Year Round Campus Recruiting

In a candidate short market, the question often asked of employers is should they do year-round campus recruitment. On one hand it makes sense. However, it’s not an easy implementation for campus recruitment teams and their hiring managers.

Aside from fewer student applicants, there has been a definite shift in when students search for roles. The peaks of Fall and Spring are still there but they’ve flattened.?Gen Z are increasingly looking at job opportunities throughout the year, when the timing suits them.

Gen Z search behavior is different and it's more than just searching for jobs.?Research indicates their interests are more likely stimulated by online prompts or algorithm recommendations. Instead of internet searching, they let information come to them. It something proves to be of real interest, then?they will use search to explore in detail.?

How does that play out in campus recruitment? They can switch off during the main campaign seasons because of employer marketing noise or because “most employers look the same”. For example, research by Mary Scott, MBA , university relations and recruitment expert, shows that around 50% of students had taken 'measures to block some emails I was receiving about job opportunities'.

Many students are looking for cut-though to stimulate their interest. It’s reflected in the data showing the shift towards year-round job search.

But what happens when a student hears feedback from a friend who just accepted a graduate position. Or sees a positive story about the same company and its industry, sparking their interest. Deeper research confirms their thoughts and they come to company's early careers page. All looks good. Company values, job responsibilities, training and career development etc. Except it says “Applications are now closed”.?

Employers who rely upon a single campaign will be missing out on potential employees. That’s a problem when student attraction is hard enough.?

It's a dilemma for employers. When campus recruitment processes are geared to volume campaigns, is there a way to accommodate candidate interest outside the recruitment window? It depends on the assessment steps and timing. For a process that comprises two interviews, it’s easier to manage. But the more steps there are the harder it gets.

Then there’s the timing. Are roles still available? What’s the status of other applicants already in the process? Are hiring managers available?

A year-round expression of interest is a potential solution. But Gen Z will want feedback after registering so that means there is an efficiency trade-off for a recruiter who has to review every resume. Or the recruiter can simply wait until there’s a confirmed job need. But by then, Gen Z has probably moved on.

Campus Recruiting Open Registration

What we’ve seen work well is an Open Registration process run outside the main recruitment campaigns. Students complete an abbreviated application with no resume required. Open Registration relies on technology to automate the initial review of the applicant’s background. That gives the recruiter an instant screening and assessment of quality. Not just if they check the technical boxes but do they demonstrate leadership and interpersonal skills. This automation makes it easy for a recruiter to decide who to bring forward without going through hundreds of resumes.??

For students the abbreviated application is simple and quick, taking ten minutes and they receive timely feedback from the employer.

There's still the challenge of how to manage the interview / assessment process of an Open Registration applicant. But in a candidate short market, recruiters and their hiring managers will find a way. There's no choice.

Interested to learn more about Open Registration technology? Contact the author.

#campusrecruitment #campusrecruiting #graduaterecruitment #talentacquisition #expressions #eoi #openregistration #gradsift