Oneonta Employers Should Look to Local Schools for Prospects

Every summer, there is a new crop of recent graduates seeking employment opportunities. This is especially true here in Oneonta. Area businesses should be paying close attention to these young graduates and trying to entice them into employment, as they are likely to have fostered precisely the skills these businesses are seeking.

Whether graduating from the State University of New York College of Oneonta (often abbreviated as SUCO), nearby Hartwick College, or even from Oneonta High School to directly enter the workforce, there are plenty of modern and forward-focused careers that are well-suited to the youth of today. Oneonta businesses could directly benefit from having many of them on their payroll, which would translate into benefits for the entire community.

We’ve had some experience working with the colleges over the years, and we’ve worked with some pretty talented individuals because of it.

The Pros and Cons of Hiring College Graduates

It isn’t to say there aren’t downfalls. In our industry, experience is everything. Often the skills a student learns in college only get them part of the way there. It takes time and experience to bring them up to speed.

It’s easy for a business owner to feel like a stepping stone in a young adult’s career. They graduate college, you hire them and give them that experience, and risk them moving out of town with the experience you gave them. It can definitely burn a little.

That said, new generations of employees could grow into being your most ambitious and enthusiastic staff members. College students are often eager to prove themselves and are technologically oriented. That doesn’t mean that a recent Communications major graduate should configure your servers, but they should feel very comfortable using modern software that most businesses need to use, mobile devices, and cloud-based apps.

The Key is to Keep These New Hires Engaged

We mentioned the big risk that most of us feel with hiring graduates; they’ll come to work for a few years, build up their resume and gain some of that precious experience, and then move on. The key is to give them room to move up.

It’s hard to completely generalize, because in our experience, everyone has different goals and aspirations, but if you provide a growth path for any young hire, they will be more likely to stick with you to follow it.

That doesn’t mean someone is going to go from diploma to CEO in 5 years, but working with the new generation of hires and developing a rough path will keep them motivated and prevent them from feeling like there are better cities to move to.

Younger Employees Are More Effective With Modern Technology

This isn’t just a benefit of hiring recent graduates, it’s also going to help you keep them. They are used to using modern hardware and software for their education, and they were raised in the age of the Internet. They aren’t going to be intimidated by new technology, but they might feel a little put off if they need to get by on technology that hardly works.

Providing things like cloud-based email, mobile device management, and having your network run like a well-oiled machine will help keep the younger workforce engaged and efficient. 

It also helps to keep in mind how valuable recent graduates can be to a team, and to the community as a whole. A younger workforce made up of recent graduates means there are more chances for young people to put down roots, growing the community and enriching the area, and we would all benefit from that.

If you or someone you know would be interested in joining our team, check out some of our job openings, and give us a call at 607.433.2200!