Young and keen. The opportunities new grads bring to your firm

For too long, many firms have focused on only bringing in the most experienced talent or the ones with the best referrals from big-name organisations.

While someone who is seasoned and has spent many years in the industry will have impressive connections and seem to require less training, organisations who bypass new graduates in the candidate pool are actually missing out on the opportunity of having someone who is full of fresh ideas and energy.

And that’s what new grads typically are. They are fresh out of university and eager to contribute and make a name for themselves in the industry. They look forward to applying everything they’ve learned from the classroom in real-life situations. They’re hungry for new experiences.

For this reason, many firms bring in graduates on programs every year for short-term work, year-long and longer programs. Many of these programs focus on enabling young graduates to experience different areas of the firm, expose them to technical specialisations, and gain experience by working with more seasoned practitioners.

Fresh graduates are like clean slates, they don’t have any previous experiences to compare this new opportunity with. Experienced employees, on the other hand, come with pre-conceived habits and notions that are difficult to disregard (that’s not to say this is ‘wrong’ – it might be just what your firms need). With a new grad who doesn’t have the previous background, the adjustment is easier because they don’t need to unlearn old habits. You can cultivate them into the right type of employee by melding them into your culture with far less resistance than a seasoned employee would.

New recruits and new graduates entering your firm are without the baggage of your legacy systems and approach to chorale their thinking. This provides opportunity for change and growth, as well as gain you a marketing advantage.

Should you leverage fresh talent to enhance and power your marketing?

The business ideals of new grads are different. They’re in tune with the latest trends that are needed to bring relevant ideas to the table. Their level of comfort with technology and social media can be considered as an asset as marketing trends continue to pull away from conventional practices and towards social media and digital marketing.

With video content now in demand more than any other form of content, having a new grad’s perspective would be a huge advantage for a firm who needs to get caught up on trends and start creating compelling videos. They’re probably already posting daily stories online themselves.

But beyond having the ability to tap into their innovative perspectives, having a new grad on your team means having access to their networks. This includes not just their families but their friends from university and colleagues from their internships. Their highly engaged and extensive connections on social networks offer your firm a huge opportunity to extend your reach.

Because fresh grads come to you eager, motivated, and grateful for the opportunity, employee advocacy comes naturally to them. And an employee advocate can raise awareness and generate positive exposure for your firm.

Today’s breed of graduates are no longer considered millennials; they’re Gen Zers. Generation Z has been described as tech-savvy, social, visual, and global – all traits that describe where your marketing should be headed.

With 2018 as the year that many industry leaders believe that artificial intelligence and new automation tools will be tested to see how they perform before they are fully integrated, a firm that doesn’t have the ability to keep up will get left behind.

As the generation who grew up in the digital world, the new grad’s innate aptitude for tech and eagerness to adopt new gadgets and tech trends can give your firm an edge. With marketing practices evolving, organisations need people who seamlessly integrate technology into their everyday lives.

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