Graduate Recruitment 2020: How can employers recruit in the absence of final grades?

What is the impact of COVID-19 on your graduate recruitment plans for 2020-2021? The Institute of Student Employers (ISE) report that the recruitment of entry level staff has been severely disrupted; 40% of employers are concerned that the cancellation of academic qualifications will disrupt their recruitment processes and 27% say that they will be recruiting less graduates this coming year. 

At Propel we know from experience that whilst a final University Degree Grade is important, it is not always the most critical factor in predicting whether graduates will become the most successful or highest potential employees. Time and time again we are speaking to organisations who have traditionally selected graduates predominantly on the basis of their University grade and even the specific University that they attended, but this does not demonstrate HOW the new hire will perform once in role. 

Graduate schemes are essentially an entrance for future leaders of the organisation.  Many organisations that we work with are appreciative of the fact that that the best graduates are not only academically strong but are also those who have the potential to become a future leader.  Therefore, rather than focusing on the University that the graduate attended or whether they achieved a 2:1 or 1st, organisations also greatly benefit from considering the behaviours, values, motivations and attributes that graduates can bring.  Do they challenge the thinking of others? Are they proactive? Are they intellectually curious? Can they solve complex problems? Are they a good cultural fit? Do they have drive and passion to succeed? Are they effective communicators? Are they learning agile and emotionally intelligent?  These are some of the qualities and attributes that we are finding the best graduates can bring to their new employers.  

Therefore, rather than being fearful of recruiting graduates who may not have their final academic grades this year, perhaps it is time to rethink the graduate assessment process to ensure candidates are being assessed against and selected in line with the behaviours, qualities and attributes that predict successful performance on graduate programmes and beyond. Only by doing this can employers truly understand the future potential of the graduates they hire in addition to their current academic capability.