Finding and keeping top early-career talent is more critical than ever. Companies need bright minds to bring fresh ideas and energy. However, hiring and engaging this talent can be challenging. This article explores the state of early-career hiring, the challenges faced by Talent Acquisition (TA) teams and new hires, and how Abode is shaking up early-career hiring.
The Current State of Early-Career Hiring
Early-career hiring is changing fast. With Gen Z entering the workforce, old hiring methods aren't keeping pace. This generation wants meaningful work, quick communication, and a strong sense of community. They're looking for more than just a paycheck—they want an environment that supports growth, learning, and genuine connection.
A recent survey found that more than a third of early-career professionals received four or more job offers during their last job search. Additionally, 47% of those who accepted an offer admitted they were still open to other offers. This highlights the high level of competition in the job market and the challenge of securing a long-term commitment from new hires.
According to the same survey, 59% of HR leaders anticipate increased competition for talent with the ongoing challenges in the labor market. Many candidates remain uncommitted to their new employer, looking for better opportunities even after accepting offers. This stresses the importance of effective engagement methods to retain new hires.
Additionally, 59% of candidates accepted job offers because they offered more flexibility in their work schedules or locations. Others were drawn by a better work-life balance (45%) and higher pay (40%). More than half of the candidates said their overall job experience was just as important as job satisfaction or pay. Interestingly, nine out of ten candidates quit the hiring process because the employer's brand didn't match their expectations.
For TA and early-career HR teams, this means adjusting to new expectations and engaging young professionals more effectively. Companies that don't meet these expectations risk high turnover and disengaged employees.
Challenges Faced by Early-Career Hiring Teams
Finding and keeping early-career talent is tough. With the unique expectations of Gen Z and the shifting job market, TA teams face several hurdles, such as:
Engagement and Retention
Keeping early-career hires engaged is vital. Old methods like generic emails and infrequent check-ins often lead to reneges and high turnover. A report revealed that nearly half of the early-career candidates back out of accepted job offers, a phenomenon termed the "Great Reneging". Gen Z expects personalized, consistent, and engaging communication.
Efficient Onboarding
Onboarding is more than just an orientation session. It's about integrating new hires into the company culture and ensuring they feel supported from day one. Poor onboarding leaves new employees feeling lost and disconnected. Ineffective onboarding can increase the likelihood of reneging, especially among early-career professionals who often receive multiple offers.
Streamlined Communication
Communicating effectively with a large group of interns or new hires can be challenging. Using multiple tools and platforms often leads to mixed messages and missed information. This can lead to low engagement, as candidates may feel neglected or undervalued during the pre-boarding phase.
Data-Driven Decisions
Tracking engagement levels and spotting potential issues early can be tricky without reliable data. Companies need to measure how well their engagement strategies are working to keep improving. Data-driven insights are vital to understanding candidate behavior and refining engagement strategies. Unfortunately, many traditional systems fail to provide these analytics. This is where having a robust system becomes necessary.
Why Abode?
Abode addresses these early-career hiring challenges by enhancing the early-career experience. Here's how:
Centralized Communication and Engagement
Abode integrates all communication channels, making it easy for TA teams to stay connected with new hires. Forums, text message reminders, and emojis ensure communications resonate with Gen Z.
Personalized Onboarding
Abode's onboarding process is customized for each new hire, making their transition into the company smooth and welcoming. With checklists, welcome messages, and pre-start sessions, new hires feel well-prepared and at ease.
Enhanced Networking Opportunities
Abode offers a suite of networking tools tailored for recent graduates. Through the Directories, new hires can see and chat with other incoming interns or new hires or connect on social platforms. The Forums enable group discussions similar to LinkedIn or Facebook groups.
Additionally, Abode's mentorship matching pairs new hires with company mentors for guidance and support. Abode also facilitates Events, allowing new hires to meet and network with peers.
Data-Driven Insights
Abode's analytics give TA teams actionable insights. By monitoring engagement metrics and making intelligent, data-based decisions, companies can spot issues early.
Continuous Engagement
To keep young talent motivated and committed, Abode offers tools for ongoing engagement beyond just onboarding. Regular check-ins, mentorship programs, and feedback loops ensure continuous support and development for new hires.
Addressing Unique Challenges
Abode is built on research with more than 5,000 Gen Z professionals and what they want in the workplace. For instance, 80% want to hear from their employers 1-2 times a month, 71% want a way to network with peers before starting, and 84% want a mentor during their internship. Gen Z have grown up with phones in their pockets and expect easy access to information.
