Tips for Hiring Entry-Level Employees

Hiring entry-level employees is crucial. But it can be challenging to choose the best candidates due to this group's lack of work experience and limited references. 

When hiring entry-level employees, you must look at their academic achievement and extracurriculars. Also, assess any work experience and transferable skills they have, even if that experience wasn’t in your industry or related to the role they apply for. 

While choosing the best entry-level candidate can seem difficult, it doesn’t have to be! By using these tips for hiring entry-level employees, you should be able to find a talented new hire that will add value to your team and stay with your company long-term.

Strategy for Hiring Entry-Level Employees

The following tips will help you hire entry-level employees that bring value to your team. From connecting with candidates to assessing and interviewing and finally onboarding the successful applicant, hiring entry-level employees doesn’t need to be complicated!

Reaching Entry-Level Employees

The first step in hiring entry-level employees is reaching them. The following are some ways in which you can connect with entry-level candidates. 

1. Create Job Descriptions Optimized to Attract Entry-Level Candidates

Optimizing your job posting when hiring entry-level employees is critical. Don’t place too few requirements and end up with applications from unqualified candidates. But also don’t ask for too much. If you request too much, you’ll dissuade entry-level employees from applying.

When writing entry-level position job descriptions to attract top candidates, you must clearly explain responsibilities and requirements. Use the first requirement to ask for specific degrees. For example, you may request a degree in journalism, communications, or a similar field for a copywriting position. It’s also good to note that the role is open to recent graduates.

You should highlight what you offer the candidate too. Mention things like benefits, perks, and how you will help them learn and grow. Entry-level applicants will be looking at many opportunities, and the best candidates may not apply to every opening they are qualified for. Therefore, you have to sell your company and position to them. 

You must craft job descriptions that appeal to entry-level candidates and don’t ask for too much or too little.

2. Attend Job Fairs

A proven way to gain interest from upcoming and new graduates is to exhibit at career fairs and similar events. Universities host these a lot throughout the year, so do research and choose events at schools where students match your ideal candidates. 

You can determine if the school could have good candidates based on the prestige of the university, courses and classes offered, overall student profiles, and similar factors.

Consider general job fairs too, not just university ones. Entry-Level is frequently associated with new graduates (high-school, college, or university), but that’s not always the case. People switching careers will be entry-level, as will those who took a break between education and work. So, don’t miss out on connecting with those candidates by only attending school job fairs. 

Posting on university job boards is also recommended.

3. Expand your Recruitment Marketing Platforms

We have previously discussed the importance of recruitment marketing and continuous recruitment. These strategies will help in attracting entry-level as well as experienced candidates. 

When recruiting entry-level candidates, you especially want to consider expanding the platforms you use to promote job openings. Along with posting on large job boards, like Indeed, and university job boards, consider posting on niche job boards, social media, and online communities.

Assessing Entry-Level Employees

Having connected with candidates, the next step in hiring entry-level employees is assessing each applicant. Due to their minimal work experience, comparing entry-level candidates can be more challenging than doing so with candidates for other roles.

While most recruiters still ask for a cover letter with applications, some do not. However, when recruiting for entry-level positions, requesting a cover letter is crucial. This document helps show a candidate’s enthusiasm. It also highlights their knowledge of the company and role, along with why they want the position.

Exhibiting at job fairs is a provenly effective way to reach entry-level candidates.

Some things to consider when assessing entry-level candidates include:

• GPA and Honors: these accolades are a good indicator of academic achievement and suggest that the candidate will be highly motivated with a strong work ethic.

• Major and Courses Taken: for example, you may be favoring candidates that have a major in journalism followed by communications and then English.

• Work Experience: candidates will likely have some work experience, whether that’s part-time work, internships, or volunteer positions. When assessing this information, consider the industry and transferable skills they gained. Also, assess the length of time in the position. If they worked a part-time job with the same company during their whole degree, for example, this shows they are loyal and were likely performing well.

• Extracurriculars: participating in activities outside of academics shows drive and ability to commit to something. Clubs relating to a candidate’s degree, for example, being VP of Marketing for an association, shows dedication to their discipline too.

• Passion, Motivation, and Interest: you should assess how motivated they appear to be to apply and get the position. Also, assess how much they seem to know about your company and why they say they want to work for you. As mentioned, cover letters will help a lot with providing this information.

• The Job Application Itself: check for grammar errors, spelling mistakes, and formatting issues. Go slightly easier on entry-level employees regarding these errors, especially resume formatting. However, if a candidate cannot proofread and catch mistakes on a short one or two-page document, they are likely to make mistakes in the position.

