Entry-level hiring: Strategies for early talent management
Evaluating entry-level candidates requires measuring potential and fit rather than experience.
Attract and select the best entry-level hires
It can be difficult to fill entry-level roles with early career professionals who likely have limited experience. Investing in early talent management can feel like a gamble. How do you know which candidates have the highest potential? How do you evaluate a candidate with no past experience in the job? What are you supposed to measure?
In often dense candidate pools filled with people looking to start their careers, tailoring your selection process to focus on potential is key.
Our top 5 tips for successful entry-level hiring
There are many ways that employers can improve the candidate experience and engagement. Some actionable tips include:
1. Check your criteria
Look closely at the job description you’re hiring for to determine what is required for success in the role. Is that criteria fair and achievable for entry level talent? Following a standardized process that is measuring the critical components for successful job performance can help ensure you’re selecting the best talent for that role.
2. Evaluate for potential and fit not experience
Entry-level candidates usually have limited experience. High potential candidates may be screened out of the process if you’re only looking at and measuring past experience. Instead, find an assessment solution that allows you to predict performance by evaluating fit to the demands of the job role.
3. Improve diversity by focusing on the attributes that lead to success
Using selection procedures that focus on past experience has led to problems with diversity and fairness. When hiring is based on experience, candidates who have had access to that experience are favored — contributing to inequality across other groups. Focusing on the attributes that actually determine success on the job allows for a fairer evaluation of potential rather than access.
4. Showcase the best of your organization
The reality of entry level hiring is that you will face a lot of competition. Today’s market for early talent is highly sought after by many organizations, and candidates may be evaluating several options at once. Stand out by showing them the best of your organization — and how you can help enhance their future career. It’s crucial for organizations today to ensure their entry level hiring process effectively communicates its company values to make candidates want to work for them.
5. Communicate with candidates
Candidates want to be evaluated by another human, not a machine. Sometimes the easiest, but most overlooked, way to keep a candidate engaged in your selection process is to simply communicate. Tell them what to expect from the process and how to get to each next step along the way.
How Talogy can help you evaluate and select the best entry level talent
Proven expertise in entry-level hiring
Female graduate hires increased from 26% to 64%
Streamlining recruitment at Currys
How Britain’s largest electronics retailer streamlined their graduate assessment process amid a high volume of applications received annually
Top scorers were almost 3 times less likely to be involved in a safety-related incident
Identifying successful entry-level manufacturing team members
How an American tool manufacturing company engaged Talogy to improve the quality of their entry-level manufacturing workforce
Since initiating the design of the exercises, Talogy have been great to work with … The quality of the exercises is excellent and really reflects our organization’s values — and all this was delivered well ahead of schedule.
Why Talogy
Talent management solutions from start to finish. With constant innovation and endless creativity, Talogy crafts screening, selection, and development solutions that are fair and inclusive at their core. Talogy can help you customize a complete talent management program. Solving for the talent challenges of today, and tomorrow.