Many modern college graduates have different expectations than employees of the past. A tailored strategy to attract the very best graduates ensures you are not just visible, but at the very forefront to attract the talent your company needs.

See our key tips for recruiting the top accounting graduates into your business.

ENGAGE BEFORE THEY GRADUATE

You will know as an employer that in today’s accounting job market, students often obtain jobs before they leave education. This is notable in the top accounting firms and multinationals through their graduate schemes. Your business must be forward-thinking and consider engaging with students early.

Liaise with universities, show up at campus, connect through social media, guest lecture or even sponsor student-group events. There are so many ways to get your foot in the door and in front of the right graduates, so be sure you are thinking outside the box!

HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE

Our newest and brightest will enter the job market with the expectation that all information required is a touch of button at any point on their smartphone. While we have now all adjusted and acclimatised to the digital world, it is safe to say the newest generations have been born into it.

It is vital you interact with future employees and catch their eye early through social media. Do not just stop at Facebook and LinkedIn. Invest time and budget into a YouTube channel, create an active Instagram and always be on the lookout for new social media trends.

TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA BRAND

The potential employees you look to entice are a generation of reviewers – Googling, judging and reviewing everything online from hotels, restaurants and often workplaces.

Put your best foot forward and take control of your brand online. Cultivate reviews from current employees. Upload photos showing your office at both work and play. Make your website and online presence an extension of your company in an attempt to appeal to potential graduates.

SELL THE OPPORTUNITY

Take the time to craft a job description that really sells. While the right language can be used to make a job more attractive, do not be afraid to utilise additions like video and multimedia.

Be sure to stress the opportunity and promote key aspects that make it attractive, for example, the opportunity for career development and how you see it in your business. Is remote work present or in the future, reassure your potential employee how they may be supported virtually? Is there a social side to your company? Present this to your graduates, as it is sure to appeal to them.

FUTURE CAREER PATH

This may be your first graduate hire, or perhaps you have taken on graduates that are still in your business. Demonstrate to potential hires what the career path will look like with tangible examples and stories of colleagues who followed a similar path. If this is your first hire, map it out for them.

The accountancy and finance career path have many examples and case studies to review of graduates training and qualifying as an accountant. What happens next in your business once they qualify? Is it recommended they make the next career step but onto a business that elevates them further, but your business has facilitated this through your training? Or perhaps they stay in your business and progress up a predesigned career ladder? This can involve helping them attain their accounting qualification, provide professional development and mentorship along the way so they are ready to take that step in the future.

By showing a detailed roadmap as to what their career path could look like, it will paint a clear picture to graduates and it may be exactly what they are looking for versus other businesses.

Best of luck!

To speak with a specialist consultant, contact Armont Recruitment on +353 1 556 3399 or hello@armont.ie