ACE Your Campus Recruiting Strategies

As the race for top talent continues to increase, campus recruitment is quickly becoming a key part of many organizations’ recruitment strategies. In a recent poll, 90% of campus recruiters stated they are rethinking their campus recruitment strategies, so it’s important that your organization develops and deploys an innovative campus recruitment strategy in order to keep up with the competition.

Study Up on The Stats

• 56% of employers plan to increase college hiring numbers
• 30% of the workforce will be Gen Z by 2030
• 85% of candidates prefer to attend a career event before applying
• 5 years is the average time college recruits stay with a company
• 4% was the average percent of eligible interns converted to FTE in 2021

The Benefits of Hiring College Students

There are many benefits to hiring new grads and college students. A college student or recent graduate has tremendous growth potential within your company. Since most college students and recent graduates don’t have extensive work experience, they’re adaptable to new processes and procedures and might even provide new perspectives for your company. Many college students and recent graduates are eager to learn. Since they’ve just come out of the classroom, they’re also well-prepared to attend training sessions and develop new skills to improve their work performance.

Campus Recruitment Challenges

Unsurprisingly, you may face some challenges as you plan your campus recruiting strategies, but the benefits are worth it, and NAS can help you overcome the following obstacles.

• Increased Competition. There will continue to be an increase in competition for new graduates as almost 70% of organizations are looking to hire new grads each year.
• Lack of Brand Awareness. It’s important to continually promote your organization at colleges so students are familiar with your company.
• Limited Staff Be sure you have the staff, time and budget to commit to campus recruitment initiatives. If you do not have the recruiting staff available, consider bringing current employees along to give students a better understanding of what it is actually like to work for your company.
• Traditional marketing strategies lack in effectiveness for the generation that is currently in college, so it’s imperative that your organization is utilizing technology with all touchpoints with students.

Get to Know Your Audience

Gen Z is your main audience on campus, so keep that in mind as you develop recruiting materials, including job postings, application processes and collateral. Gen Z is the most diverse and educated age group entering the workforce in the US. They are shaped by the internet and their social feeds. They spend half of their waking hours on screens, so what does Gen Z seek in an employer?

• Gen Z has been labeled “job hoppers” because, over the last 20 years, “the number of companies people worked for in the five years after they graduated has nearly doubled.” It’s important for organizations to offer continued learning opportunities and career pathing.
• Gen Z candidates find it essential to work for a company that cares about diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Mobile-friendly and innovative technology is a must.
• 7 in 10 Gen Zs find it important to have in-person socialization with their colleagues, while 59% feel the same for virtual socialization.
• Work/Life balance is very important to this group. 82% of Gen Z employees find it important to have mental health days according to BambooHR.
• They also find it important to have transparency at work and a healthy relationship with their peers.

Standing Out to Students

1. Consider your timing.

30% of students could not attend company events that conflicted with their class schedules.

2. Make it fun.

Enhance your campus present with engaging events like hackathons, campus challenges or group chats.

3. Emphasize what matters.

Highlight factors that Gen Z finds important, such as compensation, career growth and benefits.

4. Make it quick.

92% of candidates never finish an application. Create forms students can fill out quickly at your event.

5. Target with tech.

Use social media and geofencing campaigns to reach students on their phones and preferred platforms.

6. Don’t forget your site.

52% of candidates first seek out 1) the company’s sites and 2) social media to learn more about an employer. Add a page with information on internships and early careers.

Have a Plan in Place

You should be planning your summer hiring no later than March/April with plans to utilize the summer months to plan your Campus Recruiting. Here is a basic plan to follow when planning your campus recruitment strategy.

• Identify your hiring needs
• Identify which schools you want to target (tier 1 & tier 2)
• Establish career center relationships
• Build relationships with college professors and leaders
• Organize calendars and plan travel for campus visits and events
• Ensure you have branded resources and collateral
• Attract students on-campus using brand ambassadors
• Connect with students via social media channels
• Develop a strategy to keep in touch with interested students

NAS IS THE CAMPUS RECRUITING TUTOR YOU NEED

Through our branding, technology and marketing services, we can help your business optimize your campus recruiting efforts and gain quality candidates. Ready to create engaging strategies? Contact NAS today

• Data-driven recruitment marketing that works.
• Get into a Marketing Mindset and Position Your Company to Better Hire Top Talent