How to Find the Best Candidates Through Campus Recruiting

Sep 10th, 2015

Students across the country have said goodbye to summer, sharpened their pencils, stuffed their backpacks and settled back in to the classroom. Cheers from parents all around!

This only means one thing for employers looking for fresh talent to fill their pipeline – CAMPUS RECRUITING! Woo hoo! Many campuses offer a chance in the fall months come to campus to get in front of students and get a jump-start on filling open positions.

Just like you want to get to know students – students want to get to know your company. Now more than ever, recruits are interested in thorough information about a company before they sign on the dotted line. They want to know where a company excels, what type of people works there, and the perks of taking a job with the company, aside from the salary and 401k. Campus recruiting is the PERFECT chance to show them!

As competitive as it can get, any positive interaction with a company representative can increase the chances of attracting top talent in the future. In today’s campus recruiting game, it is all about building and maintaining relationships. Those relationships can start right on campus.

We are here to help you with a few simple tips as you hit campus:

1. Do Your Research

Depending on the types of majors they are targeting, different school may make sense for certain companies. Know which campuses have the best programs and plan accordingly! Make sure you are spending your time wisely to get the strongest pool of candidates possible. Know about the programs you are recruiting from, the classes students take and the clubs on campus that might make a candidate even more attractive.

2. Send Your Best People

This is important! The person behind (or in front of!) the booth is the face of the company for the day. This person should be positive, approachable, and knowledgeable about the company. Find someone who is passionate about what they do so they can share this passion with the next generation of talent. Plus, many employees are excited to return to the campuses of their alma mater to mix and mingle. This is a great chance for current employees to reminisce about their college experiences and also share with students about life after graduation.

3. Don’t Sit!

As exhausting as it may sound, try and stand by your booth! Standing makes you more approachable and also allows you to have a more productive conversation with a recruit. Mimic the body language of who you are talking to in order to make them feel more comfortable and at ease. I guess this also means wearing comfortable shoes is a must!

4. Bring Swag

Backpacks, pens, notebooks with your company logo on it– people love free stuff! Not only does a freebee attract people to the table but it spreads the word about the company well after the fair closes its doors. Think about something that students will use and other students will ask about. “Hey, where did you get that?!”

5. Keep in Touch

The goal of attending these events is to make good connections with future new hires. Don’t let conversations stop at the fair! Exchange business cards and contact information to make sure the conversation keeps flowing. Invite students to connect online, visit the company’s website and social media channels or explore informational interview possibilities. Just because you might not have an open position for them at this current moment, does not mean that they might not be a great hire 3-5 years down the line.