3 tips from author Brett Axler on what unique benefits employers can offer to recruit and retain recent grads

It is often said that recent graduates must be able to “stand out” in a crowded job market. While this is still true, the opposite is also becoming increasingly important. With recent graduates being more and more selective, employers must begin to find interesting and unique ways to attract and retain talent. In the words of College Recruiter’s Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, Steven Rothberg, “companies have gotten away with treating employees like crap and paying them like crap for far too long.” He continues to press that this will no longer work in today’s market.

College Recruiter recently asked experts for three benefits, in addition to better pay, that employers can offer to attract and retain recent college graduates.

Brett N. Axler, the author of the upcoming book “A Theatre Geek’s Guide to Disney, Google, and the NFL“, suggests:

In a competitive employees market where many employers are having trouble attracting and retaining top talent, it’s not just higher pay that employees are seeking:

1. Career Growth Opportunities:

Gone are the days where professionals spend their entire career with the employer they started with fresh out of college. Most professionals change employers every 1-3 years for their first 10 years out of college. While it has been proven in many industries, especially in Big Tech, that changing companies every few years can lead to much higher pay, young professionals are also looking to grow their careers. Employers need to find ways to offer their employees a clear career growth path. Educational benefits and student loan reimbursement programs are nice but if an employer wants to retain their top talent they need to translate education and years of experience into physical growth within the company. Keeping in mind the wants and needs of the instant gratification generation, career growth needs to be happening every 3-5 years, not 6-10 years.

2. Flexible Working Schedule:

As we’re seeing with mass resignations across the country right now, employees want flexibility in their working schedule and location. Of course, this may not be possible in all types of positions. I myself spent years working in theatre and theme parks where I knew I had no option to work remotely and nights and weekends simply came as part of the job, but for industries where remote work and schedule flexibility are feasible, employers should be embracing the new world that we are in and offering these options as benefits to attract and retain top talent.

3. Recognition:

Some people simply want recognition for their hard work while others need recognition as a form of emotional certainty that they are doing a good job. Either way, recognition comes in many forms and does not need to be hard or expensive for employers to give. Employers should ask their employees on an individual level how they prefer to be recognized for their work, there is not a one-size-fits-all for recognition. Some employees will be thrilled with a department-wide email blast and a small gift card while other employees may be mortified by the thought of having their work recognized publically. Once employers find out how their employees prefer to be recognized for their work, they should share the love widely and often at least once per quarter.

—Brett N. Axler is a theater geek that found himself wanting more out of his career after growing up in performing arts. From performing on stage to directing and designing set and technical elements for musicals, Axler knew he had marketable skills that could take him further than eight shows a week on Broadway. After discovering his passion for nighttime spectaculars at Disney, Axler pursued his dreams of working for the mouse before finding out that his skills were far more lucrative in industries outside of entertainment. During his freshman year of college, and by total accident, Axler landed his first big gig with the NFL as a broadcast engineer for the Philadelphia Eagles, before being hired on to half a dozen other sports teams and media networks by his senior year of college. Axler’s whirlwind career continued as he was hired to lead the opening of a 280-million-dollar professional sports arena, produce more than 2 dozen shows throughout Philadelphia and New York, and was eventually pursued by his original dream employer Disney. Axler spent four years working for Disney Parks Live Entertainment in Orlando, Florida while freelancing as a technical director for corporate events around the country which led to his most recent endeavor as Technical Integration Lead at Google in Silicon Valley.

Axler is the Host and Producer of the Corporate Theater Geek Podcast. Each year, he speaks to dozens of college students and young professionals about their career goals and how they can use the power of education, hands-on experience, and professional networking to achieve their dreams. Axler finds nothing more rewarding than receiving a follow-up email from a student who just landed the job they once perceived as impossible to get.

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A Theatre Geek’s Guide to Disney, Google, and the NFL: What it Takes to Land a Job with the World’s Most Sought-After Companies is available for pre-order in Trade Paperback at online retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The eBook will be available July 6, 2021.