32 Reasons Employers Should Hire College Students and Recent Grads

Dr. John Sullivan, professor of management at San Francisco State University, recently created a list for ERE of the short- and long-term benefits of hiring college students:

Shorter-term Benefits of Hiring College Students

1. Lower salary costs
2. Continuous learners
3. Comfortable with technology
4. Comfortable with the Internet and social media
5. High levels of innovation
6. Fast change and agility
7. Team players
8. Superior communicators
9. The “why” question — a willingness to repeatedly ask the “why question” of others
10. Better performance on the job
11. New ideas
12. No need to unlearn
13. Multitasking ability
14. Energy and enthusiasm
15. Willing to take high-risk assignments
16. They understand metrics
17. Willingness to do grunt work
18. Willingness to travel
19. Diverse ideas
20. Professor contacts also
21. Access to research
22. Faster time to productivity
23. Easier to manage
24. An opportunity for a tryout

    Long-Term Benefits to the Firm for Hiring College Grads

25. A global perspective
26. Essential for filling future management positions
27. Long-term assets
28. You might only get one shot at them
29. Competitive advantage — if your firm gets this talent, your competitors cannot.
30. Youth market benefits
31. An opportunity to influence curriculum
32. Now is the perfect time — fewer employers are hiring on-campus due to the recession so the students and grads who are available are exceptionally well qualifed.