According to research conducted by the Federation of Small Businesses in August 2022, 80% of small enterprises had encountered challenges in the previous year when seeking candidates with suitable skills. At the same time the Higher Education Statistics Agency estimated that international students make up 22% of the student population in the UK.
With support from your local university, international graduates can meet your organisation’s talent needs.
Things to consider
The best way to find international graduates is to start working with them while they’re still students. International students are particularly engaged in employability initiatives and their participation in internship programmes, careers fairs and employer events is high.
When attending university events, be open with students about the graduate opportunities available in your organisation.
When advertising roles, clarity is the key to finding international talent. Many roles fail to receive interest from international graduates due to ambiguity around eligibility. Including a fair hiring statement with information for international graduates on the visa types through which you hire can make a huge difference to international applicants.
Lastly, consider the practical benefts to hiring international graduates. By their very nature, they have a global mindset and may be fluent not only in other languages but other cultures, broadening your market insights. Diversity in a team is proven to strengthen and enrich a workplace. Thanks to their wideranging experiences, international graduates often have excellent resilience and adaptability.
Further Support
If you’d like support writing adverts that will attract international graduates, our experienced team of employability professionals would love to help, so please get in touch with us: employmentzone@swansea.ac.uk
