Handshake set to reveal new research on graduate employer priorities at RecFest 2022

Stephen Isherwood, Chief Executive at the ISE; Rebecca Foden, Head of Student Recruitment at EY and Chris Anthony, Head of Employer Sales at Handshake, will take to the RecFest stage at 11am on 7th July for a not-to-be-missed session for Talent Acquisition managers and HR Directors looking to shore up their hiring strategy for the year ahead.

Based on conversations with more than 100 employers, the ISE and Handshake have uncovered an optimistic picture of the next twelve months, where graduate recruitment is on the rise – but where employers need to work harder than ever to secure and retain the best talent. The session will highlight the need for more collaboration between industry and academia, the importance of building longer-term relationships with students – and, crucially, the need to meet students’ changing priorities when it comes to what they want from the world of work.

As well as looking at the practicalities of creating a sustainable talent pipeline, the session will reveal the motivations behind increasing the number of grad hires in the coming twelve months, looking at factors such as supporting company growth, the growing realisation that hiring graduate employees is an indispensable part of the budget as they represent good value.

This new study comes hot on the heels of the ‘Careers 2032’ report from Handshake, Wonkhe, AGCAS and the ISE, which looked at the longer term picture of graduate recruitment. And, as well as discussing our new findings, this session will look at longer term goals raised in Careers 2032 and provide concrete advice around finding – and then keeping – the brightest new talent.

If you’re coming to RecFest, put the session in your diary today. And, in order to get a copy of the Graduate Employer Priorities Report 2023 as soon as it drops, register your interest here.