• Culture Fit: how a candidate fits in with your team and way of doing things is crucial. Culture fit is something to start thinking about when reviewing applications. Then continue to assess fit in interviews. 

Interviewing Entry-Level Employees

Once you have a shortlist of entry-level candidates, you’ll need to interview them.

Again, you won’t be able to discuss experience as much as with other positions. You also won’t be able to ask how they handle specific position-related situations or tasks. But, asking situational interview questions can help gauge what kind of employee they’ll be. 

For example, ask hypotheticals and questions such as:

• How do you handle deadlines?

• How do you keep yourself organized and on track?

• What would you do if a client asks something you don’t know?

• How would you handle a dissatisfied client?

Focus on their past experiences too, including any work experience and their educational experience. Ask about what they got out of those experiences and what skills and knowledge they gained. Then discuss how those skills could transfer to the open position.

Tests and Assignments

Administering a small test, assignment, or set of questions to answer can greatly help evaluate each entry-level candidate. These tests would relate to their duties in the job and how they would handle those. You could also ask them to complete an actual task they would do on the job.  

You may also want to conduct one round of phone interviews and then bring the best candidates from that for a more in-depth interview (or conduct this second interview over a video call.)

Asking situational interview questions can help gauge what kind of employee the candidate will be.

Onboarding Entry-Level Employees

To reduce the chance of encountering issues with your new entry-level employee, you need a great onboarding and training program.

Starting at a new company is daunting for all types of employees. And onboarding them efficiently can be challenging also. However, these difficulties are more pronounced with entry-level employees.

Entry-level candidates may never have worked in an office or on a team in a situation like at your company. It’s also unlikely they have worked continuously 40 hour weeks before. Additionally, you'll need to explain how to complete tasks in more detail and review work more frequently than would be necessary with experienced employees.

While these employees lack experience, they won’t bring habits with them. Therefore, you can use the first weeks of training and onboarding to teach them exactly how you like things done in the company.

Company Rules and Policies

Start by explaining the company rules and policy, including general office rules, dress code, confidentiality, and schedules, such as times they must work. For experienced employees, most of these rules will be known as they vary little from company to company. But these rules may not be as obvious to entry-level employees. 

Cover employee benefits too, such as paid vacation and medical benefits, plus when they can begin accessing those.

Assign a Mentor

Assigning a “mentor” to help the entry-level employee can be extremely helpful. Someone a level or two up in the company hierarchy and a similar role is a good fit. The new employee’s mentor may even be someone that previously had their position.

Junior-level employees should also still remember what it’s like to be brand new. They will, therefore, be more understanding and may have better advice for the new hire than a more experienced employee would. 

Also, offer positive feedback as they complete tasks correctly and provide friendly constructive criticism if anything needs improvement.

Paring entry-level employees with a mentor can help them fit into the company and succeed.

Retaining Entry-Level Employees

If your entry-level hire was successful, you'll want to ensure they stay with you and grow their career within your company. Some ways to retain entry-level employees include:

1. Frequently Review Performance and Update Job Duties

If the new employee is getting all of their tasks done correctly and quickly, then frequently add additional responsibilities. Updating their job duties will prevent burnout from doing the same repetitive and unchallenging tasks over and over.

Of course, once you give a certain number of extra responsibilities, a raise could help even more with motivation. Otherwise, the employee is having more to do (supposedly because they are performing well) without additional compensation; this is a significant demotivator and will negatively affect employee retention.

2. Map Out a Career Path

Early on in them joining your team, discuss the new employee’s career goals. Ask what skills they would like to learn, what tasks and responsibilities they’d like, and where they see themselves in the next two to five, and even ten, years.

Then use this information to map out how you can work together to achieve those career goals. Also, keep these goals in mind when new tasks come up and even when vacancies open up.

3. Communicate Regularly

Check-ins and frequent communication with entry-level employees is crucial. Try to schedule weekly or bi-weekly check-ins. Ask them what they think is going well, what they are struggling with, and what they would like to do more. You can also offer praise, advice, and/or constructive criticism during these meetings.

At each meeting, also set goals to achieve by the next meeting. These goals can include the employee achieving something or making improvements if necessary.

In Conclusion

Hiring entry-level employees is a necessity for the majority of companies. While these individuals lack experience, they are a vital part of your team and bring passion, motivation, and a fresh perspective.

Hopefully, these tips for hiring entry-level employees will help you find the best new candidates in the job market.