November 2006 Newsletter
Newsletter November 2006
In this issue:
- Interview with Ben Reeves, Executive Director, Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE)
- Congratulations to our Spring Carnival winners
- AAGE
Interview with Ben Reeves, Executive Director, Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE)
Ben has been involved in graduate recruitment at organisations such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Phillips Fox, KPMG and Minter Ellison . For the last 2 years he has contributed to the industry in a voluntary capacity as the Executive Director of the AAGE. With PageUp, strong position in providing tailored graduate recruitment technology to clients such as Qantas, ANZ and The Australian Tax Office and also with the annual AAGE conference coming up, we felt it would be an opportune time to ask Ben about his thoughts and feelings on the state of the graduate recruitment industry here in Australia.
What have been the key trends in Graduate Recruitment in the 2 years you have served as Executive Director of AAGE?
There has been a large growth in graduate vacancies. Organisations are looking to hire more graduates than previous years due to the current buoyant economic conditions.We have the highest employment rates for years after a long period of sustained economic growth underpinned by low inflation and interest rates. Employers are feeling confident about the future and are in the market for new staff.
The trend to hire more graduates is also being fuelled in some sectors by an inability to find experienced workers with the right skills. Consequently some organisations are looking to hire graduates that they can fast track and skill up to fill these gaps.
Another key development is the entry of new employers into the graduate recruitment marketplace. Many of these new players are from industries such as Engineering, Mining & Resources as well as Federal & State Government Agencies. This is resulting in ever increasing competition with more employers in the graduate recruitment market looking for more graduates but with the same number of graduates available.
What do you see as the Three Main Issues that Graduate Employers face in recruiting the best graduates for their business?
Firstly, being able to stand out from your competitors. Having a clear difference in how you are promoting your organisation. Secondly, possessing a compelling Employee Value Proposition ��,��?o what are you offering to ghraduates that join your organisation.
Finally, and, most importantly, ensuring that the "reality matches the rhetoric. There is no point in selling graduates something that you can't deliver because it just leads to disillusioned recruits who don��,��"�t stay
A lot of money can be spent on graduate recruitment campaigns. In your opinion which are the main components that should be invested in?
You need to be able to collect and analyse your candidate applications. This invariably means that you��,��"�ll need some form of database or candidate management system. You��,��"�ll need to be able to sort and screen your candidates as well as communicate with them. You��,��"�ll need to able to compile basic statistics such as ��,��"number of applications received��,�, ��,��"sources of candidates��,� ��,��"numbers of offers made and accepted��,� . Also, an on-line survey tool will enable you to collect feedback from your candidates e.g. ��,��"why did you decline our offer?��,� or ��,��"how can we improve our recruitment process?��,� ��,��?o this will assist you in honing your graduate recruitment strategy for the next year.
A clearly differentiating (but realistic) branding and advertising campaign for your graduate recruitment program.
A selection process that is consistent with your organisation��,��"�s competency framework. Identify the competencies your graduates will be assessed on when they are working in your organization. Use the same criteria when assessing them at the recruitment stage by designing a sophisticated process to assess these competencies incorporating methods such as aptitude testing, role playing, specific questioning in interviewing etc��,��
What innovations have you seen over the few years in assessment & selection methodologies?
Applicant Tracking Systems have become increasingly affordable and justifiable by providing significant benefits and value-adds. Older systems could really only provide basic mail merge functionality for communications. In the last 5 years, I��,��"�ve seen these basic systems evolve to provide more sophisticated search, filtering and prescreening tools as well as linking in to on-line testing packages or background checking services.
We are now able to do things we were unable to do manually such as recognising duplicate candidates or sending a group of candidates an on-line aptitude test. Candidate communication has also greatly improved with the assistance of various technologies. The use of email and SMS is speeding up the process and increasing efficiency. I remember when we introduced the use of SMS at KPMG ��,��?o around 400 candidates were texted virtually instantaneously and within minutes they were calling in to us to organise interview times. Now, innovations such as on-line interview scheduling and the use of voice recognition can even cut out the recruiter as ��,��"middleman��,� and speed up the process still further.
On-line Testing has also been a great innovation. Only a few years ago candidates needed to physically attend a testing session in the employer��,��"�s offices to complete a pen and paper assessment. We would then have to individually mark and run reports on each test. Today we can remotely test candidates 24 hours a day with the candidate being able to choose the time they sit the test. The employer can receive virtually instantaneous reports on each candidate��,��"�s test scores as well as information on where that candidate ranks compared to the rest of the population.
Further innovation will be essential in keeping up with today��,��"�s ��,��"technically savvy��,� graduates who don��,��"�t want to spend hours filling out on-line forms only to be rejected.
Some level of ability for graduates to ��,��"self select��,� the best fit opportunities and so decide which graduate employers to apply to would be fantastic!
Any other comments?
This is an exciting time for all involved in the graduate recruitment industry. Lots of jobs, lots of graduate programs, heaps of innovation and healthy recruitment budgets!!
Congratulations to our Spring Carnival winners
Melbourne Cup Winners:
- First: Emily Anderson, Alphapharm
- Reagan Garner, ColesMyer Limited
- Rob Weaver, Orica Consumer Products
- Second: Tony Brenan, Bendigo Bank;
- Georgina Tovilovic, Infosys Australia
- Sarah Taylor-Fuller, Snowden
- Third: Steve Bebend, City of Melbourne
- Richard Durand, Newcrest Mining Limited; Karen Pink, Linfox
Crown Oaks Day winner: Kylie Reynolds, National Australia Bank
AAGE
Please note as bronze sponsor of this year's AAGE Conference, PageUp will have a booth and welcomes any attendees to join us for a quick break to discuss their erecruitment needs and enter our draw for 2 bottles of premium Australian wine and a copy of our White Paper: The utilization of talent pools for external recruitment in Australia.