But there are many reasons to consider hiring fresh talent straight out of their university studies.

Why should you hire fresh graduates for your startup?

Larger organisations have the resources to run graduate schemes. This means they can attract top talent straight out of university. However, startups may be more wary of employing fresh graduates. Their lack of experience can be off-putting as you probably don’t have the time (or money) to train them. Consequently, the startup boss will often favour a more experienced candidate.

You may also be concerned that the entrepreneurs of tomorrow will not remain committed to your startup for long enough to make a difference. There are, however, many reasons you should consider hiring fresh graduates for your startup.

Enthusiasm, commitment and loyalty

Fresh graduates often come to organisations with enthusiasm, a passion for their work, and a drive to succeed that can be hard to find elsewhere. With few commitments other than their career, they have a willingness to learn and grow. Fresh graduates will have a commitment to their role and will want to see your startup succeed.

What’s more, graduates are loyal. Although many companies fear that fresh graduates will be difficult to retain, a recent survey showed that graduates stay at their first graduate job for around 4.5 years on average.

Adept with digital technology and social media

Fresh talent straight out of university often brings with them a fresh perspective. This is particularly true when it comes to technology. Fresh graduates are often adept at using technology in different ways. This can result in your startup being more productive, efficient and profitable.

A graduate may be able to offer an innovative solution to support your remote desktop connection, perhaps. Or even how best to leverage the latest TikTok trend to boost your engagement. They are usually more confident using social media and keeping up with digital trends. This can help your startup engage with your audience and stand out online.

Candidates from universities that practice work-integrated learning will likely already have experience applying their skills in a workplace environment, too.

Fresh perspectives

New graduates can bring fresh perspectives when it comes to problem-solving across the board. No matter what they studied at university, graduates learn to think critically. This means that they will challenge current schools of thought or accepted processes.

Perhaps they can suggest how AI can revolutionise productivity for your startup, or how tweaking some of your operational processes can increase your revenue. They can often offer a different perspective on a particular problem, and generally come up with some great ideas for your business.

Keen to learn

Fresh graduates have a willingness to learn and grow. After years of studying, they are keen to get stuck in and learn on the job. For this reason, they are easily moldable and you can train them to fit the needs of your startup.

Because they don’t have any extensive experience working in other organisations, they don’t come to the role with pre-existing habits or expectations of “how things are done around here”. Graduates also tend to pick up new skills and learn quicker than older, more experienced candidates.

Higher return on investment (ROI)

Graduates don’t often expect to leave university and walk into a job with a huge salary. They realise that their salary needs to reflect their experience and that over time they will move up the pay grades. This often means that fresh graduates are open to accepting a salary on the lower end of the salary scale, provided it is still a fair wage for their industry.

Not only that, but, as we’ve mentioned, graduates do tend to remain committed to their graduate job, with 57% of employers retaining their graduates for 5 years. During this time, you can train and mould your graduates into hugely valuable assets to your startup. Therefore, graduates can be a great ROI compared to other candidates.

How do you attract fresh graduates to your startup?

So, you’ve decided that hiring fresh graduates for your startup is a great idea. When you are hoping to employ new people, you should always first consider diversity recruitment best practices. But as well as this, how do you go about attracting top graduate talent to your organisation?

With well-established and competitive graduate schemes to compete with, you need to ensure you make your startup appealing to fresh graduates. Some ways you can attract graduates to your startup include:

• Have a presence at university campuses - getting your startup name out there at university career events can go a long way when it comes to attracting graduate candidates to apply to work for you. Connect with upcoming talent firsthand and start building relationships with them.
• Leverage social media - it’s no secret that young people today spend a lot of time on social media. Your startup should have an online presence not only to gain exposure and build your brand following, but also to connect with prospective employees. Graduates in particular will expect you to advertise jobs on LinkedIn, and have an impressive online presence in general. For example, startups based in the United Arab Emirates would benefit from using a .ae domain from Only Domains to build a company website and ensure they are seen as credible in their trading location.
• Offer perks and benefits - many graduates these days are looking for flexible working or the ability to work remotely. Make sure your candidates know you offer an efficient remote desktop management tool that will allow them to work from wherever they wish. Graduates will also want to know if you offer perks such as free gym memberships or unlimited free coffee in the office.

Are fresh graduates good for your startup?

Fresh graduates can be moulded to suit your organisation's needs, and will come to your startup with a fresh perspective and a willingness to learn. They offer a good ROI and are often critical thinkers and innovative problem solvers. In short, they can be a valuable asset to any organisation. Hiring fresh graduates can certainly be a great decision for your startup.