Students want jobs where they'll be challenged

If you want to hire high-achieving graduates, then you better be ready to challenge them, a new study shows.

The global employer branding company Universum recently asked graduating students from the Ivy League and Russell Group universities what they thought about what they wanted from their future jobs.

Of the students surveyed, 53% saw being intellectually challenged as important, compared to 37% from other universities.

Joao Araujo, Country Manager UK and Ireland at Universum, says: “Students at the Russell Group schools don’t just go to the top schools and expect to that stamp to do all the work. They are also eager to develop themselves. 44% has done an internship in their home country versus 31% of the other students.”

But even though the high-achieving students want to be challenged at work, they also see a good work and life balance as their most important career goal according to the study.

56% saw the balance between life and work as an important career goal, compared to 58 % from other universities.

Even so, Araujo says that employers need to remember that all students are different.

He explains: “There’s no magic pill. Employers need to understand well what their own specific target group wants. There are so many differences among sub-groups within the Russell group, e.g., business students versus engineering students. They need to craft a value proposition that resonates with the target audience. They should also tailor their communication strategy to ensure that they reach their target group via the channels that are more relevant.”

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