learn skills relevant for their career
1 in 3 have already done an internship and almost all students want an internship.
Check out how to hire a DCU student for an internship as part of the degree, on INTRA
2. Location of a job
48% will move anywhere in Ireland for a job
25% prefer to stay in their home area
25% are willing to work abroad
10% prefer to work in the place where they studied
3. Students’ view of their skills and how it impacts on applying for jobs
Males self-report as being confident in technology, leadership skills and problem solving.
Females self-report as being confident in communication, creative skills , organisational ability, initiative-taking and self-drive.
Non binary option not provided.
4. Support expected from an employer
39% want a mentor/ buddy
30% want mental health support
28% want financial aid for remote working (this may depend on their socio economic group and cover fees for remote working hubs or better internet connectivity).
5. Assessment method preferences
50% prefer face to face interviews
42% prefer live online interview
4% prefer recorded (video) interviews
4% prefer virtual assessment centres
This survey also highlighted that students with a disability are more likely to drop out of the assessment process.
Check out these tips on recruiting neurodiverse talent.