What to look for when hiring college grads
In my 20 years in the startup space, I’ve had my fair share of interactions with college graduates entering the workforce.
After conducting thousands of interviews, sifting through a glut of resumes and analyzing decades of on-the-job performances, I’ve drawn some conclusions about how to make the most educated hiring decisions based on what I’ve found to be the most telling factors.
Hiring recent college graduates can be advantageous. Young workers don’t command huge salaries, and my experience has shown that they tend to be hungry and ambitious as they enter their first jobs.
For these reasons and more, such a hire could be exactly what your business needs, especially if you’re in a position to add manpower right now. Here are six things I look for when considering adding a recent college graduate to my team; they likely will be useful for you as well.
1. Work ethic
I scout out hard workers more than I do the genius ones. Hard work is sustainable and adaptable, and that’s what I want my teams predicated on. Make sure that you see a relentless work ethic and drive at the core of anyone you take in.
I view this as far more valuable than a 4.0 GPA or going to an Ivy League school.
2. Humility
Egos destroy workplaces. The best employees recognize that they are a mere part of a larger function, and that they are not above work they might deem below them. If you sense that a recent college senior may be too high on himself or herself, pass.
“Being humble is important,” said Shahed Islam, CEO at SJ Innovation LLC, a web development company that helps employees generate client success. “Younger employees typically align better with company culture by grasping that they are a vehicle to reach the larger firm’s benchmarks — and this approach often stimulates both employee and brand growth simultaneously.”
3. Desire to grow
Just as your business is on a growth track, your workers should be too. View your employees as human investments, and you’ll always get the best return on the ones who continue to learn, mature and refine their skills. As their abilities and knowledge sets progress, so will your company’s value and profitability.
4. Professionalism
This can mean a variety of things, from proper conduct to appropriate dress. One aspect of professionalism particularly continues to be a source of conversation in 2017: presence and activity on social media.
“Since many employers precheck candidates on social media, there should be nothing professionally incriminating or socially embarrassing out there,” said Dr. Elliot D. Lasson, a professor of organizational psychology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and a human resources expert. “After all, the person, if hired, will be representing the company, its brand and image. Employers will not want to take a chance on those with poor reputations if they have others to consider.”
Widespread social media usage has compounded the scrutiny on this matter, especially as many companies now view social platforms as requisite to their marketing campaigns and consumer engagement initiatives. In these cases, tweaking privacy settings and creating separate accounts for work and personal life can be beneficial.
5. Millennial perspective
Graduating college in the past year, if nothing else, means owning insight about the current millennial trends and tendencies that someone out of college for years surely lacks. Many don’t realize just how valuable this perspective is.
Getting first-hand information on the 18-30 age group directly from a millennial can prove instrumental in business strategy. College graduates who underscore the value of their perspective are immediately worth your consideration.
6. Stress reduction
Finding a new hire who can take a burden off the boss’s shoulders is one of the most valuable skills out there. The many intricacies and moving parts of running a business create inevitable stress, so relieving a manager of a project, task or communication has unquantifiable value.
“The ability to reduce a senior manager’s stress in any way is the underdog of professional skills,” says Doron J. Fetman, CEO of Eff Creative Group, a creative agency that’s on the Inc. 500 list. “This is a rare and under-appreciated quality that not many can outwardly show but proves to be invaluable for me as a CEO. Particularly when a company expands its operations, senior-level executives and managers need a solid foundation of employees who can alleviate their stress during challenging times to form a successful business.”
Take advantage of the latest class of graduates flush with perspective and qualities that can help your business flourish.