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Here’s something we hear all the time: “We want someone early in their career, filled with fresh perspectives, who doesn’t shy away from tech, and is open to learning.”
And in the same breath: “But they need to hit the ground running, understand the business, and have great stakeholder skills.”
Ah. The experience paradox. Everyone wants early-career hires – with resumes that put CEOs to shame, and of course, more experience than they’ve had birthdays. In fact, a recent analysis of jobs posted on LinkedIn revealed that 35% of the entry-level roles required years of prior experience.
The problem? No one wants to invest in making them great. They want energy without uncertainty. Agility without mess. Drive without direction.
And that’s where most early career strategies fall flat.
Finding early talent is, in fact, a long game. And the smart brands know it.
So, what’s the play?
It’s not the perks that you offer that’s going to land you the right fit. Neither is it the word ‘dynamic’ thrown around the job ad like confetti.
It’s about building loyalty in a transient job market.
A lot of businesses today hesitate to invest in training graduates. Why? Because Gen Z is notorious for switching jobs every two years and the fear of not getting a return on their investment is real. But what these businesses fail to realise is that job hopping is not a rite of passage for this generation; rather, it’s done out of necessity. When the competitors offer better opportunities to learn, a more flexible environment, or a clear progression path, the option to switch jobs is no longer just a choice.
Loyalty is a two-way street. If employers show their commitment to growing their talent and aren’t afraid to hire them in the nascent stage of their careers, the payoff won’t just be a high retention rate, it’ll be a competitive edge that compounds over time.
There’s more.
Self-reflection is equally important when hiring early talent. If there’s one mistake a lot of companies end up making, it’s using early talent as a band-aid for resourcing shortfalls. That’s how we end up with graduates who are disillusioned with the system before they even enter it. If you’re hiring for an entry-level role, and yet they need to ‘hit the ground running’, it’s time to pause and introspect. Is this because your team is stretched thin enough already? Do you just not have the bandwidth to give someone a chance? In that case, you probably don’t need an entry-level hire – you need more senior support. Because what you’re looking for isn’t potential, it’s a shortcut.
And that’s the catch. Early talent isn’t a quick fix. They’re not there to plug gaps or carry the weight of under-resourced teams.
They’re there to learn, to grow, to be shaped into the kind of professionals companies are grateful for five years down the road.
Early Careers is a trust exercise
It’s important to remember that you’re asking someone to bet on your organisation before they know who they are, what they want, or how the world of work actually works.
That’s not a transaction. It’s a relationship.
So, ask yourself: Are you giving them a reason to stay? Are you giving them room to grow? Are you building something worth belonging to? And most importantly, are you outthinking your competition to retain them?
If not, no amount of graduate brochures will help.
