Advertise a student/graduate job

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!  If your company is not well known, it is particularly important to provide some job role details and not just a link to your website.

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 job advert 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.

Manage 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. For short-listed candidates 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/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 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.