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Early talent strategy is the intentional approach an organization takes to attracting, recruiting, developing and retaining students, interns, co-op students and new graduates. A strong early talent strategy goes beyond filling entry-level roles. It builds relationships with future talent and creates a sustainable pipeline that can support an organization’s workforce needs over time.

Hiring early talent can be a strategic investment in your future recruitment needs. Developing relationships with post secondary institutions and their students, creates a pipeline of people who already understand your organization, your culture and your work. Over time, this can reduce the need to continually search for experienced talent externally and help organizations build talent from within.

There is no one-size-fits-all model. An effective early talent program aligns with an organization’s workforce needs, hiring goals, resources and employer brand. It typically includes a clear recruitment strategy, strong relationships with post-secondary institutions, a compelling candidate experience, thoughtful onboarding and opportunities for development and retention. Most importantly, it is designed to be practical, measurable and sustainable.

We start by understanding where your organization is today and what you need your early talent strategy to accomplish. Consider your current hiring needs, target talent, industry, recruitment channels, employer brand, post-secondary relationships and internal capacity. From there, we identify what’s working, where the gaps are and what needs to change. Ascend helps organizations turn those insights into practical early talent and campus recruitment strategies.

Students and new graduates have more choices than ever, so simply posting a job isn't enough. Organizations need to understand what matters to emerging talent and communicate a clear employee value proposition through the channels and experiences where candidates are looking. Strong employer branding, meaningful post-secondary relationships, an accessible recruitment process and a consistent candidate experience can all make a difference.

Earlier than you might think. The strongest early talent programs are built around relationships, not just immediate vacancies. Starting early gives organizations time to develop post-secondary partnerships, build employer awareness, understand their target talent and create a pipeline before a hiring need becomes urgent. The right timing will depend on your industry, hiring cycles and workforce needs.

Ascend is a consultancy, not a recruitment agency. We don't simply help organizations fill today's vacancies - we help them build the strategies, programs and talent pipelines that support tomorrow's workforce. With more than 20 years of experience across recruitment, early careers, employer branding and strategic leadership, Ascend brings a practical understanding of what it takes to build early talent programs that work.

Ascend works with organizations that want to strengthen how they attract, recruit and develop students and new graduates. This includes organizations building an early talent program from the ground up, as well as established teams looking to assess, improve or scale their existing approach. We work primarily with HR, Talent Acquisition and hiring leaders who want early talent to become a more strategic part of their recruitment strategy.

Absolutely. Some clients engage us for an Early Talent Diagnostic, where they assess the health of their current program offerings, while others partner with us for ongoing strategic guidance and program support. We'll work together to determine what best fits your needs.