Give a grad a break: why employers should focus on lockdown skills

Jayne Rowley explains how employers can successfully attract early careers talent by aligning their candidate expectations with the student and graduate experience of the pandemic

For students or graduates applying for their first job, evidencing their employability and personal skills on a CV or in interviews is crucial. Students are well aware that work experience, volunteering and extra-curricular activities are key ways to stand out when they are leaving education to make it through that first application filter amid fierce competition from their peers with equal academic records.

The lockdowns resulting from the pandemic last year brought an abrupt halt to many of the ways students could gain those skills and populate a CV:

• no campus access
• no sporting activities
• no student societies
• no part-time term-time work
• no holiday work
• no work placements or internships
• limited volunteering and community opportunities.

This had a massive impact on confidence for large numbers of students and graduates. As a result, we are now seeing an impact on engagement with job hunting with a reduction in job searches, applications and increased candidate withdrawals despite a largely buoyant labour market and sharp increases in opportunities in many sectors.

Students and graduates are citing lack of confidence in their experience and skills as the single biggest reason for not applying or following up interest from employers.

Employers with vacancies to fill are expressing frustration with the lack of quality candidates, application numbers and increased withdrawals or offer rejections.

Now is a time for change and employers have a huge role to play.

Employers should pause to reflect on what good will look like for their business in terms of workforce skills? Digital skills are naturally front of mind as hybrid working looks set to be the norm for many sectors and roles. Students and graduates are the Zoom generation gearing up for a digital workplace, so seize the day.

Employers need to focus on the skills and competencies candidates will have gained during lockdown and help them to reflect on them. Look for that emotional capital - resilience, adaptability, flexibility, self-reliance, studying in isolation or remotely; creativity, social responsibility.

These will be key skills for a hybrid workplace where teams, managers, mentors, early careers colleagues and trainees have to build and nurture a shared company culture that won't be bolstered by staff rooms, coffee breaks and after work drinks.

Standard CV or application form requirements and interview questions based on traditional work or extra-curricular activities have no place in the post-pandemic recruitment process for new graduates entering the workplace for the first time.

There are opportunities to be more supportive and transparent in the application process. Allow candidates to prepare confidently by providing questions in advance or give example reference points and tips to articulate their skills. 

• With no sporting activities did they switch to online yoga classes, virtual cycling and walking challenges, couch to 5k?
• With no clubs and societies did they join an online choir or orchestra, organise online quizzes and social events, learn to play guitar or bake banana bread?
• With campuses and student hubs closed did they create WhatsApp study support groups with fellow students? How did they manage group projects?
• What creative work-arounds did they come up with when face to face wasn't an option?

Encourage candidates to talk about the challenges they faced in lockdown and how they overcame them - cramped or shared living/working/home-schooling spaces, poor connectivity, supporting family and loved ones, vulnerable neighbours and communities and for many, loss and grief.

• How did they make or maintain friendships?
• What did they do to support family, friends or their community? Shopping? NHS volunteering? Marshalling at testing or vaccination centres? Foodbank or prescription collections?
• What sudden responsibilities were thrust upon them and how did they cope?
• What did they learn about themselves and how has it changed their perspectives or plans?

The race for early careers talent will be won by employers who recognise that investment in potential now to bring sustainable business success means throwing out the old rule book, focusing (at least for now) on what they can give, rather than what they will get and putting social responsibility ahead of tick boxes.

In other words: give a grad a break.

Written by

Jayne Rowley

Executive director - student services

Jisc