Maintaining brand presence across the year on campus

Sounds easy, right?? No?? We get it. ?Cutting through all the noise and staying top of mind can be tough, and for employers of early talent, it’s important to be thinking of how best to maintain relationships and build your brand beyond your recruitment open and close dates.?

As an early talent recruiter, it’s a good idea to be looking at different ways to engage.? Very rarely can you go down just the one route, or channel.? It's about diversifying, and looking at multiple touchpoints across the academic year.?

What I’m about to go over, certainly isn’t an exhaustive list, and there are, no doubt, many other options out there.? This is based on what we, here at Waipapa Taumata Rau | The University of Auckland have seen, and what seems to work well.??

As a first step when looking at on-campus activation, it’s good idea to work out how to:?

1. Navigate the Universities?

Yikes!? I hear you say.? I’m the first to acknowledge that most universities can be a bit of a rabbit warren.? I’ve been here 6 and half years, and I’m still working out who I need to know and where I need to go.?

The good news is, is that the central careers teams are a good starting point.? All the New Zealand universities have one, and while we all operate a little differently, the nuts and bolts of what we do, and the services we offer, are the same.? Here at Waipapa Taumata Rau, we will have an initial chat with employers, understand who and how they are wanting to target, and go from there.? Next steps are often redirecting you to faculty contacts, who can advise further on local engagement options, particularly if your target cohort is limited to that one faculty.?

The NZUni Talent website is a good place to visit to find out who you need to speak to at which University.?

Second step:?

2. Do your homework?

The first question I often ask an employer is:?"Who do you want to target?" ?Followed closely by – "What is your desired outcome when it comes to student engagement?".? Knowing where you want to focus your efforts, and what you achieve through those, will help us help you.? And think about where in the students’ university journey you want to start that engagement – which is, ideally before students reach their final years.? ?

We know that students aren't wanting to engage?just at the pointy end of their degrees – and our data backs this up.? 20% of the 2700 scanned students at our 2024 Career Expos were first year, and just under 50% were mid-programme.? So that’s nearly 70% of all scanned students who weren’t in their final year. ?Yes, this might simply be reflecting the interest and demand from students in the internship space, but it also tells us that they’re not just motivated to engage with industry, and start doing THEIR homework, in their final year.?

So once you have worked out who you want to target, and when, it’s then thinking about different engagement and branding opportunities, and….?

3. Mix it up!?

In addition to the standard recruitment engagements, such as expos and employer presentations, and posting job opportunities on the University job boards, find out about additional engagement opportunities such as:?

• Supporting faculty initiatives –?being on boards, engaging with the Dean Leadership Programmes, attending guest lecture series, offering scholarships, or sponsoring academic programmes.? These can enhance your brand’s reputation and demonstrate your commitment to education and student development.? ?
• Collaborating with student clubs, especially equity clubs and/or those relating to your industry.? We have a huge number of these associations here at the University of Auckland, many of which do a fantastic job in terms of engaging and supporting their members, and often look to industry for support and sponsorship with different initiatives.? And students respond well to clubs and club-hosted events.? Club events are offered BY students, FOR students, creating a safe space for them to participate in.? ? ?
• Hosting skills workshops, being part of discussion panels, or taking part in industry? showcases. ?Think about LEADING an industry showcase.? Get together with your competitors – tell our students why they should care about career opportunities in your sector!?

It's good to have a bit of a think about how you might want to get involved, or realistically how you could get involved (taking into account budgets, people power, areas of your business that you want to focus your efforts).?

Once you’ve considered your options, and have an idea of what you do want to get involved with:?

4. Plan ahead?

And now is a good time to start conversations with the Universities about 2025 engagement, find out about the different options available to you, and book in early – especially the expos!? All 8 NZ universities are working together to confirm those expo dates for you, and as soon as we’re good to go, we’ll be letting you know.? Demand for expos has shot up over the last couple of years, and we do expect a similar level of interest heading into 2025.? ?

We do understand that planning 12 months – or even 12 weeks – ahead isn’t always possible, but if you can – PLAN!???

And finally:?

5. Work with us?

We are here to help.? Going back to my earlier point about navigating the Universities, take up those opportunities to collaborate with us.? Let's have a chat.? Let’s brainstorm.? We won’t always have the answer, or that silver bullet, but we can certainly help to start getting those creative and productive juices flowing and point you in the right direction.

Kate Coley - Employer Engagement Manager

[email protected]