This week, our reading list explores the ways your business could benefit from hiring graduates, as well as some ideas on how best to recruit them, and initiatives in place to better integrate them into the workplace.

  1. Hiring graduates: how the benefits outweigh the disadvantages

Many graduates will be fairly new to ‘real life’ working environments. They may be unaware of office protocols and unpractised in working in large teams, and this can make them a daunting hiring prospect. However, graduates can also offer your organisation myriad benefits.

“Recent figures even suggest that Millennials will be the first generation to earn less than their parents, so with the odds against them, working hard to impress will be more important to these employees than ever before. Plus, they’ve just left academia, so will be primed to learn even more in order to succeed.”

This Glassdoor blog lists 10 reasons why your organisation should be hiring graduates, from their natural inquisitiveness to their willingness to adapt to your company culture.

Read it now: 10 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Graduate


  1. A scheme to ease graduate transition into the workplace

The KTP is a government-run initiative, which matches businesses who have an idea for a new project, with a graduate who has the relevant skillset and an academic team that can provide the necessary support. This, therefore, provides the graduate with hands-on experience in a supportive environment, while supporting the businesses with additional knowledge, skills and structure from the academic team.

It’s a fantastic venture that benefits businesses and universities, as well as the graduates themselves. This slide deck from Dr Susan Matos at the University of Reading, can help you discover “how KTP could alter your approach to graduate recruitment or open a new door for your organisation”.

Read it now: Transforming graduate recruitment: KTP


  1. The human touch should not be lost in graduate recruitment, despite the rise in tech

As recruitment is changing and becoming more streamlined with the development of better technology, there are those who question whether grad recruitment will suffer as a result.

“This new generation are a good bunch of kids who are really passionate about the world in which they live and they should be treated as such. And what is more, they like to be interacted with slightly differently than other generations have been interacted with. We should not confuse technology with a loss of personalisation.”

In HR Review’s question and answer-style article, Bob Athwal argues that the human touch is an essential part of grad recruitment that shouldn’t be lost with the rise of recruitment technology.

Read it now:  Bob Athwal – It is crucial that the human element of graduate recruitment is retained


  1. The long- and short-term benefits of hiring graduates, despite their lack of experience

And finally, a reminder that recruiting graduates is a fantastic opportunity for your workforce, despite their possible lack of workplace experience.

“When looking to hire new and enthusiastic team members, businesses often question why they should hire relatively fresh graduates over candidates with more experience. So we decided to share our ideas on why sometimes, experience isn’t everything.”

This infographic from Give a Grad a Go details the many advantages of hiring graduates, in spite of the lack of experience they may boast.

Read it now: Experience isn’t everything – business benefits of recruiting graduates

About the author

Tristan Potter

Tristan has a decade's worth of experience writing content and copy for organisations across Bristol and the Southwest of England. He has written on a diverse range of topics, including technology, philosophy, politics, and recruitment. His writing has appeared in The Drum, HR Grapevine, and The Guardian, among other publications. He joined Hireserve in March 2022.