Choosing a new team member for any role whether junior or senior is not an exact science, and many of us find recruitment a tricky and expensive task. That's why employing a placement student can be a bit easier, and possibly more beneficial than a full-time graduate.
At JR Management Accountancy, we are developing a pool of young talent by welcoming a new placement student to work in our team every September. So far, we have welcomed Manpreet, Cameron, Mark, Isabelle and most recently Owen who have all been studying for a Business or Finance-related Degree at the University of Worcester.
So why do we employ placement students, and what are the benefits that we can share with others?
It’s a year long interview. Working alongside them for a full year, we get to know our students properly, to find out what they are best at and what they enjoy, and to learn if they can really fit into our small team after graduation. Additionally, we get a better look out our team processes, and make constant changes to enable better communication for new hires.
We gain fresh ideas and creativity. It’s a 2-way street, we learn from the students as well as them learning from us. They show us new tech, they understand current trends, they keep us on our toes. They bring in fresh ideas, outside of the business, which is crucial for business growth. Additionally, they give us an alternative perspective being a student, which can be very helpful with all aspects of the business.
Our team finds it rewarding and fun. All the students develop, mature and grow over the year. We feel like proud mentors when we look back at the end of the placement and realise how much they’ve learnt and the challenges they’ve overcome. Our team gets better at training and mentoring, and the placement student gains a year of work experience. We all win, and we all learn.
Sadly, with the increases in NIC and minimum wages this year, employing people has become more costly. However, there are no recruitment fees to be paid to the university who advertise placement positions FOC and work hard to match us with suitable candidates. We are on our 5th year of placements, and we haven’t had a bad one yet! We're planning on getting a student every year, and as we grow we have the potential to recruit more at a time.
It’s a great way to get things done. With a dedicated person to focus on a project, we have successfully implemented a number of projects that had been kicking around in the office for some time. In recent years, our students have researched and implemented time and task management software, and launched and managed our strategic and digital marketing. All large and important projects that are key to our business development.
If you are a frustrated by traditional approaches to recruitment, why not consider employing a placement student? You won’t regret it, and it's a new experience each year.
Additionally, contact the University of Worcester if you'd like to express interest in employing a placement student, and want to know how it works.
Furthermore, we have blogs written by our placement students, sharing their experience working with us for a year. Have a read, and learn from their perspective:
3 Honest Placement Fears Versus Realities
