Published: 16/12/11
We sat down with Amanda Perry, Managing Director at Next Employment, to get her insight as an SME on the topic of graduate recruitment.
Q. How can SMEs encourage graduates to start a career with them and how do you get the most out of your graduate recruits?
A. SMEs should be realistic about what their expectations are and clear that they are able to offer the growth and development that they are looking for. We have found that hiring apprentices can be a valuable resource. SMEs would need to appoint a mentor for the graduate and look to support them in rotational learning.
Q. How has recruitment changed for SMEs over the past five years and how do you think this will change over the coming years?
A. The recession has meant that candidates are more open to working within an SME. Their lower overheads mean SMEs have been more successful than larger companies sustaining themselves during the downturn. SMEs need to work hard to be able to demonstrate financial robustness when seeking to hire.
Q. As an SME, what will enable you to grow in 2012?
A. Our ability to grow is dependent on our ability to attract and hire the right candidates which is always a challenge in a market as competitive as this. In addition, we can only grow by hiring new consultants when we have a pipeline to sustain them, and therefore increasing our client base is as critical as protecting the client base we have.
Q. What’s your experience of employing graduates either into an internship or permanent position? And what are the advantages for an SME?
A. Next is a small boutique recruitment agency and we have used a graduate for the last three summers to help with administering our client graduate recruitment campaigns. This has been a positive experience on both parties. For the graduate, she has gained confidence and an in depth understanding of the graduate recruitment process so now she’s graduated she’s in the best position to apply for, and obtain, a starting role. For us, it has meant that we have been able to hire someone of higher calibre than we would be able to if we were to fill this role permanently. We have had a flexible resource who has contributed to the effectiveness of the campaigns which are seasonal and do not need a full time, permanent resource.
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Tags: Graduate, Recruitment, SME
