How To Recruit Entry-Level Positions: Strategies and Tips

Entry-level workers are a vital part of any growing workforce. While additional training may be required upfront compared to more senior-level workers, entry-level candidates are often eager to learn and enable organizations to build a pipeline of talent for future leadership positions.

In today’s competitive labor market, entry-level workers have many options to find job opportunities, meaning organizations need to identify creative ways to stand out from other employers. Once recruiting teams attract talent, determining which individuals are the right fit for open roles can be tricky because entry-level candidates have limited professional experience to assess and compare. With the right strategies in place, your team can secure qualified entry-level workers.

The entry-level recruiting process

The general hiring process will likely follow the same or similar steps for entry-level roles as for other positions across an organization. However, certain steps may require a slightly different approach or have less stringent requirements than more senior-level positions.

For example, entry-level resumes may focus on educational background, extracurricular activities, or part-time positions, rather than full-time professional work experience. Or a candidate may share professors or advisors as reference contacts, rather than professional contacts.  

Each time your team is recruiting entry-level positions, ensure your job descriptions and posts are written with entry-level experience in mind. An analysis of job posts on LinkedIn across a 45-month period found that 35% of positions labeled as “entry-level” require at least three years of experience.

Defining entry-level roles that require too much experience can present challenges for attracting potential candidates. New graduates and others with little to no work experience may feel underqualified for roles, while individuals with a few years of experience will likely overlook entry-level job posts.

When it comes to evaluating and hiring entry-level workers, understanding common advantages and disadvantages is essential. Typical advantages include reduced payroll costs, opportunities to train new workers for future growth opportunities, and access to fresh perspectives. Disadvantages may include increased training time and costs and a lack of professional experience. By implementing an effective entry-level recruiting process and engaging motivated workers, the advantages can outweigh potential disadvantages.

Important qualities to consider for an entry-level position

Rather than evaluating candidates for years of experience or specific professional accomplishments, taking an individual’s soft skills into consideration can help you assess potential and select the best fit for entry-level positions.

Soft skills are character traits and qualities that help individuals work well on a team. While they can be more difficult to define and measure than hard skills, soft skills are no less important. Certain soft skills may be evident through an individual’s interactions during the hiring process. Specific interview questions can also help you better understand these qualities.

Important soft skills to look for include:

• Communication. Effective communication is key no matter the role, especially in today’s remote and hybrid work environment in which team members don’t necessarily have the opportunity to ask questions or share updates in person. Strong verbal and written communication skills can help entry-level workers interact with team members, leadership, and (if applicable) customers and other external contacts.
• Teamwork. Almost every job requires workers to collaborate with team members to achieve shared business goals. Individuals who are skilled in teamwork are willing to contribute to team brainstorming sessions, open to hearing diverse perspectives, and eager to work with others to overcome challenges. Many organizations schedule peer interviews during the recruitment process to evaluate how prospective team members may work with current employees.
• Willingness to learn. Entry-level workers will experience a learning curve as they get to know your company, their day-to-day roles, and general workplace procedures. A willingness to learn, accept constructive feedback, and know when to ask for additional support is important to ensure new team members get up to speed quickly and make positive contributions to your organization.
• Adaptability. As business needs and in-demand skills shift, adaptability can help workers across an organization adjust to changing circumstances, develop new skills, and evolve alongside the company. When workers are resistant to change, this can have a negative impact on their professional growth and hold organizations back from achieving strategic business outcomes.

Entry-level position recruiting strategies

Taking a creative approach to attracting entry-level candidates and following a standardized recruiting process can help your team secure top talent in today’s competitive hiring market. Consider the following strategies to drive success with recruiting entry-level positions.

Form a plan

According to a survey from Bullhorn of 1,000 Gen Z candidates, 75% of respondents have abandoned a job application because of poor hiring processes. With a comprehensive plan in place, you can reach early career workers where they’re looking for job opportunities and follow a seamless process to reduce recruitment time and support an engaging candidate experience.

Here are some steps of an effective recruitment plan:

• Write concise, engaging job descriptions
• Identify a list of talent sourcing tools and channels, such as the company careers page, job boards, social media channels, classified ads, and talent marketplaces
• Attend career fairs at local community colleges and universities to recruit upcoming graduates
• Set up an employee referral program and encourage team members to promote open positions on social media, with their professional contacts, and through alumni networks
• Identify technology solutions to help streamline the recruitment and hiring process, including applicant tracking systems (ATS), recruitment software, and interview scheduling tools
• Implement a standardized recruitment process with steps including candidate screening, talent assessments, interviews, and reference and background checks
• Prepare detailed onboarding resources to help new hires succeed from day one  
• Continually measure recruitment effectiveness to improve your process over time

Reach talent on social media and online communities

Research from CareerArc found that 86% of respondents use social media to search and apply for jobs and engage with job-related content—and younger workers who are searching for entry-level positions are the most likely to embrace social media.

At the very least, most companies share traditional job posts on LinkedIn and other social networks. However, you may need more creative strategies to stand out and reach the best candidates.

The following tips can help you engage early career workers through social media and online communities:

• Research how competitors and top companies to work for promote job opportunities and their employer brand on social media
• Post local entry-level jobs on Craigslist and other online classified ad websites
• Expand your reach by promoting jobs on Reddit, the fourth-most-popular website in the U.S. and ninth-most-popular in the world (popular channels, also known as subreddits, include r/forhire and r/recruitment)
• Share compelling videos across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok covering topics such as a day in the life of someone on your team, worker success stories, and job search tips
• Partner with social media influencers to record and share videos about why job seekers should consider joining your team
• Create and share polls on your social media channels asking followers about their job search or company culture preferences
• Keep social media best practices and guidelines in mind when posting jobs (for example, Twitter posts have a 260-character limit and TikTok videos can be up to 10 minutes, but most are less than 30 seconds)

Transition interns into entry-level team roles

Many organizations engage college students, recent graduates, and other early career professionals for internship opportunities. An internship is a short-term, professional learning experience—often over the course of a semester or summer—in which individuals work in exchange for resume or course credit and professional connections. Some organizations also offer interns a fixed or hourly pay rate.

