The early talent market has shifted with employers reimagining their talent pipelines and looking for opportunities to attract and bring students into the business earlier and earlier. Traditionally, a Graduate Value Proposition (GVP) would have been an expectation in the market which may be stemmed from broader Employee Value Proposition (EVP). Now, we’ve re-defined to establish an Early Talent Value Proposition (ETVP) that not only offers pathways for recent graduates, but students looking to explore and gain exposure throughout their studies.
What is an ETVP?
The Early Talent Value Proposition (ETVP) is your promise of value to be delivered, communicated and acknowledged. It’s your commitment of your early talent program/s, the “why” and “how” it will be executed. This document should be what you take to your stakeholders to secure program approval and is also leveraged when you go to market to attract and recruit your early talent. Early Talent Leaders need to be considering the following to establish an ETVP:
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- What is the purpose of the program?
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- What does the program look like?
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- What is my program’s competitive advantage?
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- How does my ETVP support securing program approval?
What is the purpose of the program?
When organisation’s launch early talent solutions, it is generally because of a need being identified within the business. Statements start being asked like:
“We’re needing future leaders”
‘We’re needing fresh perspectives”
“We’re needing technical experts”
As such, when establishing your ETVP, this statement should be what forms the foundation of your program/s, and be what steers all decisions made on the design and delivery of your program/s.
What does the program look like?
Having a clear image of what your program will involve is crucial when developing your ETVP. When prospective talent is researching the program that they are considering to join, they’re looking to understand elements like; the length, rotations involved, function/service areas available to work within, soft skill development opportunities and in general what will the day-to-day involve.
Especially during your attraction campaign and when engaging with early talent directly, you want to make sure your message is clear and consistent as ambiguity can often act as a deterrent for high performing individuals. Top talent can see through the smoke and mirrors!
Beyond helping early talent gain an insight into their role within your organisation, it is also invaluable for Hiring Managers, Line Managers and teams who will be engaging with this cohort to be up to date with this information. These individuals have touchpoints throughout the whole process from referrals through your attraction campaign, to being involved in the selection process, to mentoring throughout and ultimately determine the experience your early talent will have on a day-to-day basis.
What is my program’s competitive advantage?
The Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE) published that in 2024, 13% of early talent continued to make applications after receiving an offer, with 42% of graduates receiving at least two offers. In a market where there are attractive opportunities for early talent year-round, it’s even more reason to start identifying what it is that is making your program stand-out. These can be unique offerings that you can showcase in your attraction & selection process to capture talent.
Once you have your unique proposition that you can take to the market, you also need to leverage industry body reports to understand where the market is shifting towards. For instance, students are continuously indicating that learning & development opportunities are key reason they will join. Most recently, flexible work has increased as a motivator as a result from societal changes. Once you have your established voice and differentiator in the market, how are you able to identify the needs of incoming talent and focus on these.
How does my ETVP support securing program approval?
The creation of your ETVP is not only invaluable in identifying the big picture what your program will look like but acts a streamlined method of securing approval within your organisation. Your ETVP acts as a vessel for you to include essential information and will allow your business to understand why and how your program will both impact and benefit the wider business.
Utilise your ETVP as a “pitch” to highlight key features like headcount, structure, program timeline, resources necessary and importantly budget. Your organisation will want to understand what investment this program will need to be successful, so summarising your key features and attaching the ROI, is critical for its ongoing success.
Summary
Within recent shifts in the market, Graduate Leaders are taking the opportunity to reconsider their early talent pipelines and introduce their talent earlier and earlier. To ensure the success, you need to make sure you have considered the following elements:
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- Your Purpose
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- Your Competitive Edge
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- Your ROI
