5 ways Singaporean employers can train fresh graduate hires for success
Singaporean employers are hiring more fresh graduate trainees under the SGUnited Traineeships Program. Fresh graduates may be less experienced than full-time employees, but many of them are open to trying different things and upskilling. That means they’re very teachable. With some training, they could soon become star employees in your company. Here’s a guide on how to do it.
Related: 12 strategies to hire the best fresh graduates in Singapore
First impressions are important. Since onboarding sessions are fresh graduates’ first official orientation to your company, a good first impression will affect their decision to stay and grow with the team. Excite them about working with the company and they’ll be more motivated to put their best foot forward. That will add value to your business.
New hires tend to be the most engaged with the company in their first 90 days. So it’s important to strike while the iron is hot.
TIP: You can get in touch with your trainees through email or phone even before their start date. Managers can share their contact information and encourage them to come forward with questions. That will go a long way!
Onboarding shouldn’t stop after the first day. Consider assigning your fresh graduate hire a mentor – usually a senior colleague. Then, set up opportunities for them to learn.
These opportunities can include job shadowing, hands-on training, or tagging along to client meetings. This way, fresh graduates will learn new skills from professionals who know the ins and outs. Mentorships are also what fresh graduates look for in their first jobs. So it is also a way to show you care about their wants and professional development.
From the get go, set up regular 1-1 sessions to give your trainees feedback on how they’re doing and how to improve. That includes hard and soft skills. Sometimes, fresh graduates might need some guidance on proper work behaviour or etiquette. You may need to spell that out explicitly to avoid miscommunication. It doesn’t hurt to be direct sometimes.
Also, inspire them by sharing how their work contributes to the company. Seeing the bigger picture will keep them engaged and not feel like a small cog in a big wheel.
Once they’re settled into the company and are doing well, the next step should be to upskill them. 82% of millennials in Singapore want to build new skills and learn more, according to a 2019 OCBC survey of students and young working adults.
This will satisfy your fresh graduate hires’ hunger for knowledge. By showing that you care about their professional growth, this also helps improve their loyalty to your company. Plus, this improves their professional skills, which can value-add to their job. It’s a win-win situation.
SGUnited traineeships only last up to 12 months. But it’s still important to set out a long-term roadmap with your trainees. Share with them your company’s vision and factor in a monthly plan to work toward that during their traineeship. And lay out what they’re expected to achieve at each monthly checkpoint.
That helps get them onboard, because they’ll perform better when they understand the impact they can create.
And these are the 5 ways employers can train fresh graduates for success in their company. If you see potential in your new talent, let them know and you could have a committed full-time hire on your hands!
