Closing the digital divide is key to improving graduate recruitment for the long term, says Clare Adams from Handshake.

Many graduates are facing a difficult jobs market. Those due to graduate this June face increased competition and uncertainty, having already endured a period of isolation away from peers and potentially fewer chances to connect with employers.

Our new report ‘Handshake, Bringing Humanity Back to Graduate Recruitment’ discusses a pervasive digital divide, where not all students and graduates have the same access to opportunities.

It also makes the case that traditional professional networking sites are often geared towards people already in careers, leaving students and young graduates feeling disconnected.

Moreover, the dissemination of opportunities across multiple, fragmented university career management systems inhibits graduate recruitment as a whole, and is especially problematic for smaller businesses with limited resources.

In order to overcome these challenges, Handshake calls for greater collaboration and the adoption of networked solutions that allow for organic connections between employer and candidate.

Technology has a key role and responsibility; to design more efficient and effective ways to form connections with employers. Allowing career services to direct resources towards the areas of work that matter most for their institution, their students and the strategic partners they work with.

Our mission is to democratise opportunity. But we recognise that equal opportunity does not mean an equal playing field, and so we’re committed to equipping every student with the connections they need to achieve their career goals.