Employers may need to go back to school to recruit talent

With graduation season fast approaching, the class of 2022 is lacking the confidence they have what it takes to succeed.

One in three students have no clear idea how to set themselves up for career success following their studies, according to a recent report conducted by virtual talent preskilling platform Forage. Of that group, 32% feel the steps to achieve that success are very unclear.

But that confidence can be learned — if both educators and employers are willing to put in the work.

“Students are really struggling when it comes to career discovery, and that level of anxiety has only increased as students progress through their studies,” says Thomas Brunskill, CEO of Forage. “Both educators and employers need to play a more proactive role and start to innovate so that the data starts to look better.”

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Much of the disconnect between college and “the real world” can be attributed to the fact that many educators don’t have the expertise or connections to help students once they leave school. Over half of educators say they have never worked in the private sector, and have not held an internship or gone through the recruitment process in many years, making it difficult to offer guidance when students ask.

“Employers have relied on educators and career services to prepare students for the world of work, but as our data showed, that isn’t working,” Brunskill says. “Most educators don't pretend that they are experts in career advice. Ultimately they see themselves as academics and they want industry professionals at the table more.”

This leaves students looking for information on their own, with mixed results. Sixty-four percent of students surveyed by Forage expressed confusion on where to start and what they should do to launch their careers, and 49% said they lack awareness of available job opportunities. And there’s no consistent means to access the information they need, with 79% turning to self-guided online searches as their primary way of accessing information.

On their end, universities have to invest more time and money towards career services curriculums, Brunskill says. As for employers — they have to step in faster and earlier than they may think.

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“Recruitment has historically always worked as a hire first, train second model,” he says. “Companies should be spending a lot more time training students before the recruitment process, and then hiring them.”

To do this effectively, employers should have a bigger presence on college campuses — especially as career fairs resume after being stunted by the pandemic. Employers should also open the channels of communication with students in their junior and senior years of college and host campus events to educate prospective applicants on what it's like to work at their company. Establishing relationships today can set both groups up for success.

“If employees don't adapt and put [students] at the core of the experience, they're going to lose out on incredible talent,” Brunskill says. “If there was a silver lining to the pandemic it’s that employers have all realized that they have that responsibility.”