How to Help Recent Graduates Smoothly Adjust to a Professional Work Environment
Hiring college graduates is a trend nowadays. It’s only natural, it comes with many benefits and brings freshness to the workplace. Still, for new graduates who aren’t accustomed or adjusted to any work environment, it is the job of the employers and HR professionals to help their transition.
‘’The biggest con of hiring a recent graduate is the transition process from a student to an adult, a professional. However, with the right approach, hiring a recent graduate can be the best thing you have done for your business.’’ – explains Steven Yang, HR manager for professional writing services.
Thanks to their fresh knowledge and unique perspectives of the world, as well as the energy they bring with them, graduates are an essential part of every successful team. With the right job and guidance, a graduate can become the best addition to your company. And while there are some things the student should do to prepare for the job you will offer them, it is still your job to make the transition easier with these tips:
1. Make Them Feel Welcomed
A first-time employee should feel welcomed in their workplace after graduation. They will be anxious and worried about their performance and progress, as well as their lack of experience. By extending a warm welcome, you can build a connection with your new employees and make them feel safe to open to you regarding their concerns.
Seeing how fast technology and social media are progressing in this past decade, why not use this and create a Facebook group to keep your new employees informed? You can even go further and host a special event where the new members of your team will meet and connect with the rest. The first day at work for a graduate is much more intimidating than the first day at work for an experienced employee, so your job here is to make them feel welcomed.
2. Ask Others to Help
With proper guidance and support, a new graduate has a grand chance of succeeding in the workplace. Ask your experienced staff members to assist them. You can use job shadowing, training or even mentorships to invest in talented graduates and turn them into an excellent addition to your team.
3. Embrace Technology
It is not a secret that the new generations communicate differently than the previous generations, mostly in terms of technology. Embrace technology to understand and guide them better. Use e-mails and texts for communication, share files and instructions via clouds and collaboration programs, etc. Simply adjust to their communication methods as a way of a compromise.
4. Address the Issues Immediately
An experienced employee will know what to do and what not to do. This is not always the case with a recent graduate, therefore, there will be some mistakes that might seem silly to you. Don’t judge them, but address these issues immediately upon noticing them. If you show the employee that something they do is the wrong approach and guide them toward the right one, they will be able to improve and grow in the workplace. Waiting for them to learn these on their own will only slow down their progress.
5. Assign Projects Carefully
Fresh graduates will enjoy any opportunity to demonstrate their abilities, so do not be afraid to give them projects. Choose these projects carefully. Make sure they are a right fit for their skills, will build on their knowledge and experience, and won’t be detrimental for your business goals if something goes wrong.
If a project is too hard for an inexperienced employee, don’t be afraid to mix employees and ask them to work together. Look at this as an opportunity to train your employees by letting them work with experienced workers, as well as motivating them to improve by keeping them included in the complex projects.
6. Invest in Training
Invest in your employees to benefit from their qualifications. You cannot expect them to be experts from day one, especially if you hire graduates who have little or no experience in the job. If you invest in the right people, hiring a qualified graduate can be the best decision you have ever made.
Some training will help the graduate understand the goals of your company, as way as the way to fulfill them. This should result in a rapid improvement in their performance, which is your goal, isn’t it?
As a company that wishes to embrace new graduates to improve their success and reach their goals, you should approach this method in the right way. When it comes to making new hires, you have to be smart about it. Hiring people with years of experience behind them is nothing like hiring a recent graduate. While recent graduates are essential for your team and success, you must learn how to approach and train them to become the employees your team needs.
