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Director and Head of Grad and Early Tech Talent solution Klickstarters, Dan Butler, recently sat down with fellow Director Olly Preston to discuss everything about Grad Recruitment and Klickstarters. Here are some of the main takes from our podcast where you can read about how to hire and be hired for tech graduates!
For the grads of 2020 and 2021, it feels as though they are a bit of a lost generation in the tech world. As the tech industry was struggling with the challenges of moving to remote work, communicating effectively over Slack, Discord and teams, and onboarding experienced developers remotely - graduates and juniors were often overlooked (with the exception of the big grad schemes that kept rolling on). It felt like providing the necessary support and mentoring a junior needed whilst working from your bedroom was a complication too far.
Whilst we understand that taking a graduate onto a team requires effort from an employer and can present an element of “the risk of the unknown” as there is often no real-world experience to draw from; at Klickstarters we take great care to introduce candidates who we feel will be a great team fit, with the right work ethic and aptitude to learn so that they can get off to the best start possible. According to ISE, graduates contribute approximately £1 billion of added value to the UK economy annually and the estimated cost to hire in 2019 was £4,739.
In short, for some yes. But, for those who are able to get by without the top salaries, a grad can actually benefit more from on the job training, instilling discipline, proper processes and working practices and this will guarantee that the money will come in the medium term.
The decision should be boiled down to which job is going to provide the best opportunity to learn and which would be the most fulfilling, as this is going to be more beneficial in the long run. However, higher salaries may show grad employees that they are an asset to the company, not just another expense.
The consultants at Klickstarters take time to get to know what success in a position looks like for a candidate over the first 12-18 months, so we can give a really good insight to our candidates, not just into the tech/training on offer but also how they will be supported to grow through their crucial first months and years of their career.
This in turn helps us pick out the most suitable candidates for our clients, which stops you from having to waste time looking through CVs that aren’t relevant or suitable to you. Ultimately, we want to be an extension of an organisation rather than a separate entity – we know how to sell your roles to the best candidates who will benefit you by using resources from our sister brands such as JobHoller, our employer branding company, and our Klickstarters tools.
Networking
Networking is about building relationships and connecting with others - whether it's with people you know or new people you’ve never met before, it can be rewarding when you’re on the job hunt. Consider getting involved in meetups (even if only online) and get yourself involved in Q&As online!
Keep Upskilling
It doesn't matter where you are in your career journey, practicing lifelong learning in response to in-demand skills is always beneficial. Whilst you are looking for work, remember to always keep upskilling - get your projects on to Github or something similar, so that potential employers can see what you’re made of!
Speak to a Recruiter
Consider chatting to a great recruiter (if you’re unsure, call us 😉) or ask for recommendations for someone at the meetups you attend. The majority of employers don’t bother advertising their roles publicly so you will only see a very small section of the market if you rely on your own resources. This is the same section that 90% of your fellow graduates are also applying for!
Stand Out Online
Make sure you're constantly updating your LinkedIn profile and CV when you learn new skills, gain new qualifications, work experience, etc. Don't be scared to sell yourself - it may feel awkward, but you need to stand out. When applying for a role, do your research and amend your CV to reflect the specific criteria of that role that match up with your skill set!
Pre-interview Prep
Once you have your foot in the door, always do your research before the interview! Companies want to know about you, but they will also be interested in what you know about them and why you want to work with them. Make sure you're prepared if they ask you anything, or if they don't, make a point to bring it up to show you're interested in the company!
Our online Tech Digital Careers Quiz helps candidates find which role is right for them by answering a short series of questions about your skills/culture/ideal working environment. This then redirects you to your perfectly suited sector. We provide you with your average starting salary, a list of skills used within this sector and example jobs you could potentially work in!
Another great tool of ours is our CV Build Tool. Our simple and FREE to use CVBuild tool takes the pain out of your job application, generating a number of CV formats from a quick questionnaire! Questions include basic name, contact info, summary, social media links (optional) and even your pronouns! This is a great way to create a CV that will be engaging to employers and look professional.
If you're a tech graduate looking for your next role. get in touch by emailing; [email protected] or call us on 01244 739999. Alternatively, contact us here.
