6 reasons employers hire students before graduation

Hiring the best candidates for jobs is essential to a company’s success. Employers prefer recruiting candidates sooner rather than later, even long before they graduate from college. There are various reasons why employers believe in hiring students as soon as possible.

Leading up to the Graduate Employment Conference Europe (GEC Europe), which has been postponed, College Recruiter is publishing the opinions of experts based on a series of questions related to global recruitment and talent acquisition. In today’s article, Dr. Linda Henman, The Decision Catalyst™ and author, answers the following question: Why do employers hire students for co-op work, internships, and other temporary jobs a year and sometimes more before those students are scheduled to graduate?

Dr. Linda Henman, Owner and Founder of Henman Performance Group

“My clients often hire this way for the following reasons:

1. They get the first shot at the best and brightest graduates.

2. They can ‘test drive’ candidates before hiring them.

3. In hard to fill roles, like engineering, employers can build loyalty and have an easier time tempting the graduate to stay.

4. Small companies often can’t compete with the big dollars of large companies and can sometimes tempt candidates to stay with them by hiring early.

5. In engineering and finance, some clients have a goal to diversify their workforces. Building rapport before graduation can help the company become a magnet for minority groups.

6. Top performers want a chance to check out future employees before they commit.”

Dr. Linda Henman, The Decision Catalyst™ and the author of five books, including Challenge the Ordinary, works with leaders who want to think strategically, grow dramatically, promote intelligently, and compete successfully today and tomorrow. She was one of eight succession planning experts who worked directly with John Tyson after his company’s acquisition of International Beef Products. Some of her other clients include Emerson Electric, Illinois Tool Works, Avon, Kraft Foods, and Edward Jones. She can be reached in St. Louis at www.henmanperformancegroup.com.