Smart
and ready to prove themselves, new graduates can infuse fresh thinking and new
insight into a company. Employers know that not all graduates are created
equal. Making sure a recent graduate is a good fit for a business can be
tricky.
In
2014, approximately 57% of employers say they plan to hire new college
graduates, up from 53% last year1. The fact that more companies are
hiring from the talent pool of 1.6 million students graduating with bachelor’s
degrees, is positive news. But before you even start the interview process, you
need to prepare a special pre-employment action plan for this pool of raw
talent.
Of
course, you want to acquire information about near and long term goals,
willingness to persevere in the face of adversity, and attitude. You probably
also want to know if a candidate has the ability to show up on time, drug-free
and ready to use the stated skills. This may be a complex issue that requires a
special kind of background screen.
Screening
recent graduates is a little different than you might expect. You are working
with a talent pool that may not have past employers, a credit history, or
public records that are easy to find. Communicating and working with these
candidates may require unique approaches. Your background screening provider
should know how to reach out to this unique group, to procure a thorough
profile.
Research
has shown that 70% of college students would lie on their resume in order to
get the job they want. In addition, 21% state fraudulent degrees, 27% provide
inconsistent references, and 53% contain some kind of falsification2.
Gathered
from years of experience and thousands of background checks, Aurico recommends
performing a fit-gap analysis between interview content, an application, and a
graduate’s resume. During the Aurico Audit™, it is possible to uncover subtle
inconsistencies that may reveal whether facts match up.
Common
distortions may include exaggerated degrees or scholastic honors, distorted
majors or minors, incorrect dates of internships or employment, or embellished
job duties or pay. Graduates may claim to possess a skill that has been used in
an academic, rather than professional, environment. You shouldn’t overlook
reasons for termination, checking for attitudinal issues, work ethic, and cultural
fit. Comprehensive drug screening to detect the presence of illegal substances
may also be relevant.
Recommended
Background Screening Program
- Criminal background check in areas lived, worked, and educated
- Driver’s history
- Education verification
- Employment verification (include internships)
- References (personal, professional, academic)
- Hair follicle drug test
- Skill assessments
The
candidate experience is particularly important to tech savvy graduates. They
want mobile solutions, online consents, multiple language options, and human
touch that meet their schedules. A background screening provider must be
sensitive to these needs and address them in clear and specific ways.
There
are a few other considerations employers should contemplate. Graduates are
concerned about data privacy and will want reassurances that their personally
identifiable information (PII) is protected. Hiring college graduates is
cyclical, and the use of job fairs and special events yields ebbs and flows in
background screening processing that a provider must be able to accommodate.
New graduates have ideas and skills that can make a huge
difference to a company’s bottom line. Aurico can provide you with guidance and
best practices to create a legitimate and ccomprehensive background
screening program. After all, your intention is to hire graduates who will fit
your individual corporate culture and succeed.
- http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2014/04/24/college-graduates-jobs-careerbuilder/8017155/
- http://hireeq.com/2012/05/17/does-your-resume-tell-the-truth-the-whole-truth-and-nothing-but-the-truth/#sthash.2dakc4Wz.dpuf
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