When Should You Start Your Graduate Recruitment? The Truth Might Surprise You

The conventional wisdom says the early bird catches the worm. Most established graduate recruitment campaigns launch 12-18 months in advance, with major employers closing applications by Christmas for roles starting the following September. This has created a myth that all the best graduates are snapped up by December.

But here's what many employers don't realise: this traditional timeline only captures one type of graduate.

The Two Types of Graduate Job Seekers

Recent research reveals that students fall into distinct categories when it comes to job searching:

Early Appliers dive into applications from September onwards, often accepting offers before Christmas. These are the graduates most large companies target with their lengthy recruitment cycles.

Considered Appliers take a different approach entirely. They focus on their studies first, delay job searching until after exams, and often don't start seriously looking until June or even after graduation. These students aren't less capable, they're simply more risk-averse or prioritising their academic performance.

In my experience working with hundreds of graduates, this second group can include some of the highest-performing students who were too focused on their academic studies to get distracted by early recruitment drives.

Why This Matters for Your Business

If you're a smaller business without the luxury of planning 18 months ahead, or if economic uncertainty makes long-term hiring commitments challenging, you're not at a disadvantage, you're positioned to access untapped talent.

 While your larger competitors are locked into rigid recruitment cycles, you have the agility to:

• Hire talented graduates who emerge after traditional recruitment windows close
• Respond quickly to business needs and opportunities
• Access motivated candidates who aren't just following the crowd

The Year-Round Opportunity

The reality is that great graduate talent becomes available throughout the year. Whether it's high-achievers who delayed their job search, career changers, or graduates whose original plans didn't work out, there's a constant pipeline of quality candidates, if you know how to reach them.

Ready to Access This Hidden Talent Pool?

At Acrobat Talent, we specialise in helping businesses of all sizes build effective early careers strategies that work around YOUR timeline, not traditional recruitment calendars. We can design, implement, and deliver your graduate recruitment process at any time of year, often with just weeks' notice.

‍Don't let rigid recruitment thinking limit your access to top talent.

Ready to discover what graduate recruitment could look like for your business? Let's talk. Contact us to arrange a no-obligation consultation about your early careers hiring needs.

Because the best graduates aren't just available before Christmas, they're available when you need them.

‍