Engaging with Students to Power Growth

The need for more staff, stronger training, and better student programs is a common theme here at The Business of Tech. Have you spent time wondering how you, a small business owner, can better leverage the skills, time, and curiosity of college students?

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You can probably guess that I’m a strong proponent of connecting with the next generation of service providers. But developing college relationships and educational programs might feel intimidating, especially if you don't already have a process in place.

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I recently welcomed Don Snyder onto a bonus episode to outline his work in the Office of Career Development at my alma mater, the College of William & Mary. Turns out, networking with schools and students isn’t as challenging as you’d think.

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From sourcing talent to creative outreach ideas to tips on working with Gen Z students, here’s what Synder recommends.

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Engaging with colleges: an overview

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Snyder’s work focuses on three main areas: advising students on the career development process, handling STEM employer relations, and raising awareness for the career center’s resources.

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The main goal? To be confident in referring students for internships, job searches, career fairs, or whatever else they need while navigating the early parts of their careers.

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We tend to think in terms of metrics in the tech services field, so I asked Snyder how he and his colleagues measure success. While post-grad surveys and student touchpoints are metrics on the student side of things, on the employer side, they mostly track the number of organizations engaging with the school.

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“Has a business gone to a career fair? Have they done an information session? Have they posted a position on the school’s job board? There's engagement from the student side, but there's also engagement from the employer side,” he said.

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How successful businesses find student talent

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So, what are some of the best ways for businesses to successfully find fitting students?

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Synder confirmed that the traditional career fairs and individual employer information sessions are still common practice. However, there are plenty of other productive methods as well, such as:

●????? Offering mentorship services to individual students

●????? Coming in for mock interviews, especially for technical interviews

●????? Critiquing resumes

●????? Hosting topic talks on trending industry news

●????? Welcoming students for career treks at their physical office

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Synder even sees employers coming in for casual half-days to meet with students individually to do just career chats.

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The relationship-building process

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But how do employer-school relationships even start? I asked Snyder to explain that process, and he described it as a two-way street.

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On the school’s end, relationships often start by reaching out to alums, researching nearby businesses, going after the sectors students are most interested in, and revisiting connections with organizations that haven’t engaged for a while. And of course, plenty of organizations proactively reach out to the school.

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Once the connection is made, Snyder will sit down with the organization for a strategy meeting. They ask about the business, the opportunities, how much they’re trying to grow, and whether they want part-time or full-time interns.

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The next step can often be as simple as creating awareness about open positions. Posting on the school’s job platform is free, so it’s not a big lift for businesses.

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Creative ways to engage prospective students

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I was curious if Snyder has seen any innovations in how businesses engage college students. He explained a new trend called the micro internship, which is a project-based opportunity for students to work with a business for as little as three to four weeks.

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For example, an MSP might need extra help updating a database. Even though it’s a short project, it’s still skill-based, so it’s a great opportunity for students.

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According to Snyder, micro internships are usually remote and paid. Ideally, they give businesses the chance to assess a student’s potential for a longer-term internship without an up-front commitment.

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What students are looking for (and what to know about them)

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Of course, attracting top talent isn’t always easy. So let’s think about it from the student’s POV: what are they looking for in an employer?

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Synder’s answer is twofold: students want hands-on experience, and they want that experience to be meaningful.

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“They want to get involved with organizations. They want to get involved in projects that have a meaning, that have an impact. And so if they're looking at an internship, they want that internship to have some type of hands-on project. They want the work to be meaningful,” he said.

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So, as you craft job postings and formulate your approach to recruitment, Snyder recommends being open about how the internship program will help shape your product or enhance your work with customers.

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Finally, to wrap things up, I wanted to know what advice someone who spends a lot of time with students would give to folks who haven’t engaged with young people in a while. What's the big thing Snyder wants employers to know about this generation of students?

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Again, Synder mentioned students’ desire for meaningful work, adding that this generation really cares about the bigger picture of their work and how it relates to the greater good — even in STEM.

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“For example, I was just working with a student yesterday who's studying both data science and Chinese, so she's working in digital humanities with natural language processing,” he said. “They're looking at it in a bigger picture, so not just programming and coding, but what does the bigger picture look like for me in this role in this position?”

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No matter your field, addressing that philosophy toward work certainly couldn’t hurt.

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I’m extremely biased here, but I can’t recommend working with Snyder. You can find him by contacting William & Mary's Office of Career Development and Professional Engagement. To find similar people at nearby schools, Snyder says to use Career Center, Career Development, and Employer Relations as search terms.

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Have you developed a student program you’re proud of? As always, my inbox is open for insights, stories, or whatever else is on your mind.