Abode takes who Gen Z are as people and what they want as professionals and builds it all into one platform. This way, the work put into engaging them won't go unseen because interns and new grads want to use Abode. That's why 98% of people were invited to join the platform and engage with their peers.
Facilitating Mentorship and Guidance
Abode matches people with mentors in their organization and helps them understand what to ask and what to learn from a mentor to get the most out of that relationship. If appropriately leveraged, a mentor can be transformative for anyone, especially early in their career.
Case Studies: Real-World Success with Abode
Let's look at real-world examples to understand how Abode transforms early-career hiring. These case studies highlight how different companies overcame their challenges with the help of Abode.
Cognizant—Streamlining Communication and Reducing Planning Time
Challenge: Cognizant relied heavily on email for communication, which was time-consuming and didn't connect with Gen Z candidates. This led to a scattered and inefficient hiring process.
Strategy: Cognizant turned to Abode, integrating features like text message reminders and the Community forum. These tools allow for quick and direct interactions, perfectly matching Gen Z's communication preferences.
Result: The change was dramatic. Cognizant cut planning time by 50%, saw a 98% candidate adoption rate, and a 91.3% engagement rate. This saved time and made the candidate experience much more engaging and responsive.
American Family Insurance—Enhancing Resource Management and Engagement
Challenge: American Family Insurance had inconsistent messaging and low engagement among early-career hires. Without a centralized system, keeping candidates informed was tough.
Strategy: They used Abode's Community, Directory, and template features to streamline communication and manage resources better. These tools centralized all necessary information, creating a cohesive communication strategy.
Result: With Abode, they achieved a 100% candidate adoption rate and a 90.6% engagement rate. Improved communication flow and centralized resources kept new hires informed and connected. Candidates could easily find what they needed, reducing confusion and enhancing their onboarding experience.
Lithko—Reducing Reneges and Improving Communication
Challenge: Lithko's manual communication processes led to poor engagement and many candidates backing out of job offers. They needed a more structured and engaging system.
Strategy: Lithko used Abode's Journeys and Forum features to enhance their pre-boarding process and facilitate better knowledge sharing. These tools kept candidates connected and informed.
Result: Lithko saw a 50% reduction in reneges, with a 98% candidate adoption rate and a 69% forum engagement rate. The clear and structured approach ensured candidates remained committed and well-prepared, significantly reducing the risk of backing out. Improved communication helped candidates feel secure and confident in joining Lithko.
Elevance Health—Simplifying Pre-Board Process
Challenge: Elevance Health faced inefficiencies in pre-board communications and a heavy manual workload. Decentralized communication methods made it hard to keep new hires engaged and informed.
Strategy: They adopted Abode's Community, Events, and Journeys features to automate and streamline their pre-boarding processes. These features enabled consistent and effective communication, reducing the HR team's manual workload.
Result: Elevance Health achieved a 92% candidate adoption rate and an 81% engagement rate, with over 7,000 notifications sent. The automation improved efficiency and engagement, ensuring new hires were well-prepared and connected. Clear communication and organized pre-boarding activities helped new hires feel welcomed and ready to begin their roles.
Danaher—Enhancing Engagement in Early ID Programs
Challenge: Danaher's early identification program, JUMP, needed a centralized platform to sustain engagement and store important information for first- and second-year students. Their decentralized communication methods were inconsistent and inefficient.
Strategy: Danaher integrated Abode to manage their JUMP and internship programs. Abode's features, including communication capabilities, events, forums, mentorship coordination, and task management, provided a comprehensive solution. The mentorship coordination, in particular, helped match candidates with mentors, encouraging a supportive environment.
Result: Danaher achieved a 98% candidate adoption rate and an 84% forum engagement rate. The centralized communication and program management capabilities significantly improved the cohesion and effectiveness of their early career programs.
Participants appreciated having everything they needed in one place, enhancing their overall experience. The mentorship program received positive feedback for helping new hires feel supported and guided.
Conclusion
Abode is more than just a tool. It's your partner in transforming early-career hiring. We understand the unique challenges of engaging and retaining young talent. This sets us apart from traditional HR solutions. With our centralized, data-driven, and engaging platform, we help companies build stronger, more cohesive teams.
As early-career hiring evolves, Abode aims to lead the way, drive innovation, and set new standards for success.
Ready to see how Abode can transform your hiring process? Schedule a demo with Abode today.
