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Bridging the student to employee divide

On Monday, we launched Student Voice, a three-month initiative giving students a platform to share their job search frustrations, stories, and lessons for employers. Over the next three months, we intend to collect and publish hundreds of entries and share them as widely as possible with decision makers across the country. We want to give students a voice in the world of campus recruitment to change the way that employers and students interact for the better.

We asked students to share their stories by answering three questions. One is: “Based on your experiences, what’s one lesson you’d like to share with employers?” If there’s one response that we’ve overwhelmingly heard over the past week, it’s that new grads want more feedback from employers. They apply, don’t get the job, and are left scratching their heads wondering why.

Why do new grads value feedback?

A lot of people believe that it has to do with what I’m calling the Gen Y factor. Some say this generation has grown up with constant feedback from Mom and Dad, instant results from the Internet and video games, grades from professors and teachers, so therefore they also expect feedback from employers. I’m not discounting this factor as being partially responsible, but I think it’s something much simpler.

Feedback makes you better. Plain and simple. How are you supposed to improve if you don’t know what you’re doing wrong in the first place? If students want feedback, it’s only because they try hard and they are eager to do their best. They want to succeed. I don’t know about you, but this is a quality I’d value greatly in a job candidate.

One of the Student Voice contributors stated it perfectly: “We are the leaders of tomorrow. If the current leaders don’t provide us with feedback, how can we prepare to take over in the future?” Great point.

There’s a problem though. Some employers, will respond with something like this: “We can’t spend the time (or money) giving feedback to every candidate, especially the ones that we’re not going to hire.” That’s a fair point. After all, they are running a business.

To sum it up: students and new grads are unsure of what steps to take to become a successful candidate, and some employers are unwilling or simply unable to provide them with the feedback they need to succeed.

How do we solve this problem?

Simply put, I don’t know. Not yet at least. And that is why we created Student Voice. By sharing student’s stories and experiences we’re hoping we can generate solutions and ideas for employers, as well as help students learn from their peers’ experiences.

I may not have a solution to this divide, but I have some ideas

We need to teach students practical skills like how to write a proper resumé, how to handle an interview, and which paths of study will lead to which careers. I personally do not remember being taught these skills. I remember filling out a questionnaire that told me what I should be when I grow up; I believe I’m supposed to be a chicken farmer or a lawyer. Thanks for that.

Employers

As you know, entry level candidates do not necessarily posses the hard skills that you’re looking for. But the ones who are following up, and asking for feedback, definitely have soft skills like determination, hard work, desire to succeed and improve, etc. These skills demonstrate that this person is serious about becoming your next superstar. Consider this the next time you are hiring new grads for entry level positions.

Join the movement: Fight youth underemployment with us!

Youth underemployment is a big problem in Canada, and we can’t fight it alone. As I mentioned above, I don’t know the answer to this problem. But I do know, that the more voices that are heard, the greater the chance we have of succeeding.

Students: Share your stories and tell your friends to do the same. Every contribution makes a difference!

Employers: Read these stories and learn from them. Listen to these talented, bright minds, struggling to find meaningful employment. This is research right from the demographic that you’re struggling to reach.

Finding top entry level talent

February 22, 2011 / Nathaniel Rottenberg / 3 Comments

For every business or organization, attracting top talent is crucial for long term success and should be the goal for all levels of hiring – entry level to executive. However, determining if an entry level candidate is excellent is a little different than upper level hires. Namely, entry level candidates usually have no previous relevant job experience, making it harder to gauge their suitability. So, how do you assess entry level candidates? Here are three things I believe will help you determine if someone is truly egg-cellent:

Look outside the class room

What have they accomplished or participated in? If it’s relevant to your business, that’s a big bonus, but it’s much more important that the candidate can demonstrate that they have interests and followed through on/committed to them. Did they play on a sports team or were they involved in a club? A person who has done something beyond the bare requirement to graduate shows that they are dedicated, and willing to work hard to succeed.

A question to students and new graduates: Have you accomplished something that you’re proud of? Is it on your resume? I strongly believe it should be. In my resumes ‘accomplishments’ section I include that I earned my blackbelt. Are the skills I learned relevant to any position I may apply for, hopefully not. But it does show dedication and that I achieved success in something that I was passionate about.

Passionate about something, anything

The airport test – Could you spend twelve hours stuck in airports and on planes sitting beside the person you’re about to hire without wanting to repeatedly bang your head against the seat in front of you?

