As an employer, hiring a graduate can be an exciting prospect. Fresh talent, new ideas, and a willingness to learn are some great qualities that graduates bring to your team. It’s important to ensure your graduate employees feel supported and thrive in their new roles, especially during the first ninety days of their employment.
Studies show that a significant number of employees leave their first job within the first ninety days of employment. Reasons include mismatched expectations, lack of support, insufficient feedback, and limited growth prospects.
Why it’s essential to support graduate employees:
Supporting graduates is essential for several reasons:
- It eases the transition from university to the workforce for graduates. This shift can be challenging for graduate employees, and guidance helps them adapt quickly.
- New graduates face a lot of self-doubt. Reassurance from their employers and colleagues boosts their confidence and fosters self-belief.
- Support enhances their skill development. Graduates bring fresh perspectives and unique talents, but they need opportunities to refine these skills further.
- Graduate employee retention increases. When graduates feel valued and supported, they will stay with the organisation and contribute to the business's long-term success.
- When everyone in the organisation feels supported, it fosters a culture of teamwork, collaboration, and growth, which lends to a positive work environment.
Here are some tips to ensure your graduate employees succeed in the first 90 days:
1. Structured onboarding programme
Graduates need to feel welcome; they need to understand their roles and responsibilities, company values, and the culture of the workplace. Implement a well-structured graduate onboarding programme that introduces your new graduate to the company culture, values, policies, and procedures.
Introduce your new employee to key team members, managers, and stakeholders. Encourage open communication and collaboration from the outset, fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie.
2. Set clear expectations
Provide your graduate employees with a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities. To understand how their responsibilities contribute to the company's success, they need to clearly understand what success looks like during the first ninety days of work and beyond.
Setting clear expectations for their role, responsibilities, and goals ensures that graduate employees understand what is expected of them and what they need to achieve to be successful. This will help them stay focused and motivated, knowing exactly what they're working towards.
3. Assign a mentor
Assign a mentor, or "buddy,” to help your graduate employees navigate their way through the organisation. This person can provide guidance, answer questions, and offer support as needed.
Graduates may feel overwhelmed during their first few weeks, especially if they're working in a new environment. Providing support in the form of an informal mentor can help them adjust to their new role and feel more confident in their abilities.
4. Offer opportunities for growth
Graduates are often looking for opportunities to learn and grow in their roles. Employers offering training programmes, mentorship, and upskilling initiatives will attract and retain graduate employees while helping them to develop new skills and gain experience.
This will not only benefit them and their growth but also your organisation, as you'll have a more skilled and motivated workforce.
Read our article: Mentoring graduates and the benefits to employers.
5. Provide regular feedback
Regular feedback is crucial for any employee, but especially for graduates who are just starting in their careers.
Graduate employees appreciate frequent check-ins with managers and constructive feedback to help them improve and grow. Organisations that do not provide adequate feedback may struggle to engage and retain graduate talent.
Providing feedback on their performance, both positive and constructive, will help graduates understand what they're doing well and where they need to improve. This will help them develop their skills and become more effective.
6. Encourage networking
Encourage your graduate employees to network with colleagues from different departments and on different levels. Facilitating opportunities for graduate employees to network and socialise with their peers and colleagues within the organisation is essential to helping them feel more connected and engaged in the workplace.
This can help them build relationships, gain valuable insights, and expand their professional network.
7. Celebrate achievements
Graduates, like any employee, need to feel valued and appreciated. Celebrating their achievements, no matter how small, can go a long way towards boosting their morale and motivation.
This can be as simple as a verbal or written acknowledgement. The tangible form of written recognition can be particularly motivating, as it can be referred back to in times of self-doubt.
Hiring graduate employees is an effective way to bring fresh talent and new ideas to your company. You can do a lot to ensure that they succeed in their new roles, especially during the first ninety days of their employment. By providing the necessary support, you help your graduate employees thrive and become valuable members of your company for years to come.
RecruitAGraduate works with graduates daily, and we like to ensure their transition from academia into the workforce is a smooth and positive experience. Speak to the experts in graduate talent if you are looking to hire.
RecruitAGraduate is your go-to expert in graduate hiring. Contact us for more information or advice, or load a job.