As the saying goes: “To the well-born, value does not wait for the number of years”.
While experienced talent has skills and expertise to offer, start-ups are not left out. Today, we present the advantages of hiring a young graduate.
Why hire a young graduate?
Let’s face it: hiring a young graduate has many advantages!
A young graduate has a strong adaptability
Yes: young graduates often show a strong capacity to adapt. This is not surprising: the younger a talent joins a company, the more he/she can immerse him/herself in its working methods, its culture… In other words, a young graduate is in a learning dynamic that guarantees him/her a quick adaptation.
On the other hand, a seasoned talent with 20 years of experience will have his or her own methods, accumulated over the course of his or her professional experiences… As a result, it will be more difficult for him or her to break habits (whether they are good or bad)!
A fresh look at your company and its sector
Of course, any new hire can bring a fresh perspective to your company. But with a freshly minted talent, you’ll be able to evaluate your organization through a new lens: Generation Z.
Thus, a young graduate will be able to help you adapt your product/service to the trends and issues of the time, and will be able to tell you if your brand discourse is current or “has-been”… This fresh look is even more essential if your company’s core target is a young population!
In addition: reflects a dynamic image of the company – important for its employer brand!
Young graduates like to prove themselves
It’s no scoop: a young graduate has to prove himself or herself to gain experience and increase skills in his or her field. These young talents do not lack motivation and ambition! On the contrary: they are generally full of energy and want to have an impact within the company in order to evolve!
The State encourages the recruitment of young graduates
It has probably not escaped you… The government has set up a certain number of aids for companies wishing to recruit young or future graduates.
For example, according to a decree published in the Official Journal on June 29, 2022, the exceptional aid of €5,000 or €8,000 for the recruitment of a young person on an apprenticeship or professionalization contract, introduced in 2021, has been extended until December 31, 2022.
It should also be remembered that recruiting a junior is relatively inexpensive – since the salary expectations of a young graduate are naturally lower than those of a senior talent.
💡 Hiring a young graduate helps support the integration of junior profiles – a move that is all the more honorable in times of crisis.
Cutting-edge training
Let’s not forget the most important thing: competence. And in this field, young graduates are not to be pitied. Thanks to their modern training, they can enable a company to update its knowledge, master new technologies, new tools, new work methods… In a rapidly evolving job market, this is precious.
As a bonus, young graduates always have a minimum of experience… Because today, educational programs include several long internships – or even work-study programs!
In other words, a “junior” candidate is less junior than he or she was ten or twenty years ago, and can give you the benefit of a certain amount of knowledge, acquired through previous internships.
💡 Required reminder:
The ideal candidate does not exist. Rather than focusing on an endless list of criteria (in search of the famous five-legged sheep…). It is preferable to focus on the potential of a candidate, his motivation, his human values…
What are the soft skills of a young graduate today?
Today, a young graduate is necessarily (with rare exceptions) a member of Generation Z – which includes children born after 1995.
Their main soft skills?
- Creativity
- Innovation
- Curiosity
- Ambition – according to some studies, young talents like to be challenged and want to excel at work
- Entrepreneurial spirit
- They are highly adaptable to change – useful when running a company that is expected to grow a lot and fast!
💡 60% of young people say they are ready to start their own business according to an OpinionWay survey conducted for the Salon des Entrepreneurs.
Hiring a young graduate, in conclusion
There are many good reasons to hire a young graduate. The more varied the profiles, the easier it will be to transfer knowledge and skills within your company. It is therefore essential to learn how to bring together, within your company, a variety of profiles: young graduates, senior profiles…
Be careful, however: the training and integration of young graduates are essential steps that should not be neglected. They will determine the development of your young recruits within the company.
