It's a tough year for students..or is it?

Published 18 November 2009 by Andrea

The GFC brought a new trend to the market that employers haven't seen for a few years.

A nervous graduate.

For the past 3 years strong employers have been focusing significant time and resources on ensuring their market-share knows who they are and developing leadership and development programs that gets their brand in a competitive marketplace. Employers couldn't depend on providing the highest salary to bring them the best grads.

Students have been demanding more competitive options like travel, corporate responsibility, bonus structures, enhanced development programs, fast track options and the like. Employers had but no choice to follow suit.

They labeled it Gen Y.

I label it a "great work force".

Bringing these changes to our work environment has changed the way we work, we live and what we leave behind.

The last 14 months saw a significant difference for employment. From students stomping their feet and asking for more more more...to employers just shutting the doors and saying, I'm afraid there isn't any left. The average recruitment intake in the UK went from +14%/annum to -25%/annum.

What happens now however, has been a wonderful solution. Employers that have taken time, effort and resources to develop more than a bottom line to students have a sustainable brand, a positive image and are being recognised more than ever for it.

Students are becoming more and more educated. More and more advanced. More and more attractive to employers and developing their own personal brand more effectively.

In turn employers that have developed their business brands in the past few years effectively now prove their worth in the market.

If you are one of those employers that has looked at their grad program lightly and at the first sign of difficulty turned off the switch and shut the door, hid behind it and said.."no one's home" when the students come knocking..I can assure you it's a dangerous game to play.

Students are the most advertising savvy group of consumers in the world. They have seen and will see more advertising each day than you and I will see in 10. Becoming fickle in a growing market even in an economic downturn is dangerous and turning away at the touch of adversity is like slapping a student in the face and saying...oh we didn't really mean what we said last year. And they will feel the sting for years.

What we have noticed is a significant number of new employers entering the market this year..so much so that for every company we've seen "reduce" their spend or "reduce" their numbers, we've seen one or 2 new companies enter the marketplace for the first time. They're taking the bull by the horns, braving the storm and chucking themselves out the door to show their strength, their innovation and their desperate need for high quality educated candidates.

These companies will reap the rewards of great talent paying attention and looking for them, instead of the organisations spending more to look for the student.

Be brave in times of adversity, or you could be paying more for less for years to come.