The Graduate Onboarding Challenge
Graduates come into the workplace equipped with knowledge, drive and determination, but they sometimes experience difficulties translating this quickly into results. Given sufficient time and the appropriate support, these gaps can be filled, but in a world that is fast changing, organisations and graduates alike want to be ‘ up and running’ in the shortest possible time.
From our experience, these are a few common challenges that have emerged among graduates:
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Communicating for results
Communication in the working world is key to succeeding. From understanding your role better, obtaining information and support, clarifying responsibilities, conveying ideas - communicating in the appropriate manner is what makes the difference in getting results or getting nowhere. Graduates need the skills to help them determine what to communicate, how to communicate and the best means of communication.
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Fitting into the team
Graduates have a need to fit in and to add value. The remote and hybrid working environment has made this more challenging as there is often no or limited physical interaction. Some graduates may never enter the offices at which they are employed. Graduates require skills and techniques to build relationships and to be ‘seen’ in this virtual world.
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Balancing competing demands and prioritization
In this new phase of the working world graduates have to juggle full-time work that may lack the rigid structure that they are accustomed to while studying. Graduates need assistance to help them make sense of the changes in their lives, to prioritise and to manage their energy and time.
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Eager to succeed
Graduates are very eager to prove their worth and to add value but don’t know how. We have worked with graduates to help them understand the bigger picture of the organization, the role of their team in this picture and where they fit in. Understanding this helps graduates see the playing field and then how to succeed becomes clearer.
Outlined below are just a few areas where graduates need support when transitioning into the working world. Organisations can yield high ROIs by crafting a graduate onboarding experience that encourages rapid development. In so doing, graduates start contributing and adding value faster.
The Graduate Onboarding Programme consists of:
- 3.5 hours of coursework
- 3 hours of one-on-one individual coaching
- Developmental feedback
The Graduate onboarding programme is delivered online and is designed to run over three months. Coursework alternates with individual coaching sessions. Graduates are allowed to learn and practice, and the individual coaching sessions are designed to address any challenges experienced by the graduates in the transition.
The Graduate onboarding programme outline with the suggested time frame is as follows:
| Activity | Description | Time to complete |
Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1 Week 1 | Learning Module on-line. |
|
2 hours | Virtual |
| Month 1 week 3 | Individual Coaching Session |
|
2 hours | Virtual |
| Month 2 Week 1 | Learning Module on-line. |
|
2 hours | Virtual |
| Month 2 Week 2 | 360 degree developmental feedback od |
|
Recipients are given 1 week to provide feedback | |
| Month 2 Week 3/4 | Coaching Session |
|
1 hours | Virtual |
| Month 3 Week 3 | Coaching Session |
|
1 hours | Virtual |
| Month 3 Week 4 | Learning Module on-line |
|
30 mins | Virtual |
The Learning modules are self-paced with a suggested time to complete. Each Learning module contains content (written and, in some cases, video), exercises to practice and an assessment that graduates are required to pass before they can move on to the next module.
The Customer Contract will be required to book all coaching sessions at the programme's start.
Partner qualifications and accreditation
All our coaches have completed coach training at institutions that are recognised with the International Coaching Federation (ICF). Majority of our coaches have a Master’s degree in Coaching and Behavioural Change and are accredited with the ICF. Coachfluence abides by the ICFs code of conduct and code of ethics.
Their experienced team of Coaches are trained and skilled at using a variety of coaching approaches, tools, and techniques. The specific approach taken in a session is dependent on the rapport with the graduate and the issue being addressed.