Depending on a company’s resources, budget, and hiring needs, high-performing interns may receive offers to either extend the internship or transition into a full-time position. Hiring existing or past interns as entry-level workers offers advantages, including saving time on hiring and decreasing the learning curve during onboarding, as they’ll already be familiar with your organization.

Internships also enable early career workers and employers to have a trial period of working together before determining whether a more permanent working relationship will be the right fit.

Leverage innovative technology to engage workers

The research from Bullhorn cited above also found that 85% of respondents believe the job search and placement process is outdated. Today’s job seekers—especially younger generations—are less willing to spend a significant amount of time manually completing complex job applications. Identifying ways to simplify job applications and reinventing how your team interacts with entry-level talent can help improve engagement.

Some options include:  

• Mobile job applications. According to research from Appcast, almost 70% of job applications were completed on mobile devices in 2021. Most individuals keep their mobile devices within reach, so enabling mobile job applications can help interested job seekers apply to roles as soon as possible. Keep in mind, mobile job applications should be short and concise to avoid frustrating and turning away prospective candidates. Simply include a few fields for contact information and options to link to or upload a resume or professional portfolio. Additional information can be gathered during other steps in the recruitment process.
• QR code-enabled job applications. Another option to capture the attention of job seekers on their mobile devices is creating offline advertisements with links or QR codes pointing to your open roles. With this approach, a prospective team member may find your job openings when they least expect it—such as when they’re commuting or on a walk around the neighborhood—rather than when they’re scrolling through several pages on a job board. Consider including QR codes on billboards, on signage near high-traffic public transportation stops, and on recruitment materials at job fairs.
• AI-powered recruiting assistants. One way to make the recruitment process more engaging is by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Many options are available to use AI in recruiting, one of which involves AI-powered chatbots and assistants that interact with candidates. Recruiting assistants help automatically match individuals with jobs that align with their skills and experience, guide them through the application process, and answer questions along the way.

Develop interview questions that identify important skills

Depending on your organization’s recruitment strategy, the interview process may include a few steps, such as an initial screen with the recruiting team, followed by a discussion with the hiring manager for the role, and peer interviews with potential team members. Entry-level positions typically require fewer rounds of interviews than more senior roles.

Because entry-level workers may not have professional work experience, consider asking situational interview questions about past challenges and accomplishments—that don’t necessarily relate directly to work—or hypothetical workplace scenarios. This approach can help your team understand how candidates may navigate certain situations. This approach can also help your team better understand individuals’ soft skills.

Consider the following questions as inspiration when your team develops interview questions:

• What do you consider your greatest accomplishment, either personal, professional, or school-related? What made you proud of this accomplishment?
• Can you share an example of a time when you didn’t succeed and what you learned from the experience?
• Have you had experience working in a group or team setting? How did you contribute to the team?
• What steps would you take to prepare for a team brainstorming session?
• If you ran into a challenge or roadblock, how would you reach out for support?
• How would you prioritize work or ask for more time on a project if you had several work assignments with competing deadlines?
• How do you manage your time on a day-to-day basis?
• What’s your preferred communication style and channel?
• How would you approach developing new skills or learning about a new industry or focus area?  
• If you received negative or constructive feedback, how would you respond and address the feedback?
• What do you think are your most important traits or skills that you would bring to this job?
• If hired, what steps would you take to get off to a successful start?

Prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)

Prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) can help companies ensure every team member has a voice, feels valued, and is respected. A company’s approach to DEI can also have an impact on an organization’s ability to attract qualified workers. A recent survey of 2,600 Gen Z candidates by RippleMatch found that 75% of respondents would reconsider applying for a role due to unsatisfactory company D&I (diversity and inclusion) efforts.

Some steps you can take to display your organization’s commitment to DEI when hiring entry-level employees—and workers off all experience levels—include:

• Use inclusive language in job descriptions and on your careers page, such as gender-neutral terms versus gendered terms
• Avoid local phrases or idioms if your team includes international workers
• Recruit from diverse channels, such as Diversity.com, Women for Hire, Neurodiversity Employment Network, and Military.com
• Standardize the talent acquisition process and automate certain hiring steps to evaluate all candidates on an objective scale  
• Clearly state your organization’s commitment to building a diverse workforce on your careers page
• Share employee success stories from workers across diverse backgrounds and skill sets on your website and social media
• Highlight employee resource groups (ERGs) and other diversity initiatives on your careers page, to showcase opportunities for team members to develop connections around shared interests, communities, or identities

Find skilled talent of all experience levels on Upwork

Recruiting entry-level positions offers your organization the opportunity to bring in talent with a fresh perspective and willingness to learn. However, identifying the right talent with limited insight into professional experience can be challenging. To make the process easier, consider engaging talent from Upwork.

When you post a job on Upwork, you have the option to specify the experience level—either entry-level, intermediate, or expert—in your job posting, helping you reach individuals with the experience you need. Access independent professionals on Talent Marketplace™ with more than 10,000 skills across specialties including marketing, tech, design, finance, and many more.

Through Upwork’s end-to-end full-time hiring solution, you can also initiate contract-to-hire working relationships. Whether you’re looking to fill entry-level positions or access more experienced talent, this approach enables your team to quickly fill skills gaps, engage workers for a trial period, and decide whether to move to a full-time relationship.