Virtual Roundtable: Insights and Key Takeaways
Our first Talent Solutions Virtual Roundtable of 2025 was a fantastic session with a great turnout and valuable discussions. The focus of the session centred around four key topics: Attraction, Selection, Development, and Strategy.
Participants shared insights, challenges, and innovative approaches, helping to shape best practices for graduate and early career recruitment. Below are the key takeaways from each discussion area.
Attraction: Personal Approaches to Campus Engagement
A strong emphasis was placed on building genuine relationships with students on campus. Employers are moving away from relying solely on corporate branding and instead using real employees to share authentic stories. Engaging with Māori and Pacific communities, including whānau, was highlighted as an effective approach. Employees are being encouraged to act as brand ambassadors in both their professional and personal lives, helping to humanise the brand. However, getting graduate content onto corporate social media remains a challenge. Some organisations are experimenting with creative approaches such as employer-hosted HIIT sessions with student societies or participating in community radio interviews like 531PI.
Selection: Enhancing the Candidate Experience
The discussion around selection focused on improving the candidate journey throughout the recruitment process. A key takeaway was the importance of connecting candidates with current graduates and hiring managers to help them understand the business and culture before making an offer. Companies are also looking at ways to better prepare candidates for each stage of the hiring process. Applicant Tracking System (ATS) tools are increasingly being used to match candidates to relevant criteria, such as degree majors. Artificial Intelligence is helping to streamline high-volume recruitment, though there was a shared caution about the potential for confirmation bias in AI-driven selection processes.
Development: Structuring Graduate Programmes for Success
Most graduate rotations are structured to last between 18 to 24 months, with a focus on maximising learning opportunities. Ensuring graduates receive sufficient exposure to different aspects of the business is key, supported by e-learning modules, experiential challenges, and opportunities to present key learnings. Early engagement is also a priority, with some organisations adding new hires to WhatsApp groups before their start dates to help foster a sense of community. Frequent communication leading up to the start date is proving beneficial in keeping engagement high. Manager training is being prioritised, particularly in unconscious bias and intergenerational communication, as organisations seek to better support Gen Z graduates. Collecting regular feedback from graduates on their learning experience is becoming a standard practice, and internships are increasingly viewed as an essential pipeline for graduate programme candidates.
Strategy: Building a Strong Graduate Marketing Strategy
With recruitment cycles ramping up, organisations are re-evaluating their marketing strategies. A clear Graduate Value Proposition (GVP) is essential—graduates need to understand why they should choose one organisation over another. Partnerships with industry bodies such as CAANZ, ENZ, and HRINZ are helping companies expand their reach. While university student clubs and societies offer effective engagement channels, they often require sponsorship and are challenging to maintain due to frequent leadership turnover. Guest lectures are proving to be a valuable tool, especially when alumni within an organisation help build relationships with faculty staff. When it comes to secondary school engagement, organisations are split between targeting specific schools for tailored engagement or maintaining a presence at large-scale student events like Kapa Haka competitions and Polyfest, where visibility can be more difficult to achieve.
The first Virtual Roundtable of 2025 provided a platform for valuable discussions and the exchange of best practices in graduate recruitment. From personalising attraction strategies to improving the candidate experience, structuring development programmes, and refining marketing strategies, these insights will help shape more effective early career talent initiatives. Stay tuned for more roundtable discussions as we continue to drive innovation in the talent space.
At Talent Solutions, we’re committed to supporting our graduate community. Our virtual roundtables provide a space for clients to build networks, share ideas, and support one another—helping to drive innovation in the talent space.
We work with organisations across all areas of Attraction, Selection, Development, and Strategy, helping to design and implement tailored solutions that strengthen graduate programmes. Whether you need support with building effective marketing campaigns, virtual internship programmes, keep-warm activities, or refining your overall approach, we’re here to help.
If you’d like to chat about how we can support your early careers strategy, please reach out—we’d love to connect.
