Kiwis Take Out Australasian Award

GradConnection has taken out the award for the Best Supplier in the graduate recruitment market in Australasia.

Last week at the 2011 annual Australian Association of Graduate Employers (AAGE) Gala Dinner, GradConnection won the Best Supplier award. This award recognizes the best service supplier within the graduate industry. The award is voted on by graduate employers across New Zealand and Australia. It is the first time the award has been won by GradConnection.

GradConnection is a Kiwi success story. The idea for GradConnection happened in Wellington, where three ambitious employees on Westpac Bank's graduate programme saw an opportunity to link employers and students online.

Instead of the standard pamphlets, career fairs, and company websites, GradConnection takes an innovative approach to the graduate employment market.

First, GradConnection provides a unique online tool, Gradmaker. This effectively ‘matchmakes’ students to potential employers. Students are able to evaluate jobs based on the qualifications required, pay packages, employer values, benefits, citizenship status and much more.

GradConnection also offers online forums where students can anonymously ask graduate related questions that can be answered in a constructive and informative way by both GradConnection staff and contributing employers.

Most importantly for employers, the website provides employer profiles with key company information such as who they are, what they do, and graduate opportunities. With GradConnection now advertising 180 employers across Australasia from a range of industries, the website really is a one-stop-shop for students, instead of them arduously searching individual company websites.

Finally, the latest GradConnection tool is “Personal Profiling”. This allows students to basically make a profile similar to Linkedin, where they can highlight job experiences, personal attributes, and upload transcript. Employers can view this profile and invite students to apply for a job.

Alongside the GranConnection business, Rob and Tim have set up the New Zealand Association of Graduate Employers (NZAGE). On the 8th of September this year the New Zealand Graduate Employers Summit was held. This was attended by over 70 Graduate Employers and Institutions, and subsequently the NZAGE steering committee was formed.

The Best Supplier award is a notable achievement. The Graduate Employment Industry is growing in significance, with GradConnection to a large extent leading the way.

ENDS

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