Here at GradTouch we’ve been helping companies fill their graduate roles for over 5 years, and in that time we’ve learned a lot about the best industry practices.

1. Talk about your company values

A company’s core values can be a major pull for graduates looking for work. PwC recently found that 59% of Millennials would deliberately seek out employers whose values matched their own. If your corporate values aren’t being spoken about, you could be missing out.

Whether your company donates regularly to a particular charity or whether you encourage a healthy work-life balance – ethically-conscious graduates will look out for who you are as an employer, and if you don’t tell them, they could just assume the worst.

2. Ask your current graduates what attracted them to their role

Understanding what appealed most to your current graduates will help you exemplify those qualities to attract new graduates. Whether it was the location, the salary, the opportunities for progression or that they just liked the vibe of the company – take time to learn from people you’ve already hired. After all, it’s these kinds of people you’re probably looking for now.

3. Ask your current graduates what they like about working there

After you’ve understood what attracted your current graduate talent, the next thing you need to find out is what’s keeping them around. Employee retention is something every company struggles with at some point, so talking loudly about the things that make your graduates happy will resonate with young job seekers looking for something they can really commit to. Do this and you’ll not only find graduates, but loyal graduates who are engaged with your company from the very start.

4. Disclose your salary

In the same PwC report mentioned earlier, competitive wages and other financial incentives came up second in the list of things that make an employer attractive to Millennials – out of a possible 13 attributes. Company transparency is a big deal to today’s university-leavers, and refusing to disclose your salary could be one simple thing that’s really damaging your employer brand.

Graduates are exemplary realists and aren’t going to be put off (ultimately) by a low entry-level salary. As long as there’s room for improvement – and that progression opportunities are made clear – graduates will appreciate your openness and will be more likely to engage with you as an employer than if you appear shady or secretive.

5. Showcase your employees and office culture

Whether it’s on your company’s blog or simply your Instagram account (you do have Instagram, right?), a candid look into what you and your employees get up to is a great way to attract new talent to your organisation. If you offer incentive trips abroad, host a summer party, or even just regularly socialise – don’t be afraid to brag about what a great time your employees have working for you.

If a graduate can easily see how sociable your company is and, more importantly, where they could fit into it, they will be much more inclined to not only apply, but to care about that application.