Media

Matrics and final year university undergraduates are currently writing their exams and some may be in the job market early next year. How will they fare?

According to Nritika Singh, Managing Director of Isilumko Staffing, there is a widely held belief by many clients looking to fill staff vacancies, that unless a candidate is the perfect fit with the required experience in a particular field, they will not be considered for employment.

Singh says, “South Africa desperately needs skills in certain industries, yet we have found that while there are a great number of these newly graduated candidates, clients tend not to consider what the candidate is capable of doing, but rather than what experience they actually have. This means that clients are regularly rejecting really great candidates (with and without experience) due to them not fitting in the box perfectly.

“We believe that clients should be more flexible in their selection process. Recruitment companies such as ours have the track record and infrastructure to be able to assist with the choice of graduate candidates. Sometimes even the so-called ‘rough diamonds’ are worth interviewing and considering for a position. We have discovered, after many years in this industry, that if one looks deep enough you will find candidates who have enormous potential to become effective, loyal and valuable employees if given an opportunity.”

Singh adds that there are a number of good reasons why hiring young graduates is preferable to individuals with experience. These include:
•         Affordability – Graduates earn lower salaries than experienced candidates but have huge untapped potential.
•         Proven return on investment – Their ideas and skills can make a huge difference to your bottom-line. Graduates contribute substantially more “added value” to companies. Overseas studies by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR) show that graduates add UKP1 billion  (R11.5  billion) to corporates on an annual basis.
•         Ready to mould – Client companies have the opportunity to shape graduates into what they need, so they become part of the culture. Graduates have developed a habit for learning so will seek to continuously learn in the working environment. They are often perceived as a “blank canvas”, open to new ideas, ways of working and experiences.
•         Solid business skills – Studying helps students develop core transferable skills such as written and oral communication, problem-solving, presentation, organisation and data analysis. Technical graduates will also have up-to-date specialist or technical skills gained from studies.  Many will have experience of applying academic knowledge through work placements.
•         Fresh ideas and perspectives – Graduates can inject new ideas and apply current thinking from academia. Recruiting graduates can also increase diversity within the work team.
•    Speed to value – Graduates learn more quickly and provide more immediate financial returns. They are more enthusiastic and willing to take on challenges. Graduates understand and have the ability to adapt to change.
•         Succession planning – Provide a career path for a graduate and enable them to reach management level within your firm and solve succession planning concerns.

Singh concludes, “For those candidates who have passed matric and do not intend going on to study further, there are options open in professions such as contact center and administration. We work closely with some of the country’s largest contact centers and understand what their entry level criteria are for candidates. We will have interviewed and screened hundreds of job seekers by the beginning of 2011, using a tried and tested process. We will also be tapping into an internal national database of candidates that is constantly being updated.

“Companies who are looking for staff at various levels can be assured of good quality candidates when they are recommended by us for an interview. We just urge potential employers to be more flexible!”