40 Elements to a 21st Century College Recruiting Program

From ERENet by Kevin Wheeler Feb 4, 2010, 12:13 pm ET

Campus
recruiting is where the action is this year. Demand will be up, and
competition for the same students will be common. Technical graduates
are almost impossible to find, and visa restrictions, along with
increased security, will make hiring foreign nationals more difficult.

It is no longer possible to be a passive corporate college
recruiter; you have to have an aggressive and well-thought-out strategy
if you even hope to attract the candidates you really want. Social
media and the Internet have changed the game, and college students are
looking for and will expect you to have a strong and interesting online
presence. Going to campus to hold information sessions is definitely
20th century, and should be phased out over the next few years.

It will be replaced with online networks, brand-building,
interactive and virtual information, and virtual mentoring programs. I
have compiled a list of 40 elements that I think a 21st college
recruiting program should have. I'd love your thoughts and feedback.
Let's get a good discussion going as to whether the virtual approach
that I advocate will really be the way it is done.

Here is my list of the elements that make up a 21st century college program.

1. You have a focused and clear picture
   of the ideal college hire. This has been vetted with hiring managers
   and is based on past success. In other words, you know who you want and
   what competencies and personality traits make them successful in your
   organization.


2. You have established clear criteria for why you recruit at a
   particular school. These criteria have been correlated with success
   (i.e. you know acceptance rates, turnover rates, and performance
   ratings for everyone hired).


3. You have reduced or eliminated all physical presence at campuses in
   favor of frequent virtual visits and tight communication channels for
   students, recruiters, and hiring managers.


4. Key schools are becoming less important. Focus is now on finding
   people with the "key skills and traits" that you are looking for.


5. Recruiting activities start early in the life cycle - as early as
   kindergarten and elementary school, with online informational programs
   and interactive programs that continue into high school work programs
   and school-to-career programs.


6. You have programs to locate and track freshman and sophomores and
   you have criteria to determine whether to drop them or continue to
   follow them into their 3rd and 4th years of secondary education.


7. You have developed web-based activities/games/simulations as well
   as instructor feedback methods that help you identify outstanding
   fourth-level students and encourage them to pursue graduate work under
   the tutelage and mentorship of senior employees. Ideally you also
   provide financial support.


8. You have internship/cooperative/summer employment programs that are
   used to help candidates pre-screen job opportunities and to help you
   assess candidates. It has formal entrance requirements and you conduct
   a formal assessment of the participants. Work is meaningful and
   relevant to the student's major/interest.


9. You are using social media such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter
   to connect with students and  provide them with information and
   connections within your organization.


10. You make an effort to identify and attract students who are not
    actively seeking a job in your organization. You have a variety of
    activities and online campaigns to entice and attract the students you
    want.


11. You have a college website that is interactive, contains videos,
    has interviews with a cross-section of internal employees at different
    levels, and gives a candidate a thorough idea about what your company
    does, what your passions are, and why you are in business.


12. You have a social network that selected students and employees can
    join to exchange ideas and information and that can act as a sourcing
    tool.


13. You are actively involved in creating a brand for the company that
    is appealing to college graduates. You have done market research to
    know what students are looking for in your industry and you have
    tailored your online look and feel, promotions, and marketing. You are
    focused on brand creation for the recruiting program.


14. You have exciting job previews online that really tell what it is like to work in your company at a specific job.


15. You guarantee selected faculty members (who understand your company
    and your needs) at selected schools that you will interview any student
    they refer.


16. You offer students a chat room or some other electronic means to communicate with managers and employees within your company.


17. You take a market and customer-oriented approach to recruiting and
    do market research, surveys, and interviews so that you really
    understand your market and customer.


18. You apply a multi-pronged strategy to your selection process by
    using interviews, tests, referrals, and self-screening techniques. You
    add depth to screening techniques by asking students to make
    presentations, work on projects, help with simulations, or through
    contests.


19. You use tests to establish capability and/or organizational fit.


20. The selection process is quick. Hiring decisions are made in hours, not days.


21. Managers or other employees are the primary interviewers and decision-makers, not human resource personnel or recruiters.


