With hiring starting to pick up a bit now and organizations starting to look at how they will replace their "boomer" talent pools, hiring college grads is becoming more popular. However, getting these new grads integrated into the organization's culture and getting them up to speed so that they can be productive is the challenge.
It's hard enough for some of these new grads to transition from campus to corporate, but almost impossible without the support of the organization. Onboarding (not just sending them to a day-long orientation, or to skills training classes) is what they need. A good onboarding process will lay the foundation for a successful transition and productive first year, as well as create a roadmap for career development.
Here are a few tips for locking in your new grads and making them productive and engaged in their first weeks and months on the job.
-Keep in touch after the offer. Sometimes it can be weeks or months since the job offer is made and accepted and a lot of things can happen. Make sure that you are building in communication and touch points with your new college grad hires up until the first day on the job.
-Make orientation count. The days of 8 hours in a classroom with endless slides and and filling out forms are over. New college grads want and need a more interactive and relavent experience to introduce them to what it's really like to be a part of your culture. Use case studies, subject matter experts and FUN to introduce the company's stragies, processes and values.
-Engage the hiring managers. Before you bring in your "class" of new hires, make sure that the hiring managers are up to speed on what the onboarding experience should be and how they contribute to it. If consistancy is one of your main objectives, getting your hiring managers to understand what is expected of them and then giving them the tools to do it will be essential.
-Leverage the group. By reconvening the "class" of new college hires who have joined your organization at the same time, you can create a support system and network for them. They will be able to share experiences, talk about their challenges and successes, and learn from one another. Topics for workshops can include how to build a personal network, adjusting to the culture, and/or working through a 90 Day Onboarding Plan. Group assignments can also be a great way to build relationships, foster teamwork and demonstrate expected leadership behaviors.
Hiring talent right out of college can be a win-win for the organization and the new hire if done right. The organization can get strong talent without paying a steep price for experience and then have the opportunity to shape that new talent to fit its culture. The new hires get a chance to prove themselves and gain valuable experience inside an organization. Successful onboarding makes it all work.
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