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<\/div>\n?There are some common mistakes employers should avoid when recruiting and hiring new graduates for entry-level positions, according to Yvonne Bell.<\/p>\n
She is senior vice president of people and culture at D2L, a learning platform headquartered in Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, and has served as recruitment specialist for Toyota Motor Manufacturing and associate recruiter and HR manager for KPMG Canada, both in Cambridge. Her work has included college recruitment.<\/p>\n
Employers damage their talent pipeline at colleges and universities when they don’t maintain their reputation with students or their connections to the schools, or when they stop investing in cooperative work programs that Bell said are “vital” to an employer’s recruitment efforts. <\/p>\n
Companies then have to rebuild that trust and connection if they decide to resume those relationships a year or two later.<\/p>\n
Bell suggested the following strategies for employers looking to attract and retain the newest entrants to the workforce:<\/p>\n
Students who have successfully completed cooperative education or internship programs with D2L are tapped to serve as campus ambassadors.<\/p>\n
“They connect with students \u2026 and promote us on LinkedIn,” Bell explained. “We expect them to be visible on campus to go to D2L events and also go to other campus-related events we wouldn’t be at [to] represent D2L \u2026 mainly talking about what their experience was, talking about the culture, our hiring, and kind of acting like a semi-recruiter on campus.”<\/p>\n
Companies can provide guest speakers or classroom equipment and encourage their employees to participate in alumni events. D2L also has employees who teach at various colleges. <\/p>\n
“We definitely support [our employees] if people want to do those sorts of things,” Bell said.<\/p>\n
“We’re active on LinkedIn; we also sponsor hackathons,” Bell said. Additionally, the company is relaunching D2L Night School<\/a>, which it ceased during the pandemic, to be offered one night each quarter on various career topics. For example, during the first quarter of 2020, the program featured a panel of D2L employees discussing imposter syndrome. <\/p>\n “Some [employers] don’t talk about how their role makes a difference,” Bell said. “It’s reasonable to assume that Gen Z [whose oldest members are 26] is generally working entry-level roles,” Cangrade said in its report. “Almost every entry-level role will be filled by Gen Z by 2030. The nature of entry-level roles can create job dissatisfaction, particularly for a technologically advanced workforce looking for professional development.”<\/p>\n For example, if your organization offers paid time off for employees to volunteer and the job candidate has indicated on their resume that they’ve done volunteer work, point out how their interest can be accommodated.<\/p>\n In addition, professional development is important to Generation Z, but “I think [employers] fail to invest [in it] as much as they probably could,” Bell said.<\/p>\n Mental wellness is another area employers should emphasize<\/a> when attracting and retaining young job seekers, she noted. SHRM research<\/a> found that 61 percent of Generation Z respondents said they would strongly consider leaving their current job if offered a new one with significantly better mental health benefits. <\/p>\n\n
Members of Generation Z\u2014the youngest cohort in the workforce\u2014report more unhappiness than their senior counterparts, according to a 2023 report<\/a> from Cangrade, a talent management provider. <\/p>\n\n