Dive Brief
- Corporate representatives have descended upon top universities to take part in a new form of on-campus recruiting outreach, OZY reports.
- Some students are greeted on move-in day by volunteers to help them move into their dorms. In an unlikely twist, however, those volunteers could also be the vice president or chief engineer from a company that’s hoping to begin a relationship.
- The volunteers aren’t screening resumes as they help unpack dorm supplies, they’re creating opportunities to pique students' interest in their firm. Other “non-recruitment” recruitment methods include General Electric's virtual reality tours of products and tech, Hackathons and resume workshops.
Dive Insight
Today’s grads have so many options for their career path, so competition from other companies is fierce. Students are also looking at grad school, freelancing or taking break years – all of which put the pressure on recruiters. In computer sciences, it’s projected by 2020 over 1.4 million CS jobs will be available, with only 400,000 grads to fill them.
Rather than wait until senior year to try to recruit, companies are looking to immerse themselves in campus life to create a link for students whenever they’re ready to reach out. Participating in campus activities, partnering and sponsoring campus events all increase name recognition and relationships with students. The new focus is to be a part of the overall educational program, not just wait until they’re donning caps and gowns.
Smaller companies that can’t afford to sponsor a campus-wide event can use platforms to target student’s interest in events and invite them to take next steps, like interviewing and internships. Part of the mission behind this outreach is to rebrand students' perceptions of larger organizations and even certain career choices (particularly in the STEM fields).
