Hiring as a startup is challenging enough, regardless of whether there is a talent crisis or not.
As it happens, tech talent is in demand. There is a significant gap between the number of roles available and the people qualified to take them. According to research, the tech talent gap is at its highest level since 2008, and there are no signs of it decreasing anytime soon.
Efforts are being made across the board to ensure more young people are encouraged to pursue tech and STEM subjects, for example, in programs such as Girls Who Code. However, while we're still waiting for the next generations to reach the job market, changes have to be made to hiring efforts now.
For startups, a lack of visibility in the market due to a weak employer brand can mean that attracting and hiring top talent is extremely difficult. However, there is a way forward to ensure startups acquire the talent they need.
So, we've summed up some of the top benefits of hiring graduates for startups:
Graduates are motivated by career growth
In a survey of 100 graduates, 46.2% said that taking a job with no career progression was more of a concern than taking one with an inadequate salary. So, clearly, graduates are more concerned about the opportunities available to them as they start out in their careers.
As graduates want to grow within your company, they are more likely to stay longer. As a result, they will provide more value to your company overall, saving you further hiring efforts.
Graduates are less concerned with high salaries.
Startups don't have the same budget for salaries as established corporations. So, hiring graduates can be a great way to get the right talent onboard without having to break the bank. Then, as your startup grows and has more budget, you can reward employees for their loyalty by developing their careers and increasing their salary accordingly.
Current graduates are the digital generation.
The generations now leaving university grew up in a digital world and are, in fact, tech natives. As a result, they are quick to learn and have broader skill sets than the generations above them, who are less accustomed to the changing nature of tech.
Invest in the growth of graduates, and they will become the employees you need them to be.
In other words, you can mould graduates to your way of doing things. When you hire people with lots of experience, you're also hiring their set ways of doing things. For a startup, trying to establish its own brand, taking on graduates can provide your company with the freedom you need to build the company you dream of.
Graduates are both highly motivated and flexible. If your startup gives them the opportunity they need to grow and develop, they are likely to pay you back with their loyalty, benefitting both your culture and employer brand as a result.
