Do you want to hire the best talent out of school? Do these 3 things:

For almost 10 years I recruited in the food & beverage industry. My days were filled with networking and interviewing experienced food & beverage professionals. 

Fast forward 4 years, and I spend my days speaking with people on the other end of the spectrum, just starting their career.

I’ve had the opportunity to work with hundreds of students, recent grads and people who are still quite early in their career and here are a few key takeaways when it comes to hiring them.

Here are 3 things you MUST do to attract and hire the most qualified people right out of school.

The Job Description

New grads and those early in their career rely heavily on the description so they can be sure they are qualified for the position. Many have said they won’t even apply if they feel they don’t check every box. 

Make sure you are clear about what you need this individual to do. Surprisingly even for more experienced roles I found myself in situations as a recruiter where the hiring committee were not all on the same page. 

Make the minimum requirements and education very clear. Talk it over with your team and leave off the extras, the ‘nice to haves’ this way you’ll get more applicants because they don’t disqualify themselves.

Lastly, once you hire them, please don’t add to their workload unless the additional responsibilities have been discussed, agreed upon and/or reflect in the compensation. I’ve heard from a number of professionals early in their career who left organizations because they felt taken advantage of—it’s not what they signed up for, literally. 

Plus, in this digital age, they might tell the world about their experience—bad press, especially if other people jump on it by sharing their bad experience, is really tough to recover from.

Compensation Package

Pay them what the role is worth. Pay them what they are worth. 

The worst thing you can do is offer a range then go back on that after moving through the process. Remember, all the way through the process they will be expecting the number that was advertised—even if they accept at a lower number—the relationship starts on a negative vibe.

There is so much information available online. Networking activities and schools prepare grads for employment. They come into the job search with certain education (often student dept) and that comes with a certain starting salary in mind based on the job. Please ensure you have done your research and are offering compensation based on fair market value, you can guarantee the candidate in front of you has!

Also, be ready to negotiate vacation, flex time, remote working.

The pandemic ensured plenty of companies that were not interested in having a 'work from home' policy join the rest of us in 2020!

Due to the nature of the food industry a huge portion of the workforce is required to be there physically to do their job, our valued essential front line workers! That said, where possible, offer benefits that appeal to a younger generation, whose priorities might be different--please don't revert to past practices--that don't belong in today's world--just because that's the way you've always done it.

On-Boarding

So, you have taken this advice and hired the best new graduate. Congrats :)

They are qualified and raring to go! What can you do to ensure all this effort will result in them being a happy, productive and loyal team member? On-board them correctly.

A week before they start send them an email with all the details they’ll need for their first day. Its not enough to only provide a start date—make them feel excited, valued and reduce the anxiety that unanswered questions about the first day will inevitably create.

Related: Why is on-boarding so important foodies?

Effective on-boarding--which includes information sharing and training—is something all new hires need regardless if they are grads or have 10 + years experience. All companies operate differently and have their own culture, process and nuances.  Don’t skip this part.

Ensuring your new hire feels confident, capable and knowledgeable on the first day, first week, first 6 months and the first year is YOUR responsibility (whether they are a new grad or bring 10+ years experience).

They need to be willing participants for sure BUT you need to engage them from the beginning of the interview process on-wards. That’s the privilege you have as an employer in this amazing industry!

Do you have any more tips for employers looking to hire students and grads? Do you have any questions about hiring students and grads? I am happy to help.

www.foodgrads.com