How to recruit better college grads by using a more skills-based hiring approach

Navigating the talent pool of recent college and university graduates requires a keen eye for potential, but for too long too many employers have employed (pun intended) a largely subjective approach to such hiring and then been dismayed when they find a year or two later that most of those hires have moved onto other employers.

Employees who lack longevity also lack productivity. To help employers of college and university graduates hire candidates who will stay longer and be more productive, we’ve gathered insights from seasoned professionals, including a Talent Acquisition Specialist and a Chief People Officer. Bottom line: employers hire better when they employ (pun intended, again) a more skills-based hiring approach.

Assess Interests and Internships

A recent college grad’s keen interest in a particular field can indicate an intrinsic motivation to learn and grow. When assessing the potential of recent college and university graduates, I place significant emphasis on their interests and internship experiences. 

Since work goes beyond grades, we should not solely focus on their academic performance. This approach cuts through the academic performance and delves into their passion and hands-on experience. 

I have found that often, a candidate’s keen interest in a particular field can indicate an intrinsic motivation to learn and grow. For instance, a graduate with a passion for coding who has spent their summer interning at a tech start-up is likely to bring a lot of enthusiasm and practical knowledge to a similar role. 

Therefore, I recommend considering candidates’ interests and internship experiences as key indicators of their potential and skill set.

Tristan Harris, Demand Generation Senior Marketing Manager, Thrive Digital Marketing Agency

Evaluate Cultural Fit and Enthusiasm

I believe it is critical to evaluate how well the candidate matches the company’s culture and enthusiasm for the field. Find out more about their priorities, work ethic, and what drives them by asking probing questions. 

Understanding what motivates people and how they match the principles of your firm might be critical for long-term success. Evaluate their level of enthusiasm and expertise regarding your industry by analyzing their responses and the inquiries they pose. 

This can be a good indicator of their genuine interest and potential for future advancement in the industry.

Timothy Allen, Sr. Corporate Investigator, Corporate Investigation Consulting

Incorporate Practical Assessments

When hiring recent college and university graduates, there are several activities you can incorporate into the hiring process to evaluate their skills and abilities that go beyond just reviewing their resume and interview. 

Employers could consider incorporating relevant practical assessments and work samples into their hiring process. Assigning a case study, a small project, or problem-solving exercises enables candidates to show their practical skills effectively. 

Additionally, it is important to consider experiences beyond academic achievements. Evaluating candidates based on volunteer activities, capstone projects, and participation in extracurricular clubs and affiliations provides a more comprehensive understanding of their capabilities and potential contributions to the workplace.

John Logal, Talent Acquisition Specialist

Test for Soft and Technical Skills

It depends on the depth of skills required for the role. If a role has highly technical aspects, it might be more important to run a domain-knowledge test ahead of the interview to assess their technical knowledge and skill levels.

In most entry-level positions for postgraduates, an impressive set of soft skills outweighs the technical ones nearly every time, especially because every business uses different systems and processes that any new hires will likely have to learn anyway. 

Test for soft skills using pre-employment tests and asking behavioral questions during the interview. You want to see how a candidate reacts to solving a (theoretical) challenge where there is no straightforward answer.

Robert Kaskel, Chief People Officer, Checkr

Check References Diligently

Even though the best skills for job candidates depend on the position, one method that helps open the door to hirers: checking references with diligence and patience. When you start hiring, there will be a lot of applicants and interviews. 

However, time will be limited and precious. For that reason, you will keep each interview shorter than the necessary time to determine if the candidate has good enough skills for the position. 

In this case, the best way to determine which candidate has the best skills is by contacting references, such as lecturers for new graduates, to verify the candidate’s skills and work ethic.

Dilruba Erkan, Consultant, Morse Decoder

Utilize Personality Assessments

When hiring recent college and university graduates, recruiters can capitalize on personality assessments to get the best candidates. Personality assessments will reveal a candidate’s innate character and abilities, including their response to stressful situations and how they communicate with others. 

Moreover, they won’t be able to fake anything or hide their traits in personality assessments. Foremost, recruiters can identify the pertinent and beneficial personality traits according to the company’s requirements. 

Then, they can prepare a questionnaire for the candidates based on that. If used effectively, personality assessments can identify candidates with high-performance potential. It also reduces biases, as recruiters can’t make decisions relying solely on their gut instinct. It will be an objective test, satisfying both parties.

Adrian Hall, Business Development Manager, Pharmacist Schools

Pose Hypothetical Field-Related Questions

Asking and examining answers to hypothetical questions related to our field of business is our go-to practice for determining which candidates with similar degrees and levels of education have the best skills. 

As a mature and thriving company, we have many hypothetical examples and questions that we can use to test our candidates and determine how fit they are to work with our team, and we often employ this approach in the latter stages of our hiring process.

Max Wesman, Chief Operating Officer, GoodHire

Involve Current Team Members in Interviews

I find it helpful when hiring recent graduates to include current team members in the interview process to get diverse perspectives on the candidate’s suitability for the team. I find it especially beneficial if the team member is also a recent graduate. 

When you have people on the hiring team who have recently graduated, they have a better understanding of what might be required from potential candidates. 

They have experience both being recently in college and having had some time to process what’s required from them within the company. This gives them more insight to pick out the best candidates.

Meghan Freed, Managing Co-Partner, Freed Marcroft

Ask About Practical Skill Application

When interviewing recent college and university graduates, ask them to tell you about a time when they used a certain skill that they learned in school on the job. 

This will provide them the opportunity to talk more about an internship opportunity or service project that they completed where they had to apply that specific skill. It’s best to ask more situational questions rather than yes-or-no questions.

Caroline Pennington, Executive Search Recruiter, Podcast Host, and Founder, Feminine Founder

Consider the Candidates’ Personal Backgrounds

I recommend employers look into the personal backgrounds of young candidates. Often, these recent graduates have job skills they might not even know about. For example, they might have grown up in a home where two languages were spoken, or they might have taken care of their siblings for many years.

Even though these kinds of life experiences aren’t usually seen as job qualifications, they bring skills that could help your team. When you’re giving feedback to candidates, it’s a good idea to mention that these soft skills could be a great addition to their resumes. 

The best recruiters on college campuses do more than just look at work experience; they try to find special qualities that aren’t so obvious.

Precious Abacan, Marketing Director, Softlist