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Recruiting early career talent, such as graduates, apprentices, and interns, is a crucial part of shaping the future of any organisation. These individuals will represent the future of the workforce, bringing in fresh perspectives, energy, and drive to make an impact. However, the recruitment process for early careers programs often involves a significant amount of lead time between the moment a candidate accepts an offer and their start date.
So, how do you keep them excited, engaged, and fully committed to joining your team? That’s where a solid “keep warm” strategy comes in. By staying connected and nurturing these relationships, organisations can ensure a smooth transition from candidate to employee. Let’s explore why this matters and how it benefits both sides.
Reducing Offer Decline and Dropout Rates
In today’s competitive job market, top candidates often have multiple offers from various organisations. Even after accepting an offer, there is a high chance that they may receive other tempting opportunities or experience second thoughts about their decision.
A well-planned keep warm strategy helps avoid this by:
Maintaining Engagement: Regular check-ins and general communication keeps you at the forefront of their minds.
Reinforcing Their Decision: Personalised messages from team members or managers enhance the candidate’s choice and build confidence in their decision to join.
By making them feel valued before they even start, you reduce the risk of last-minute dropouts.
Building Emotional Commitment
The time between accepting an offer and starting a new job is the perfect opportunity to build emotional connections. For early career hires, who are most likely going to be entering the workforce for the first time, feeling like they belong is just as important as salary or job title.
A good keep warm strategy can help build this connection by:
Creating Excitement: Sending welcome packs, sharing success stories, or showing them behind the scenes of company life, candidates can picture themselves as part of the team.
Setting Expectations: Giving insights into the role, team culture, and workplace dynamics can ease any pre-start nerves.
When candidates feel emotionally invested, they are more than likely going to stay committed to the organisation.
Strengthening the Employer Brand
The candidate experience doesn’t end with the job offer; it extends through to the onboarding and beyond. A strong keep warm strategy ensures that the positive impressions that are formed during the application process are sustained.
Consistency of Experience: By staying engaged with candidates, it shows that you genuinely care about them and not simply filling a role.
Positive Word of Mouth: Early career professionals are well-connected with their peers. A great preboarding experience can lead to strong recommendations, making it easier to attract future talent.
Enhancing Onboarding Readiness
A thoughtful, keep-warm strategy not only keeps candidates engaged but also prepares them for a successful start. By providing them with resources and building familiarity with the organisation, you can smooth the transition and accelerate the onboarding process.
One of the key benefits to this is giving them access to training resources, company tools, or learning platforms ensures they hit the ground running. Another benefit is that providing communication and a clear roadmap of what to expect to make the first day will make it feel less daunting.
Boosting Long-Term Retention
Retention starts well before the first day on the job. Early career employees are more likely to stay with an organisation when they feel connected, valued, and supported from the start.
A keep-warm strategy can help with:
Early Relationship Building: Introducing the candidates to mentors, team members, or peer groups can help to establish personal connections and a sense of belonging.
Highlighting Growth Opportunities: Showcasing career progression, learning opportunities, and success stories reinforces why they’ve chosen the right place to build their future.
Practical Ways to Keep Candidates Engaged
A successful keep-warm strategy doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Here are some simple yet effective steps organisations can take to keep early career candidates engaged:
- Provide them with regular updates. Send newsletters or emails with company news, upcoming events, or team introductions.
- Send interactive activities such as virtual meet-ups, webinars, or informal chats with current employees.
- Add a personal touch by sending them video messages from managers or personalised onboarding plans.
- Offer them access to learning materials, workplace tours (virtual or in-person), or overviews of projects they will work on.
Conclusion
In the fast-paced world of early careers recruitment, securing top talent is just the beginning. The real challenge lies in ensuring that candidates remain engaged and excited about joining your organisation. A thoughtful and well-executed keep warm strategy ensures that the gap between offer acceptance and start date will result in less dropouts, building emotional commitment, and setting the stage for a successful onboarding experience.
By investing in a keep warm strategy, organisations not only enhance their candidate experience but also lay the foundation for long-term employee loyalty and success. For early career hires, this can make all the difference between a job they accept and a career they truly embrace.
