graduate noun /ˈɡradʒʊət,ˈɡradjʊət/ a person who has successfully completed a course of study or training, especially a person who has been awarded an undergraduate or first academic degree. synonyms:degree holder, person with a degree
As simple as it might seem, I do feel the need to clear up the meaning of 'graduate', for there seems to be a portion of society who don't understand the meaning and will add it to any job title they wish. There are two main culprits to talk about today, but I'm sure I can find many more instances of people misusing the word. A lot of this may crossover with my post about Entry Level Jobs but where that focuses on the why students are often unable to have both a degree and experience, here I want to explain why adding the word 'graduate' to your job title isn't necessarily going to help you.
There's the obvious problem that writing 'graduate' in the job title does imply you're advertising for an entry level job. This shouldn't be an issue if you genuinely are advertising for an entry level job where you want someone educated to a degree level - this is definitely an option. But if you're going to ask for a graduate with experience, you're going to have trouble finding your perfect candidate. It is so rare that a graduate is going to have the experience you're after, whether that is a certain amount of time within an industry, or extensive understanding of particular programmes. Not everyone has the time or opportunity, and for more on that, I recommend you see my aforementioned post on Entry Level Jobs.
An alternative problem I've been coming across is applying the word 'graduate' to a job that almost definitely doesn't require a degree level of education. Not every entry level job doesn't equate to a graduate role, sometimes you simply don't need someone with a degree. Let's establish two things: I advocate fully for roles made for graduates and I don't expect an entry level job to be particularly glam. But an admin assistant with a salary of £15,000 doesn't require someone who spent three years studying. They might be better at the job, but the point is that they could have done that job straight out of college. If that's the case then I hate to say it, but you aren't advertising a 'graduate' job, just an entry level one: they aren't the same thing.
Likewise, you shouldn't be labelling a job as a 'graduate scheme' if there isn't the right structure in place for that graduate to learn and grow at your company. A 'graduate scheme' implies there is a scheme in place for the graduate to progress through - it is, in fact, the main attraction of these placements. It's only right that you're transparent in your advertising, for both your sake and your candidates. By being unclear, you're potentially wasting a lot of people's time.
And whilst we're on the topic, labelling a job as a 'graduate' role isn't an excuse to pay less. Yes, we're inexperienced, but we are highly educated and many of us have the same living costs as anyone else. If it is a professional role, you should be paying the going rate. A lack of experience doesn't negate that.
So, are we all clear on what graduate means now?
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