Employing graduates: Selection criteria and practice in New Zealand

Abstract

Entry into graduate programmes is highly competitive. Although careers advisors working within higher education do their best to prepare students for engagement with these programmes; anecdotal reports suggest many graduates remain unsure what it is these employers are seeking, and how it is assessed. Our study examines both selection criteria profiles and practices, drawing comprehensive data from 20 New Zealand firms and finds that regardless of a firm's characteristics, most seek a very similar graduate profile, with the concepts of candidate 'well roundedness' and 'fit' considered most vital. Selection practices employed are tightly connected to this graduate profile. These findings shed some much needed light for graduates on what is, but also what is not, highly sought after by employers in the recruitment and selection process. They should also be of benefit to universities by assisting them to better prepare their graduates for successful transition into the employment market.

Exploring learning and fit in the transition from higher education to the labour market: A systematic review

“…First of all, learning skills are believed to be important skills that need to be developed. This is stated by employers (Edgar et al, 2013;Evers & Rush, 1996), students (McMurray et al, 2011;Zucchermaglio & Alby, 2009) as well as graduates (Evers & Rush, 1996;Johansson et al, 2008;Lindberg, 2010;Nilsson, 2010). Furthermore, Abrandt Dahlgren et al (2006) indicated that the ability to reflect is necessary for graduates, and the results of the studies of Nicolescu and Păun (2009) and Nilsson (2010) emphasised orienting and learning in new areas and assimilating new knowledge.…”

“…Aligned to this, prior to entering the labour market, students value their education because it provides them with problem-solving skills (e.g., Edvardsson Stiwne & Jungert, 2010;McMurray et al, 2011). Besides problem-solving skills, analytical skills were highlighted in the literature (Abrandt Dahlgren et al, 2006;Edgar et al, 2013;Lowe & Krahn, 1995;Nilsson, 2010), as well as logical reasoning (Nilsson, 2010), having an achievement orientation (Edgar et al, 2013), finding optimal solutions (Abrandt Dahlgren et al, 2006), and decision-making (e.g., Landrum et al, 2010). Furthermore, creativity and having an innovative attitude made a positive contribution to the transition to the labour market, however the value of creativity is mainly stressed by employers (Biesma et al, 2007;Evers & Rush, 1996).…”

“…Furthermore, working independently was stressed, including working without supervision (Landrum et al, 2010;Nicolescu & Păun, 2009), managing several tasks at once (Landrum et al, 2010), being structured (Nilsson, 2010), and managing stress and workload (Edvardsson Stiwne & Jungert, 2010;Lindberg, 2010). Besides this, five studies showed that critical thinking is an important asset in the workplace for recent graduates (e.g., Abrandt Dahlgren et al, 2006;Edgar et al, 2013;Nilsson, 2010). Evers and Rush (1996) indicated that having a clear vision and being able to take risks are important skills.…”

“…Leadership was shown to be crucial to be fully prepared for work, both in research investigating the perspective of employers (Edgar et al, 2013) (Martin et al, 2005). In line with leadership, management skills are of the utmost importance (e.g., Lowe & Krahn, 1995) and more specifically managing people (Evers & Rush, 1996).…”

Developing the resilient project professional: examining the student experience

“…Resilience, which is the ability to bounce back and adapt, has been recognized as an important capability which enables individuals to manage stress. Resilience is identified as a key capability sought in new graduate appointments (Edgar et al , 2013). There is also growing recognition by educators that resilience is a critical skill that can assist students in their transition to professional life (Grant and Kinman, 2012; Holdsworth et al , 2017).…”