When you’re hiring a new graduate, find out what they do for fun and what their interests are. Your more senior employees are the people who are going to be spending time training and dealing with their countless questions. It’s important that they fit your existing team dynamic and won’t drive your employees crazy.

The extra effort

Here’s a no brainer: have they put in the extra effort to get the job? For example, if you’re hiring for an entry level marketing role, did the person include a marketing plan or some ideas on how they would approach the role? If the person is willing to put in the extra effort to standout, then they will put extra effort in their work.

How do you determine if an entry level candidate is excellent? What is the number one attribute you look for in an entry level hire?

How to keep interns engaged and why it's important

February 16, 2011 / Nathaniel Rottenberg / 3 Comments

I’ve been an intern before. I’ve grabbed the coffees, cleaned the kitchen. I’ve even driven the boss’ car to pick someone up (didn’t mind that one). But on top of the trivial tasks, I also did some pretty meaningful work – tasks like writing proposals to attend conferences and making wicked presentations that were seen by hundreds of people. These tasks benefited the business and freed up other employees’ time.

Meaningless tasks are part of the intern life, but that’s okay as long as you get to do challenging and rewarding stuff too. If an intern is engaged and learning then they can be very productive and beneficial to your business.

Here’s why I think it’s important to keep interns engaged:

An engaged intern will achieve better results and free up your ‘real’ employees’ time, allowing them to do more important tasks.
Treating your interns poorly says a lot about your company culture. An intern may even write about how awful their experience was on their blog, and who wants to have to deal with the consequences of that? Far-fetched? Maybe. Impossible? No.
An engaged intern will be more likely to want to take an entry level position after they complete their internship. Hiring a former intern is less risky than hiring a complete stranger for an entry level position.

I’m guessing a lot of you who are reading this agree with the benefits of keeping interns engaged. The tricky part is how. Interns have no experience and require a lot of hand-holding which takes valuable time away from the employees who are responsible for managing them. Below are three ideas on how to keep interns engaged so you can free up your time and focus on your responsibilities:

Before you take on an intern, develop a project that they can focus on and run with. Let them know that this is their project and they are responsible for the results. This will make them feel more like a full-time employee and free up your time, too.
Challenge them. Assign them a task that’s beyond their skill level and ability and see what they come back with. It’s important to let them know that their assignment is beyond their abilities so as not to discourage them. Young people like a challenge, especially if they think it’s ‘cool’. And who knows, they may even come back with a great result. Bonus.
Tell them about a challenge that is facing the company or a certain department. Let them brainstorm ideas on how they would tackle the challenge. Not only is this a great way to engage them, they may also come up with some great ideas.

An engaged intern will be productive and eager to take on the menial tasks. If you’re going to have interns why not treat them as a potential employee and get them to be as productive as one?

Do you have interns at your company? How do you keep them engaged?

Entry Level Hiring: It's not all about grades…

February 11, 2011 / Nathaniel Rottenberg / 1 Comment

I’ve mentioned this before, and I’m going to mention it again – when it comes to entry level hiring I strongly believe that organizations should hire based on potential for future success. In my last post, I explain why I think this is the correct way to go about entry level hiring. This post will focus on one way to identify someone’s potential: looking at what an applicant has done outside of academics. Are they doing something egg-ceptional? (sorry.)

Let’s take a look at someone who is doing something cool:

Riana is a student at Queen’s University, and she’s doing something cool (Coincidence? I think not). In Riana’s words:

This year I started a club called the Substance Free Social Club, which, like it sounds, is a club where people hang out without drugs/alcohol. It’s open to anyone whether they are already substance-free or just looking to take a night off from their usual lifestyle. It also hopes to connect people on campus who have similar interests and allow people to relax and have a good time.

The club’s overall objectives:

Demonstrate to students that having a good time does not have to involve harmful substances.
Encourage a healthier lifestyle where students take better care of their bodies.
Spread awareness about the opportunities available for students to meet new people and discover new interests.

Riana is demonstrating some very important attributes that businesses and organizations should look for in an entry level hire:

Passion: Passionate people will do great work because they believe in what you’re trying to accomplish. Are you hiring people who are passionate about what you do?
Initiative: Most, if not all, entry level hires are inexperienced. A person who demonstrates the ability to take initiative and learn on their own is a great asset.
Hard worker: Dedication and the ability to put in the hours to succeed will eventually make up for a new graduate’s inexperience.

What attributes do you look for in an entry level hire?

Doing something cool and want to be featured in our It’s Not All About Grades Series? Know of someone who should be? Send an email to nathaniel@talentegg.ca explaining what you’re up to.

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