22. At least some portion of the interview process is done virtually using video/audio tools such as Skype.


23. You have statistics and other data to validate your selection
    criteria. You know how each part of your selection process contributes
    toward the final decision.


24. You assess and track candidate and manager satisfaction with the selection process and make periodic changes.


25. You try not to hire "in your current image" but seek to find
    candidates with fresh ideas and who can bring a different and perhaps
    higher level of performance to the organization.


26. You know why students have said "no" and have established ways to overcome and respond to objections.


27. You can make a flexible offer that meets an individual student's needs. You don't have a one-size-fits-all approach.


28. Start dates are clearly established and communicated and there is flexibility in these dates.


29. Managers keep in touch with new hires before they start through
    Facebook, email, and other online tools, as well as by telephone.


30. All new college hires access an online tailored assimilation and
    orientation program that starts on the very first day they accept an
    offer.


31. Each new college graduate is assigned a mentor for his or her first
    three to six months. This mentor is trained and has specific goals and
    objectives. There is frequent feedback to the recruiting department.


32. A "college club" or other group is set up for the college hires to
    meet each other, share experiences, and have social activities together.


33. All new hires are given an initial assessment and feedback with
    their first 60 days. This assessment includes feedback from customers
    where it is appropriate.


34. All your systems and processes are easy to use and simple.


35. You strive to be innovative and leading edge in your college
    program. You make obsolete your recruiting style and practices
    frequently and try new approaches.


36. You have a shorter cycle time and lower costs than your competitors and you have figured out how to get that information.


37. You track and measure everything. You know your costs, your cycle time, your acceptance rate, your turndown rate, and you know why.


38. All policies and rules governing college recruiting have been
    critically looked at, and only the demonstrably valuable and important
    ones are in use. You have a philosophy that says: "You do not write a
    policy or procedure unless it directly affects productivity, safety, or
    legal compliance."


39. Paper is virtually eliminated. Forms, policies, interview results,
    and applicant tracking are all online and available electronically.


40. Your management team would say that the college recruiting effort
    is one of the best and most effective of all HR practices in your
    organization.

This
article is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended
to offer specific legal advice. You should consult your legal counsel
regarding any threatened or pending litigation.

3 comments

1. 
   

   
   Miguel Corona, D.M.
   Feb 4, 2010 at 3:50 pm
   

   
   

   Great
   post Kevin. In reading through the list, what struck me was the
   specificity of the factors you have suggested. The broad "one size fits
   all" approach to college recruiting is no longer ideal when resources,
   services, and stakeholder expectations are being more scrutinized.
   Attention to detail, whether it focuses on the "soft" aspects of
   college recruiting or analyzing the key metrics that lead to an
   effective program, is what the future holds for both employers and
   universities. It seems many of these factors relating to detail can be
   facilitated and implemented much easier via a virtual environment.

   
   


2. 
   

   
   College Recruitment - A New Frontier | .
   Feb 4, 2010 at 5:53 pm
   

   
   

   [...]
   a comment Go to comments What's the future hold for college recruiting?
   Kevin Wheeler provides a great list of 40 factors that he sees in the
   future. While most of Kevin's great list is linked to incorporating
   online [...]

   
   


3. 
   

   
   Angela Lazaridis
   Feb 9, 2010 at 3:04 pm
   

   
   

   I
   definitely agree that corporations are going to need to change their
   college recruiting programs in order to attract and retain the ideal
   talent for their organization. Online resources have and are changing
   the scope of college recruiting. I believe, if utilized correctly,
   these resources can allow a company to be effective in their campus
   recruiting.

   
   

   I think four of the most important elements you mentioned are
   knowing who the ideal hire is, focusing on key skills & traits
   rather than a specific college, identifying & attracting students
   that are not actively seeking a job with your company, and striving to
   be innovative and leading-edge in your recruiting program. 1stGig.com
   is a new online resource for companies that can assist in achieving
   these goals.