7 ways employers identify which students, grads have the best job-related skills

The process that employers used to hire college and university students and recent graduates changed little from 1950 to 2020 despite massive leaps forward in technology. The reasons were numerous, but inertia played a key role. Quite simply, the individuals accountable for doing the hiring had a lot of incentives not to make any changes and so didn’t even though their resistance to change perpetuated discriminatory hiring practices and productivity problems for their employers.

Not many good things came out of the Covid pandemic, but one was a reduced emphasis on which school a candidate happened to attend or even what they majored in. More and more employers accepted and then acted on the rapidly mounting evidence that school, major, and other proxies of the ability to do the job were not well correlated to the productivity of future employees. At the same time, pre-employment, online assessments became affordable and accepted as highly correlated to workplace productivity. For decades, employers would often agree that their on-campus hiring efforts were slow, expensive, and often led to poor hiring. But they’d also resist change by arguing that for all its flaws, traditional, on-campus recruitment was the best way to hire students and recent graduates. That argument fell away as assessments became more widely accepted and used.

To gain further insight into how employers are identifying which students and recent graduates have the best job-related skills, we asked seven recruiters, business psychologists, and other hiring experts if they recommend hiring based on skills instead of pedigree and, if so, how to best measure those skills.

Prioritize Cognitive Skills in Hiring

Cognitive skills should be the top priority for college and university student hiring, as nothing else comes close.

Realistically, students and recent graduates lack real-world tangible skills, which is why organizations invest so much in training them. It is, therefore, “trainability” that matters most when hiring early-career talent, which is heavily underpinned by cognitive skills.

By hiring specifically for cognitive skills, you ensure that all new starters have the cognitive horsepower to learn those tangible real-world skills, paying significant dividends down the line.

Ultimately, what you want from early-career hires is potential, and in the early-career space, nothing predicts potential like having the requisite cognitive skills to enable learning and skill acquisition.

Ben Schwencke, Business Psychologist, Test Partnership

Internships Enhance Job Market Readiness

Recruiters should be looking at applicants with detailed internship experience. Every college student should have a minimum of two internships during their years in school, and more if possible. 

Obtaining an internship in a selected field at a respected company in the industry will position an applicant far ahead of others—even those with higher GPAs or from more prominent schools.

Jamie McCann, Executive Recruiter, 3 AM Marketing Services

Assess Skills With Practical Tasks

One effective method for assessing the skills of currently enrolled college and university students is through practical assessments or work samples. Students could design a task relevant to the role and ask candidates to showcase their skills by completing it. 

This hands-on approach allows you to directly observe their abilities, problem-solving skills, and the quality of their work. It provides a more tangible demonstration of their skills beyond what’s mentioned on their resume or in an interview.

Hamza Rasheed, Technical Recruiter, Recruiting Simple

Value Part-Time Job Experience

College and university students with experience in hands-on training or part-time jobs are good candidates for entry-level jobs. They have gained basic skills like time management, communication, collaboration, and problem-solving. 

Most businesses can provide proof of employment, such as an employment certificate or identification card, that the candidates can present to you to make your selection easier. You can also contact the company directly to validate this information.

Campbell Tourgis, Executive VP and Chief Operating Officer, Wainbee

Inquire About Coursework and Projects

Ask about relevant coursework and projects. If they haven’t listed them directly on their resumes, take time during the interview to discuss how far they’ve come in their studies, which subject matter they’ve covered, and which courses they excel at most. 

Some students won’t know to include that information on a resume, so don’t discount a candidate if they don’t include specific achievements.

Most college-level roles have a steep learning curve, no matter how many skills a student has learned. A candidate with a strong work ethic, adaptability, and a drive to succeed can quickly outpace someone with an extra course or experience under their belt.

Robert Kaskel, Chief People Officer, Checkr

Consider Education and Experience Equally

Experience, relevant coursework, and an intake/initial interview are the top factors I take into consideration when identifying the most qualified college and university students. As an agency recruiter, most firms we partner with are looking for candidates who already have a few years in the workforce. Part-time work, internships, and past employment are assets when considering a new or soon-to-be grad.

My tips to college students would be to:

1) Narrow in on your desired field early in your studies and customize your coursework.

2) Develop both “hard” and “soft” skills relevant to your industry through coursework and work experience.

3) Secure an internship in your desired field and gather strong references.

My tips to hiring managers:

1) Everyone starts somewhere; consider both education and experience.

2) Rely on references to verify competencies.

3) Create specific, skills-based interview questions that let you hire with confidence.

Emily Smith, Recruiter, The Jonus Group

Use Practical Assessments for Skill Insight

Conducting practical assessments is the most effective method for determining which candidates have the best skills. This involves giving candidates tasks similar to what they would encounter in their prospective role and evaluating their performance. 

What I like about this technique is that it provides a more accurate representation of a candidate’s skills and abilities rather than relying solely on their resume or interview performance.

However, you should also consider that a college student’s academic performance or resume does not solely determine their skills and abilities. Many students may have gained valuable skills through extracurricular activities, internships, part-time jobs, or volunteer work. Therefore, it is essential to consider a candidate’s overall experience and involvement outside their academic achievements.

Eric Eng, Founder, CEO, and Private College Admissions Consultant, AdmissionSight