An Exploration of Graduate Profiles by Industry
As the graduate job market continues to evolve, organizations are seeking more consistent trends and tangible data to shape their entry-level recruitment strategies.
The white paper titled “An Exploration of Graduate Profiles by Industry” explores differences in competency profiles among graduates across various sectors of the economy.
By analyzing recent assessment scores from nearly 20,000 candidates who applied for roles across different industries, using the SHL Graduate Solution (8.0), which measures capabilities such as taking responsibility, learning quickly, generating new ideas, adapting to change, and more, the study identified 11 key competencies that are predictive of success in graduate roles.
The findings reveal that:
- The typical profile of a graduate entering the workforce today is characterized by three core strengths: taking responsibility, managing setbacks and feedback, and adapting to change.
- At the same time, three key development areas emerge: analyzing information, striving for achievement, and managing time effectively.
However, the study also identified notable differences in graduate competency profiles across nine industry sectors.
Indicatively:
- In the consulting sector, one of the standout strengths among graduates is Working to High Quality Standards.
- In the automotive industry, graduates are 1.5 times more likely to score highly in Learns Quickly compared to the average.
- In the energy sector, graduates score twice as high in Fosters Team Cohesion compared to the average.
These findings highlight the importance for organizations to fully understand the talent they hire, in order to build the workforce they need for the future. Key takeaways for organizations from this research include:
- Adapting their hiring criteria
- Providing graduates with sufficient opportunities
- Leveraging the data collected during the recruitment process
Read the full white paper “An Exploration of Graduate Profiles by Industry” here to discover insights that can support your organization’s graduate recruitment, retention, and development initiatives.
