Soon, students will be returning to campus from their summer sojourn. For those facing their final semester or year, one eye will be kept on their studies, while the other will focus on life beyond campus.
Here are five golden rules to follow to get in front of the brightest students:
Choose the Correct Communication Channel.
Companies are consistently looking to go where the talent may be. Snapchat, for example, has been all the rage for the past few months, with even the Society for Human Resource Management emphasizing its use of the app at their Annual Conference in June. While many college students may be using it, they may not want to use it with you. Add a line to your job application or find out upfront what the best way to contact that student may be — and stick to it.
Know Your Audience.
College students are not homogeneous. I repeat: College students are not homogeneous. Approaching colleges with the perspective that you are dealing with 18 to 22-year-old millennials means you will likely be missing the boat with non-traditional students. Further, even within the 18-22 demographic, a classroom of 300 (or even 30) is going to be more diverse than expected. What might be appropriate for one student may agitate another student. One only needs to look at the recent Microsoft “Bae” recruiting email to see how a company can misfire.
Know Where the Talent Is.
You may have have been recruiting at College X or University Y for years and have an excellent relationship with them. However, preferences for certain majors may have shifted, and the yield from the same pool may have declined. Using Emsi Analytics for College Recruiting will help you identify if the same schools are providing the desired results.
Be Honest With Candidates About the Job.
College students want a realistic picture of what the job will entail when they start. If the job in actual practice differs from the description made during the recruiting process, students will not hesitate to look elsewhere, particularly in a low unemployment economy.
Treat Others Like You Want to Be Treated.
The golden rule of recruiting college students is the golden rule itself. Do you want the application process to be smooth and easy? So do college students. Want to be kept apprised of the status of said application? So do college students. Want to be treated with respect and dignity during the interview? So do college students. Want to be offered the job or given the bad news as quickly as possible? So do college students.
Recruiting college students does not have to be a hassle. Their wants, needs, and desire are remarkably similar to what every applicant wants, regardless of age. Capitalizing on these rules as an organization will get you off to a successful start when beginning your search this fall.
Find out more about how CareerBuilder's College Recruiting Analytics can set your organization apart when it comes to recruiting college students.
