How university students and young graduates can invigorate your company: The benefits of hiring young people

19 Jan

Written by Shinyi Chin

Edited by Eliza Wright & Grace Pehar

We hear it from hiring managers, ‘they don’t have enough experience’, ‘they’re too young’, ‘they’re still in uni’ - typical reasons for bypassing university students or fresh graduates in their search for a new employee.

We also see it in job descriptions - entry level roles that require ‘1-2 years experience’, followed by a list of other skills and experience that only comes with working in a role for 3 to 5 years.

I get it. I do.

From the perspective of the company, there are risks that come with hiring this younger cohort. But university students and fresh graduates can be a real asset to your company if given the opportunity. As someone with more than 10 years experience working with this cohort of 18-24 year olds, I strongly believe that given the right mentorship and training, young people can and will thrive.

So here are my top 3 benefits of why you should give university students and fresh graduates a chance the next time you’re thinking about hiring.

Controversial opinion: Invest in young people, not crypto

Let’s start with the biggest hurdle of them all - their lack of skills and experience. However, this also means that they are a blank canvas, open to learning new skills and ready to absorb all the new information you feed them. They are not set in their ways and don’t have preconceived notions when it comes to ways of doing things. As an employer, if ready and willing, you are in a good position to train them and even shape their role to fit your business.

Sure, there is the potential drawback of them leaving the company after you’ve invested so much time and energy into training them up. Despite this, training university students and fresh graduates can be exceedingly rewarding. Personally, nurturing and developing new talent to be the next star employee is an intrinsic reward that drives my own performance and success at work.

And when they eventually spread their wings and move on to a bigger role in a bigger company, their performance would act as free promotion for your company; not only boosting your company’s reputation but also potentially forming new connections via networking. Now, that’s a diverse portfolio.

Adaptability: An underestimated quality

University students and fresh graduates are quick and adaptable learners. In a mere 5 years, they have to transition from high school to university, from living at home to living independently outside of home, from a guided learning style in school to a more autonomous learning process at university.

This transition into young adulthood is one of the most exciting times in one’s lifetime, but also one of the most underestimated life transitions. University students and fresh graduates are going through many changes during this time of their life, and these rapid changes help develop their adaptability skills.

This means that they are well-positioned to evolve with your company and are most likely to embrace changes. Not only are they eager to absorb information and hungry to learn new things, they are also more adaptable to new instructions and training.

Full of beans: Not just in your coffee, but in human form

Remember when you got your first ‘real job’? How excited were you! University students and graduates bring with them bounds of energy and enthusiasm that can be very infectious. Their positive attitudes and eagerness to contribute will boost morale and liven up the atmosphere at your workplace. Recently, I arrived into the office and slumped into my chair (in quite a dramatic fashion) one morning, exclaiming “we have so much to do” in an exasperated tone, only to be greeted with “that’s so exciting!” by one of my interns. That certainly changed my perspective and mood for the day.

This is of course not a guarantee. Young people, like any human being, won’t be in a good mood 24/7. And, not every young person you hire will be an extrovert. But younger staff will bring with them different experiences and different attitudes, thus contributing fresh ideas, perspectives and a new outlook.

Like anything in life, there are risks and benefits in decision making. I would definitely recommend companies giving university students and fresh graduates a chance, but then again my opinion is biased. A way to mitigate risks is perhaps to hire them on a contract or project basis, offer them an opportunity to see if they are a good fit for your company and vice versa. Test them out as potential employees without long-term expectations and go from there.

What has your experience been like hiring or working with university students and fresh graduates?

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Andrew Ford

Marketing expert Andrew Ford, the founder of Social Star, has discovered the secret of ‘Powerful Branding’. With a fire for unleashing people’s inner brand and developing business models to generate profit from an individual’s passions, Andrew leverages ground-breaking digital and social media marketing techniques to create digital strategies for clients to attract maximum opportunities. Having established a strong name for himself in the field, Andrew blends traditional business techniques with now-necessary tools for entrepreneurs to achieve scale, quality, and influence in their niche. Andrew’s comprehensive business background and qualifications consist of a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) (RMIT 2003), a Graduate Certificate in Management (MBA Executive Program, University of Sydney 2005), and a Masters of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Swinburne University 2011). Continually on the cutting edge of his own education, Andrew has tested his marketing theories in forums such as the BCG Business Strategy Competition, which he won in 2005 against all Victorian MBA schools, and the Venture Cup Business Plan Competition (Swinburne University 2003), which he won in the Masters category. With experience working at Hewlett-Packard, Sensis (Telstra) and IBM, Andrew also has mentored dozens of junior staffs to help them achieve their professional goals. Meeting and influencing high-profile public figures helped Andrew to realise just how many professionals require more understanding and control of their public brands or appearance, and need help with the skills to use the many amazing free tools at their disposal to generate success. At Social Star, Andrew consults with clients to uncover their personal brand – both where it is today and where it can be tomorrow – and refine and define how that should be displayed in social media in order to attract their perfect target audience. Andrew mentors his clients to rapidly grow their business’ audiences, resulting in larger potential client bases and higher revenue. Applying formulas that integrate over twenty years of Andrew’s business experience and fifteen years of formal business education, Social Star specialises in building clarity and velocity for clients’ brands using the ‘Understand, Build and Leverage’ methodology. ‘Having a Personal Business enables people to have an authentic, congruent connection with their valued clients and partners, using their brand as the bridge,’ says Andrew. ‘I’m highly driven to work with the new breed of entrepreneurs and small business owners – people who have a passion for making the world a better place. Traditional business models are stepping aside as people follow their innermost dreams and my role is to see them operate within their values while creating wealth. Some people think you have to sacrifice what you love to be successful in your business, yet it is actually the opposite. Follow your passion and success will come.’ Lecturing at Swinburne University from 2009 to 2011 on brand dynamics and digital marketing, presenting at numerous conferences, and consulting to hundreds of clients, Andrew has seen his philosophy work that if you follow your unique path, based on your skills, experience, values and goals, you will automatically attract the opportunities you desire and achieve the success you deserve. Living his mantra, Andrew has created a successful business and attracts high-profile clients including musicians, athletes, authors, models, entrepreneurs, professionals and small business owners, helping them find their ‘why’ in their business and fulfilment in their lives. Business for Andrew is more than work, it’s personal. Running a personal business means that he is able to fulfil all of his values rather than separating his life from work. It supports his two boys while providing social opportunities, educational development, fitness opportunities, spiritual fulfilment and many valuable friendships. Social Star has now become the vehicle for Andrew to crystallise his mission in the world, to help people love what they do, supporting his ‘why’, that if more people loved what they did, the world would be a better place.

http://www.andrewford.com.au/